The RQT Thread (Recently Qualified Teachers)

OP

Original post by pgce2013

Secondary, staying at same school and doing my masters part time. 1 week of teaching left :smile:

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I'm not even counting it as a week :tongue:

4 and a half days!!

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Reply 3

Steveluis10

10

Hey! I still have 4 teaching days and 3 school days where I can claim I'm an NQT and thus have an excuse for not knowing what I'm doing....

I applied for a couple of jobs this year to move schools - one replied saying they were no longer looking and one I just didn't get shortlisted for.

So I am staying another year - I'm a secondary English teacher.

There were a few months where I wanted to leave so badly (around February-April time) but I like some aspects of the school now but still there's a lot of issues I have - primarily with how behaviour is death with as a whole school - and I think unless something drastically changes I will be on the hunt to move next year as well.

Looking forward to starting again next year - I won't be teaching any 6th form this time which is disappointing but less workload when I think of the endless coursework drafts this year.

I'll have mixed ability year ten and eleven classes which will be very challenging. I'll be doing the old English GCSE specification with year 11 and the brand new one with year 10.

Year 9 will be a GCSE year for us now as well doing the new spec preparation.

My main worry is still behaviour management - whilst I think I've gotten better at it I'm still uncertain as to what is the best approach and I don't think I'm assertive enough as a person yet to fully master it with a lot of classes.

Reply 4

lolololol

17

Hello

I'm just completing my NQT+1 year teaching Secondary Maths. I'm still in the same school that I did my PGCE second placement but I'm thinking about moving at the end of next year maybe as I don't feel like I'm progressing much.

I should also add that I've got a TLR 3 for next year to take responsibility of Year 7 maths.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 5

OP

Original post by Steveluis10

Hey! I still have 4 teaching days and 3 school days where I can claim I'm an NQT and thus have an excuse for not knowing what I'm doing....

I applied for a couple of jobs this year to move schools - one replied saying they were no longer looking and one I just didn't get shortlisted for.

So I am staying another year - I'm a secondary English teacher.

There were a few months where I wanted to leave so badly (around February-April time) but I like some aspects of the school now but still there's a lot of issues I have - primarily with how behaviour is death with as a whole school - and I think unless something drastically changes I will be on the hunt to move next year as well.

Looking forward to starting again next year - I won't be teaching any 6th form this time which is disappointing but less workload when I think of the endless coursework drafts this year.

I'll have mixed ability year ten and eleven classes which will be very challenging. I'll be doing the old English GCSE specification with year 11 and the brand new one with year 10.

Year 9 will be a GCSE year for us now as well doing the new spec preparation.

My main worry is still behaviour management - whilst I think I've gotten better at it I'm still uncertain as to what is the best approach and I don't think I'm assertive enough as a person yet to fully master it with a lot of classes.

Sounds like similar reasons to why I'm kinda glad to be moving on from my current school. What have you struggled with in terms of behaviour? You may find it gets easier now you've established yourself at the school and you are returning for another year. The kids at my current school really only trust you when they know you aren't leaving them after a year.

Do you have any tips for sixth form? I'm being thrown in at the deep end: 2x y13 and 1 year 12. I'll be teaching year 12 but mostly just supervising y13 coursework. Terrified!

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Reply 6

Just subbing to keep up to date.

Reply 7

pgce2013

8

I am still worried about behaviour just with year 11 and 9s.

I was going to leave, applied for one job but decided to stay in the end as it felt I would have to start all over again with establishing myself, so made sense to stay on.

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Reply 8

myrtille

Hi,

Glad to have a thread where I'm not an imposter. :smile:

Have been hanging onto the NQT thread this year but am actually NQT+1 (just broke up for the summer so will be NQT+2 when I go back in September).

I teach French and Spanish in an 11-16 school and will be staying there for my 3rd year. Currently no plans to move on as I've got two absolutely brilliant Year 9 groups which I want to see through to GCSE (we have a 3-year KS4, so they keep the same groups from Y9 into Y10 and Y11 for the sake of continuity).

The challenges for next year are going to be:
-Behaviour in one or two groups. My bottom set Y10 has some really challenging pupils and I'm keeping them into Y11. But at least I know it's not just me, those particular pupils are a nightmare for everyone. My current Y9s (next year's Y10) are great, and from looking at the names I don't anticipate major issues with next year's Y9, but next year's Y8 has a few characters too.
-Marking. I don't do it as frequently as I should (mostly because I don't see the point in a lot of it so struggle to motivate myself) but we're expecting Ofsted next year so I'm going to have to try a bit harder.
-Physical organisation. I'm one of these people who is very organised in my head, plans in advance, knows what's going on, is quite on the ball, but is hopelessly messy. My desk is a mountain by the end of most days. Past papers, worksheets, homework etc. all end up in a big pile and then when I run out of space it goes in a box somewhere. Things go missing and then I spend ages hunting for them when I need them. My HoD has invested in boxes and shelving and stuff for me now, so hopefully I can use them effectively and be a bit more organised.

