Our research:

During the summer term of 2021, we were well aware of the upcoming changes to the induction process for new teachers. As a Trust, we already had a successful support programme in place for our NQTs but we knew that this would need to be adapted. The research began, to establish which route and provider would be most suitable for our settings. At the Tapscott Learning Trust, we decided to pursue the lead provider route to ensure quality.

Choosing the provider:

At the time of our research there were six lead providers. Where to begin… Fortunately for us, the pilot schemes had been implemented in various schools across the country. We were able to delve into the evaluations from this and find out what this would look like in practice. After discussions with providers and our team, the decision was made to sign our Early Career Teachers (ECTs) up with Ambition.

A dedicated mentor:

It was clear that this new approach would require a mentor to support and coach the ECTs. For this roll out to be successful, careful consideration needed to be taken in order to decide who the appropriate mentors should be. We needed to ensure that they were experienced members of staff who had the capacity to support the teacher’s needs. Our chosen mentors have said that they are enjoying the coaching model and feel that it is also benefitting and developing their own practice at the same time.

First half term:

This is always a busy time for any teacher with getting back into routines and establishing behaviour expectations from the get go. Therefore the protected time for ECTs was paramount to support them with their teaching. The weekly mentor and mentee time needed to be implemented in order for them to work through and implement the ‘Behaviour strand’ using Steplab with our provider Ambtition to support this. Through careful monitoring of this, the ECTs are finding this time extremely beneficial. One ECT stated that: Steplab was simple and manageable to work through and it provides you with opportunities to look at things that you may have overlooked- this has been insightful. Our ECTS have also had the opportunity to attend their first full day conference. This was facilitated by a visiting fellow from our own Trust.

Internal sessions and support:

Every four weeks, our ECTs across the Trust meet together alongside the ECT co-ordinator. This provides an opportunity for them to look at the next behaviour strand, reflect on their practice and to touch base with other teachers in the same position as them. The ECT co-ordinator also supports them in their own schools. They have received support in planning, resourcing lessons, managing parents evening and teaching lessons together and this will continue throughout the year. An ECT stated: It’s been useful getting together with teachers across the Trust and finding out about their experiences. I really appreciate the support and find it really valuable and it is developing me as a teacher.

The implementation of this programme is enabling our teachers to become reflective practitioners and is equipping them with the necessary skills to become successful teachers.