VIEWS & OPINION


Get NQT induction right to support teacher retention


Comment by DENISE INWOOD, managing director of BlueSky


Industry partnerships are key to closing the skills gap


Comment by JON ADAMS, Executive Director at Activate Learning


The recent report from MPs on the Education Select Committee recommending that greater effort must be made to keep teachers from leaving the profession really chimed with me. Citing issues such as "unmanageable workload" and “lack of professional


development opportunities” as reasons why people leave teaching, the report called for measures to tackle these problems. The government counters such arguments with the news that it is investing


£1.3m on recruitment in this parliament and that secondary postgraduate recruitment is at its highest since 2011. This has made me think there is another issue that needs addressing – the


way we guide and induct our Initial Teacher Training (ITT) students and Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs). Figures last year showed that almost a third of new teachers who had


started jobs in English state schools in 2010 had left within five years. This says to me that many schools are not getting staff induction right. Effective ITT and NQT programmes are clearly structured and well-


managed to equip new teachers with knowledge and skills that can be applied in different contexts. Understanding how to develop the knowledge, understanding and practice


of staff in their initial stages of professional learning requires careful planning and an effective programme will have professional learning at its core. It should also provide plenty of opportunities for collaboration, exploration and risk-taking. But induction should not focus just around pedagogy – it is absolutely key


that senior leaders are clear about the culture and expectations of their schools and concentrate on building opportunities for new staff, particularly NQTs. Every school is subtly very different, with its own sub-culture and it’s these


cultural aspects of induction which are often over-looked. There’s a difference between feeling on-board and feeling de-skilled which is really important, particularly when you are a new teacher. It’s simple to solve with the right induction check list, ensuring key policies and expectations are made clear to new members of staff. It is also important to check what level of support is available in terms of


observations and peer-shadowing. Do your NQTs know how they should speak to students? And how students may speak to staff? Understanding the language and body language permitted in a school is just as important as understanding wider curriculum issues. An NQT could be easily wrong-footed by a student if they are not au fait


with the school’s culture. New staff, and particularly ITTs and NQTs, need good-quality mentoring and support – and those mentors in turn need time and professional support to do the job properly. As well as this, schools must ensure quality assurance across all their


mentors. All staff supporting trainees and NQTs must have time to meet and discuss progress and to keep themselves up-to-date on the key issues that relate to that support. The key point is that if people don’t feel part of the culture, it makes


delivery of their key skills very difficult. All new staff will find it very difficult to get off to a strong start otherwise – but NQTS in particular need additional support. The fact that they don’t always get this may explain the figures showing such early exits from the profession. I would implore all senior leaders to ensure they have an induction and policy that relates particularly to trainees and NQTs.


April 2017


The government’s industrial strategy has reaffirmed its commitment to developing the technical, engineering and construction skills our country needs to maintain a competitive edge. A recent analysis of the opportunities and threats posed by Brexit,


produced by the Royal Academy of Engineering, highlighted the need to maintain a supply of skilled labour set against current shortcomings. The academy’s president, Professor Dame Ann Dowling, rightly stated that this is a critical time for Britain’s engineering sector and educators and businesses must work more closely together than ever before if we are to close the skills gap. The publication of the Sainsbury’s Review, and the planned


development of Institutes of Technology and Apprenticeships, are also significant markers in our collective desire to raise the reputation and quality of technical routes in education. These efforts will go some way to attracting greater numbers of young people to develop the skills and knowledge our country needs. At Activate Learning we have been working with learners and


employers to design learning programmes which develop the technical and soft skills our employer – and industry – requires. In the technology sector, this includes work at two University


Technical Colleges – UTC Reading and UTC Oxfordshire – where employer partners advise on curriculum design, mentor students, provide project-based learning challenges and additional qualifications. In the last year, this has included a challenge for students to redesign the dashboard of BMW’s flagship MINI and engineer new bridge crossings in association with Network Rail. At City of Oxford College, a project with Laing O’Rourke has seen


students proposing alternative uses for a unit in a city centre retail and leisure development. A project with Skanska, which holds the county’s highways contract, involved students designing a new road junction which took into account peak traffic flows and pedestrian needs. This relationship has led to the Skanska team delivering further workshops on efficient project management – a core component of the company’s in-house training – to our full-time learners. With the number of university applicants at an all-time high and the


number of students leaving school with the adequate STEM skills needed in the modern workplace at a worrying low, we believe that this partnership approach can help to fill the widening gap. These opportunities allow students to gain real insight into what employers expect, as well as developing essential, transferable skills. As the government seeks to develop new Institutes of Technology


as the flagships for technical education delivery, I would argue that the further education sector already offers the skills and infrastructure needed to realise the vision. Working with employers we can make the most of the investment to inspire more young people to follow careers in STEM industries, while widening access. The proof of this approach will be seen as increasing numbers of


learners move straight from education into employment with those companies they have been working alongside during their programmes. Not only will this benefit those at the starts of their careers, but also offer the industry the talent pipeline it needs to sustain growth.


www.education-today.co.uk 15


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