Early Career Development (ECD) programmes tailored to local context

Each year, the programme was put together by Head teachers. Their choice of content for the 6-7 sessions was based upon conversations they had had with teachers from their schools who had left the profession in recent years. Half of the sessions were delivered in the first term, and the rest were delivered across the rest of the year. We originally thought that we would only have funding for one year. However, the success of the programme led to a one-year extension, and then a further one-year extension. In each of our first two programmes, about 20 teachers participated. In our third year, the programme involved 45 teachers.

Within a backdrop of the local context, sessions (in 2018-19 and 2019-20) focussed on topics such as ‘managing adults in your classroom’, ‘managing difficult conversations with parents/carers and other adults’, understanding the reasons behind behaviours that you see (e.g. Attachment, Anxiety), ECT wellbeing, and career pathways. Heads recognised the value in their teachers making links with peers working in other local schools, and so opportunities for participants to talk and get to know each other were built into each programme. All sessions were held in a central location meaning that teacher travel time was no more than 30 minutes.

Our third ECD programme (2020-21) was slightly different due to the pandemic. Heads recognised that their N/RQTs (Newly/Recently Qualified Teachers) had experienced significant disruption to their training or NQT years. Those who were trainees or NQTs in 2019-20 had missed out on teaching practice and experience, especially of planning and teaching for a whole class alongside a supportive mentor. Heads decided to use approximately half of the funding to provide additional mentoring time for each participant teacher in whichever area it was felt they needed. Some used it to observe their more experienced mentor colleague, others team-taught, others used the time for discussions – for example, around planning, giving feedback to children, or working with parents and carers. Not only did this additional mentoring provide very bespoke support, the in-school nature of it meant that it could go ahead despite Covid restrictions preventing larger groups from different schools being able to get together in person.

There were also online sessions – to meet peers and have input around Attachment, Anxiety and wellbeing – across the first two terms. Towards the end of the year when inter-school visits were possible, teachers were given the opportunity to have a half day visit to another school. They chose which area they would like to see (e.g. maths, DT, writing, music etc.) and then they went to local schools known to have a particular strength in that area to observe and discuss excellent teaching in their chosen subject. For example, one group went to a local school where they observed the teaching of writing in different year groups, and had the opportunity to discuss progression, assessment and all they had seen with the English Lead.

Impact
Across all three ECD programmes, feedback from participants was collected after sessions. Results were extremely positive [word limit reached – see example feedback written later on form]

At the end of each programme, we collected views of Heads, and in the third year we also gained feedback from mentors. Heads reported that the programme had been of benefit to their school. Through teacher observations, they had been able to see staff using their learning from the sessions. For example, in the way teachers worked with children with insecure Attachment, or with the adults in their classroom. While Heads recognised that there are many factors that affect retention, they all felt that the programme had supported retention of staff in their school.

End of project feedback from Head teachers against programme outcomes and impact

Examples of outcomes/impact (from question 7) Participants reported:
• Improved knowledge, confidence and strategies to effectively support children with excessive worry, Anxiety and/or insecure Attachment
o Example: “I now use different approaches with children with insecure attachment and understand more how they feel.” “It made me aware that some of the behaviours/signs shown from children in my class may have been due to Attachment issues rather than just negative behaviour”
• Improved knowledge and strategies to support their own wellbeing. All participants were able to give examples of how the wellbeing session had made a positive difference to their lives
o Example: “I feel as though I have a much more positive mindset and understand how important it is to ensure my wellbeing is good in order to do the very best for my class”
• Development of positive relationships with parents/carers, including those where difficult conversations have been necessary
• Improved knowledge and strategies to effectively manage TAs and other adults in the classroom
o Example: “I now make sure that I find time to communicate about plans and learning with my TA”
• Feeling more connected to a local network where they can find support and celebrate success
o Example: “I spoke in groups to other NQTs. It was very supportive to hear that they are feeling the same way as me. It’s lovely to share ideas.”
• Feeling able to stay in teaching, and if they were to leave then they would not cite ‘lack of support’ as a reason for making this decision
All mentees in the 2020-21 programme felt that the additional mentoring sessions had made a positive difference to teaching. Mentors had responded similarly positively.
Examples from different mentors:
• “The opportunities to develop behaviour management strategies after mentoring sessions has been crucial to my mentee’s development”
• “confidence with both behaviour management and assessing work has greatly increased”
• “This NQT had little mentoring since qualifying and the sessions have allowed them to really start to find their feet within the school. Their behaviour management has really developed rapidly”
• “This RQT was confidence in the basics of teaching. These additional mentoring sessions have been in relation to pastoral issues, developing students’ academic writing skills and educational psychology. With such a mixture of bespoke topics, it would have been nearly impossible to provide for these in any other platform. As a result of these sessions, our RQT has developed not only their teaching, but also directed their career goals too”
Examples from mentees in different schools:
• “through observing English being taught by an experienced member of staff, it supported my planning, delivery, working wall and effective marking.”
• “The mentoring helped me to prioritise tasks in order to manage my stress. Better able to focus on more urgent tasks rather than juggle multiple tasks at once.”

At the end of each year, Heads reported that the programme had been of benefit to their school. Through teacher observations, they had been able to see staff using their learning from the sessions. For example, in the way teachers worked with children with insecure Attachment, or with the adults in their classroom. While Heads recognised that there are many factors that affect retention, they all felt that the programme had supported retention of staff in their school.