The NQT Year Thread

I just worked out a rough estimate of what I'll be paid and there's no way I could justify turning that down. I'm moving in August and the costs are spiralling every minute!

I think it will be invaluable getting to know the staff, school routines etc before September. There are 2 NQTs starting in KS2 so I'm really delighted that they picked me to do this extra work. They even mentioned that the class need a little reminder of school rules and expectations of behaviour and they feel I'm the right person to be able to do that.

They seem to have a lot of trust in my ability already, so fingers crossed I live up to expectations!

Congrats

I'm off back to my training school in Sept as head of subject. Want to go nooooowwww. Anyone finding the last few bits of NQT evidence-gathering tedious and practically a repeat of last year?

What are you doing in terms of evidence gathering?
I just have a form where I bullet point things I've done towards the standards and add examples with dates of things I've done (eg: Lesson observation feedback says X, date / attended CPD on X, date). I then email the form to the NQT co-ordinator who prints and signs it and sends it to the LEA.

I'm finding a lot less tedious than last year because I have precisely zero folders and have only done four written lesson plans this year, so I'm not drowning in paper (well I am, but it's just random scribbled notes and spare worksheets that can be binned when I get time to sort through them!).

Wow, that does all sound a bit over the top.

On the other hand, I think my experience has been very relaxed (on the NQT side of things) and I would have quite liked someone to set me targets and check that I was meeting them. I feel like I've been treated exactly the same as any other member of staff, except I've had more frees, and a weekly mentor meeting (which is always very helpful, but is basically just a chat with a more experienced colleague).

Everyone feels under a lot of pressure at the moment - behaviour has been difficult, we're doing lots of extra intervention with GCSE groups, and it feels like there are new deadlines for data and reports all the time. So I'm glad they haven't given me extra targets to achieve - it feels like if I can survive all the stuff everyone else is dealing with, I'm doing the job OK and deserve to pass the NQT year!

I have no complaints (and prefer this relaxed approach compared to being constantly scrutinised) but I think a struggling NQT could easily slip through the net this way.

Does anyone here know when trainees get their QTS number?

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We were told the external moderators make their decisions July 8th so in terms if getting sent your QTS award I would imagine mid to late July.

I finished the whole PGCE course yesterday and funnily enough had my induction at my NQT school in the afternoon! Was really great to meet all the new staff (including 3 newbies in my department as well as me), have a tour of the school and learn about policies etc.

So, what should I be doing to prepare for the NQT year then? What are the top tips?

Hey do you start in Sept? If so have do you have a one day induction only and then start in Sept?

I have my induction in two weeks. Then I start in Sept. Just wandering if it would be beneficial for myself to go in any other days although I will not be paid.


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I've been in to my new school several times and been given my timetable, shown my classroom and had very brief department policy talks.

This week I've been asked to go in as the new year 7s are in and I'm going to be a year 7 form tutor; did anyone do anything like that before their NQT year and what did it involve?

Just finished filling in my final NQT form (I'm still convinced someone else is supposed to write it, not me, but at least it means I get to make myself sound good!) so hopefully that's everything more or less finished.

And I found out last week I don't have to do a formal appraisal process this year in order to go up the payscale, it's just dependent on passing the NQT year which I obviously have. So that's one less thing to stress about.

So now I just need to get through:

Yayy hi-5 for a nice finish Did you not realise you weren't performance managed, per se, this year?

How does your final form wok then? Does it go off evidence and recent obs/ mentors or is it more of a personal portfolio?

I'm trying to get my documents finalised this week, not much to do I don't think and I got a '1' in my ob last week So after the daft SLT not observing me last term I think I've at least finished on a high!

I don't have many lessons left at all now Year 12 are quite informal, only 3 left studying briefly some of next year's topics, year 9 are doing coursework. Year 10 are doing proper lessons but are missing a lot due to sports' day/ target review days/ activity and transition days.

However, I've just found out my tutor group for next year - going back to my training school - and I've got some year 10s that I taught as year 8s! So excited!