Project

Induction, support and early professional development

 

Findings from Part 5 of the study:

Common induction programme

  • In 2010 nearly all schools had a common induction programme in place. There had been a significant increase in the number of secondary schools having a common induction programme in place since 2008 to the point of almost universal coverage in 2010.

Induction support

  • In 2010 senior leaders in over 90% of all schools reported that those aspects of induction set out in the induction statutory guidance, i.e.10% release from NQTs' timetables, provision of an induction tutor, opportunities to observe other teachers, training courses and use of TDA standards, were always available to NQTs.
  • Primary schools provided more opportunities for NQTs to visit other schools and greater access to local authority training programmes than secondary schools. Secondary schools more often enabled NQTs to undertake masters work, offered in-house induction programmes, support from mentors and coaches, and used the career entry development profile more than primary schools.
  • Greater use of local authority induction programmes was made by schools in more deprived areas.
  • Broadly NQT respondents agreed with senior leaders about the relative availability of different types of support, however they perceived that less support was available than their senior leaders claimed was offered.
  • Comparison of senior leader responses in the 2008 and 2010 surveys revealed a statistically significant decline in the use of the TDA standards, the career entry development profile, written individual programmes and the provision of support from a mentor or coach who was not the NQT’s designated induction tutor over time. The decline in the use of an additional mentor or coach and of written programmes was particularly marked in primary schools.

Induction processes

  • Senior leaders reported that in most schools one member of the teaching staff oversees NQT induction and in nearly three quarters of schools other staff are also designated to support NQTs. Fewer NQTs in primary schools were provided with access to an additional mentor than in secondary schools.
  • Senior leaders in around three quarters of all schools reported that there were explicit processes for monitoring and evaluating NQT induction. Fewer NQTs were aware of these processes. More secondary schools had processes for formal monitoring and evaluation of induction than primary schools.
  • Just under half of all schools’ senior leaders, and around a third of all NQTs, reported that there were explicit processes for supporting NQTs to work with support staff. Support for working with support staff was more frequently available in primary than secondary schools.
  • Governors rarely had involvement in NQT induction.
  • There were no significant differences over time in relation to induction processes.

Local authority induction programmes

  • Sixty one percent of senior leaders thought that local authority induction programmes were useful and a further twenty nine percent had a neutral opinion. Primary senior leaders were more positive about the usefulness of local authority programmes than senior leaders in secondary schools.
  • Senior leaders thought that local authority induction programmes could be improved by:
    - More formal and informal opportunities for NQTs to network with each other
    - More content related to behaviour management, chid protection, special educational needs, and working with support staff
    - Differentiating training
    - More consultation and collaboration between schools and the local authority to design and deliver the training
    - Organising training at times that provide greater accessibility for NQTs (e.g. twilights)
     - Practical sessions that are delivered by skilled practitioners with recent school experience
    - Clearer communication of dates and times
    - Less paperwork

Participation in Postgraduate professional development (PPD) programmes

  • Just under a third of all NQTs were participating in a PPD programme. More NQTs in secondary schools were participating than in primary schools.

 

Findings from Part 4 of the study:

  • Third year teachers in our case study schools were subject to the same PD and support strategies and processes as other teachers in the school. Although senior leaders in most schools made no distinction between the PD and support provided for third year teachers and other teachers, in a small group of schools senior leaders had different expectations of the types and amount of PD and support third year teachers should engage in compared to other teachers. Only one school had a dedicated PD programme for third year teachers.


  • School PD and support strategies were driven by a combination of factors: PM, school needs, national initiatives, individual needs, teachers' new roles and responsibilities and individual interests. As a consequence they were often fluid. The relative importance of different drivers varied across the schools. PD and support for all teachers, particularly in-school training, was becoming more personalised.


