If you’ve just started teacher training in England or Wales, it’s never too early to think about where you would like to spend your induction year as a newly-qualified teacher (NQT). And with less than a quarter of primary and secondary school NQTs in England choosing to relocate to find permanent jobs, you may want to consider teaching roles further afield.
With more than 400 locally maintained primary, secondary and specialist schools featuring some of the best teaching in the country, Essex is the perfect place to consolidate your training.“Every year between 700 and 800 NQTs come to Essex,” says Pearl Gibson from Essex Teacher Training. “Some will be from here others will not. Regardless, it’s a huge county with schools in both towns and villages. Our large secondary schools mean that NQTs can work with students with a range of abilities, giving them greater teaching experience. Whatever their ambitions, all NQTs teaching at schools supported by Essex county council’s services will get the help they need.”
The NQT induction year can be an anxious time. While training prepares aspiring teachers with knowledge and practice, the challenge of constant assessments, as well as establishing new professional relationships with staff and pupils, can be difficult to balance. Essex’s unique teacher training guides NQTs every step of the way.
By pairing NQTs with induction tutors who have gained their qualified teaching status, new teachers are eased into the job. NQTs’ teaching hours are restricted to 90% of those expected of a fully-qualified teacher, and tutors and senior staff consistently observe new teachers in the classroom, providing helpful, evidence-based feedback. Formal assessment and professional reviews also happen once every term so that NQTs can track their progress.
“As the statutory appropriate body, we are responsible for registering the satisfactory completion of all NQTs during their induction year,” says Madeline Knight from Essex Teacher Training. “We assess this using an online reporting tool called NQT Manager, through which schools upload assessment information about NQTs which is then processed by us to see if anyone needs support. This tool also has lots of useful resources for NQTs too, letting them check they are meeting standards.”
Since 2012, updated teaching standards have specified new criteria for assessing induction years. These include making sure that teachers: ensure tuition is their primary concern; are accountable for their results and conduct; act with honesty and integrity; have strong, up-to-date subject knowledge and teaching skills; and actively forge positive professional relationships with parents in the best interests of their pupils.
“Another online tool we provide is a tracker to help NQTs meet these core standards,” says Knight. “This comes with information about assessment criteria, as well as examples of how NQTs can demonstrate that they’ve fulfilled them, too.”
Sometimes things go wrong, however. With school budgets squeezed and staff working longer hours, mistakes can happen. However, through Essex Teacher Training’s rigorous support system, issues can be quickly resolved.
“Aside from online monitoring, we also send out quality assurance forms to NQTs,” says Gibson. “The results of these are made anonymous and then sent back to their schools. However, in certain instances we can also intervene on behalf of a teacher too. In the event that a school indicates that they have an issue with an NQT, we will visit the school, observe the teacher’s skills and provide an appropriate support pack or solution.”
NQTs also benefit from the best professional development opportunities to help them forge the career they want.
“When an NQT starts teaching, they will write a five-year plan to help them decide which directions they want to explore,” says Gibson. “Using this alongside the interests of the school, we will then create a series of appropriate one-day training courses.”
Additionally, Essex county council also offers all NQTs a range of incentives. These include access to the Help to Buy scheme, as well as a resettlement grant of £1,500 and a relocation grant of £750 for secondary leaders moving at least 40 miles to take up their post.
Moreover, with 350 miles of coastline, seven country parks, some of the oldest towns in Britain, as well as an array of bars, clubs, restaurants, festivals and shopping centres, Essex has everything you need on your doorstep.
“There are a lot of negative stereotypes about Essex,” says Knight. “But none of them are true. I actually live in a town where a certain glamorous television programme was filmed and it’s nothing like it. For teachers moving here, we’ve got a lot to offer. What we tend to find is that once teachers start building careers here, they never leave.”