  • The most frequently available type of support available to third year teachers was support from a head of department or equivalent. Other frequently available forms of support were being observed and associated feedback, team work with experienced teachers and in-school programmes. However, third year teachers perceived that less PD and support was available to them than their senior leaders claimed was in place. More support was available to third year teachers in primary schools than secondary schools. In a few schools third year teachers had no access to external PD activities due to budgetary constraints.


  • Over their school career to date the PD activity that most third year teachers had participated in was in-school training. The next most frequently taken up types of PD were external short courses and in-school coaching, undertaken by just over half of the survey respondents. The take up of LA training was much higher in primary schools than secondary schools. Third year teachers engaged more often in collaborative activity and networking, within and beyond the school, to support their development, than they did in their NQT or second year of teaching. More teachers, particularly in secondary schools, were participating in leadership programmes and masters programmes in their third year than in their second year.


  • Uptake of PD and support depended on the interaction between school related factors and individual characteristics. Third year teachers identified encouragement, suggestions and information from senior and middle leaders to be the most important factors supporting the uptake of PD and support. The main barriers to uptake were funding, cover and time.


  • Individual teachers displayed different attitudes to engagement in PD and support that could broadly be described as active or passive. In some schools teachers who proactively sought out PD and support accessed more opportunities than teachers who did not. Approximately one fifth of the case study third year teachers were dissatisfied with the amount of PD and support available to them. However, the vast majority were positive about the quality and usefulness of the PD and support they had participated in. Senior leaders were more critical of quality and usefulness, particularly of LA and some other external courses.


  • Few schools had robust systems for measuring the impact of PD and support, but many pointed to links between third year teachers' engagement in PD and support and positive outcomes. The most frequently mentioned outcomes were changes in classroom practices and/or implementing new ideas and materials. There were also examples of changes in practice beyond the classroom and development in teachers' attitudes and attributes. About one third of the case study third year teachers made links between their engagement in PD and support and positive outcomes for their pupils.

 

Findings from Part 3 of the study:

  • The second year of teaching marks a major transition in the types and levels of professional development activity and support offered to early career teachers, with a major reduction in targeted, structured support and integration of second year teachers into the monitoring and support systems applied to all teachers.


  • Professional development needs connected with wider concerns and responsibilities were more frequently identified by both senior leaders and second year teachers than classroom practice development needs. In primary schools these needs usually related to additional responsibilities the second year teachers were undertaking. In secondary schools the needs were part of preparing for future responsibility. Early professional development needs related to classroom practice were diverse and more frequently identified by senior leaders and mentors than second year teachers.


  • Targeted structured support, in the form of formal mentorship, professional development activities designed specifically for second year teachers, or time off timetable was rarely provided. Generally second year teachers gained support through the processes open to all staff.


  • Support for second year teachers was primarily provided through the performance and professional development systems applicable to all staff. Generally more support was provided in schools in the most deprived areas, and more support was available in primary than secondary schools.


  • There was a notable difference in who provided support in primary and secondary schools. Senior leaders in primary and special schools played a more direct role in supporting second year teachers than in secondary schools. In secondary schools departments were the main location for support and Heads of Department played a key role in providing both formal and informal support.


  • Informal support from other staff was both an intentional strategy highlighted by senior leaders, and a common and important aspect of the support experienced by second year teachers.


  • The vast majority of second year teachers were satisfied with the level of support they received. There were mixed views amongst senior leaders, NQT mentors and second year teachers about the change in the type and level of support between the NQT year and the second year of teaching. Some felt it was time for teachers to become more independent and others that the reduction in support was too large and too sudden.

 

Findings from Part 2 of the study:

  • Overall, the majority of schools that took part in the survey, telephone interviews and case studies included an in-house induction process including 10% reduction in timetable, observations, NQT mentors and regular meetings in their NQT induction programme. Secondary schools were more likely than primary schools to start NQT induction in the June / July prior to the NQT starting the following September. In common with the Phase 1 report, we found a striking difference in experience of NQTs and the schools themselves on induction. In virtually all respects, the NQTs experienced a more limited induction than the SLT members told us they provided.


  • LA induction was part of NQT induction for the majority of telephone interviewed schools and the most commonly used LA activity was specific courses for NQTs. Generally, the comments made by primary case study school SLT members were more positive than secondary regarding LA induction. Comments made by NQTs on LA induction were limited with mixed views on the induction support available. For example, primary NQTs found LA induction very supportive but one NQT from the qualitative study stated that LA induction was a repetitive exercise. These findings are consistent with the data from the SLT and NQT surveys.


  • Overall, the majority of SLTs and NQTs indicated that they used Career Entry an Development Profile (CEDP) Transition Point (TP) one, although fewer used TP2 & 3. Over half of SLT survey respondents indicated that they found the transition points useful, although many felt that they were adequate and some not useful at all. A higher proportion of NQTs stated that although they did use the CEDP they did not find it useful. The CEDP was used by the majority of telephone interview schools, although a fifth did not use the file at all. These findings were also consistent with the data from the case study schools with secondary school SLT indicating that they use the CEDP more than primary schools. Overall secondary school SLT members were much more positive about that file than primary SLT members, and the comments made by NQTs were similar to those from SLTs. Secondary NQTs use the file more than primary NQTs and find the file helpful.


  • There was limited data available on NQT induction monitoring and evaluation, although the comments made by SLT members suggested that secondary schools are more likely to use evaluation forms with their NQTs as part on their monitoring process. Generally, comments on difficulties experienced with NQT induction processes suggest that time and tailoring induction for individuals is an issue for SLTs taking part in the telephone interviews and case studies. Other difficulties included paperwork in terms of too much and being repetitive, and visits to other schools.

 

Findings from Part 1 of the study

Points from the literature review

  • NQTs would welcome more support in addition to their induction.
  • One study found that 88% of NQTs had a formal induction programme.
  • One study found a relationship between induction experiences and intentions to stay in teaching.
  • There are concerns about the quality of induction.
  • NQTs are afraid to speak up about their experiences in the induction year, especially if on a temporary contract.

Discussion of part 1 survey findings

The survey found that there is a formal induction programme for an even higher proportion of NQTs than that indicated in the literature review. It also indicated that induction is an important influence on NQTs in deciding whether to stay in teaching, but the survey also found that retention did not seem to be a great problem for the schools surveyed.
(pointersee Induction: School case study 1 and School case study 2)

The survey found few differences in patterns between schools in their having standard induction programmes or in the aspects included in them and the nature of support provided. However, the sort of data collected may not adequately indicate differences in the quality of provision and the written comments by NQTs more helpfully suggest this. These comments, positive or negative, suggest what NQTs think they need in induction and can usefully form the basis for further explorations in the study. There is a sense, from the quantitative data and from the written comments, that SLT members see their induction provision as more positively than do NQTs.

NQT comments suggest that whilst schools are of prime importance in their induction, ITT providers and local authorities might also have important roles in providing or facilitating support. SLT comments suggest they see the following as important in induction: regular reviews and meetings; open and supportive communications; work shadowing; use of non-contact time; peer support from other NQTs; opportunities for further training and CPD; opportunities for progression and for the assuming of responsibility; budgets that support such activities.

NQT comments suggest the following as important in induction: full but not overwhelming information e.g. about school policies and practices; a dedicated mentor and support from others in the school; written records of the process and a written programme. Training needs include: behaviour management; on ICT software; managing workloads; planning and assessment; observing others teach and visiting other schools; access to training courses and information about them. They also see the monitoring of their assessment during the NQT year as important.

Whilst there are overlaps between the two sets of comments there are differences in focus, with NQT comments reflecting much more specific needs in relation to specific topics and more rigorous monitoring.

 

 

mentoring download

pdf downloadEPD and support - Part 4 findings[57Kb]

pdf downloadEPD and support - Part 3 findings[57Kb]

pdf downloadInduction - Part 2 findings
[151Kb]

pdf downloadInduction - Part 1 findings
[84Kb]

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