Reply 9

OP

Original post by myrtille

Hi,

Glad to have a thread where I'm not an imposter. :smile:

Have been hanging onto the NQT thread this year but am actually NQT+1 (just broke up for the summer so will be NQT+2 when I go back in September).

I teach French and Spanish in an 11-16 school and will be staying there for my 3rd year. Currently no plans to move on as I've got two absolutely brilliant Year 9 groups which I want to see through to GCSE (we have a 3-year KS4, so they keep the same groups from Y9 into Y10 and Y11 for the sake of continuity).

The challenges for next year are going to be:
-Behaviour in one or two groups. My bottom set Y10 has some really challenging pupils and I'm keeping them into Y11. But at least I know it's not just me, those particular pupils are a nightmare for everyone. My current Y9s (next year's Y10) are great, and from looking at the names I don't anticipate major issues with next year's Y9, but next year's Y8 has a few characters too.
-Marking. I don't do it as frequently as I should (mostly because I don't see the point in a lot of it so struggle to motivate myself) but we're expecting Ofsted next year so I'm going to have to try a bit harder.
-Physical organisation. I'm one of these people who is very organised in my head, plans in advance, knows what's going on, is quite on the ball, but is hopelessly messy. My desk is a mountain by the end of most days. Past papers, worksheets, homework etc. all end up in a big pile and then when I run out of space it goes in a box somewhere. Things go missing and then I spend ages hunting for them when I need them. My HoD has invested in boxes and shelving and stuff for me now, so hopefully I can use them effectively and be a bit more organised.

RE: the marking. At my current school we are RI and awaiting Ofsted so a particular style of marking has been drummed into me this year (we mark assessments/some class work with a question so the pupils have to respond to it in purple pen). I've got used to this now and it helps me to see a purpose in marking.

I went to my new school on Friday (outstanding) and they were baffled by me doing that. All they do is WWW/EBI at a push and the kids don't respond. I don't know what to do now! I really don't see the point in marking unless the kids do something with it. Crazy how different schools have different policies!

Does your current school have a marking policy?

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Reply 10

myrtille

Original post by outlaw-torn

RE: the marking. At my current school we are RI and awaiting Ofsted so a particular style of marking has been drummed into me this year (we mark assessments/some class work with a question so the pupils have to respond to it in purple pen). I've got used to this now and it helps me to see a purpose in marking.

I went to my new school on Friday (outstanding) and they were baffled by me doing that. All they do is WWW/EBI at a push and the kids don't respond. I don't know what to do now! I really don't see the point in marking unless the kids do something with it. Crazy how different schools have different policies!

Does your current school have a marking policy?

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Our marking policy is to do "2 stars and a wish" every couple of weeks.

We are encouraged to get pupils to do self-assessment and respond to feedback but there isn't any particular process for this. I definitely have evidence of it in my books though.

The bit that I find incredibly boring and pointless is marking the everyday note taking and practice stuff pupils have done in class. It's generally stuff we've gone through the answers to anyway and I can tell who gets it through questioning and I give verbal feedback. I find this particularly with Year 7 and 8 books and these are the ones I'm least likely to mark regularly because I don't feel anyone benefits from this.

With KS4, especially when working towards controlled assessments, I give very detailed in-depth feedback on paragraphs pupils have written and they respond and redraft. If I'm pushed for time, I sometimes collect pupils' books and do my 2 stars and a wish based on one paragraph, rather than on the past 3 lessons worth of work (I teach French so it takes a while for pupils to be ready to write a detailed paragraph).

I guess the issue is that I am willing and able to mark well when I see the point in it, but I don't see the point in marking every lesson's work in that way (or at all).

Reply 11

Original post by myrtille

Our marking policy is to do "2 stars and a wish" every couple of weeks.

We are encouraged to get pupils to do self-assessment and respond to feedback but there isn't any particular process for this. I definitely have evidence of it in my books though.

The bit that I find incredibly boring and pointless is marking the everyday note taking and practice stuff pupils have done in class. It's generally stuff we've gone through the answers to anyway and I can tell who gets it through questioning and I give verbal feedback. I find this particularly with Year 7 and 8 books and these are the ones I'm least likely to mark regularly because I don't feel anyone benefits from this.

With KS4, especially when working towards controlled assessments, I give very detailed in-depth feedback on paragraphs pupils have written and they respond and redraft. If I'm pushed for time, I sometimes collect pupils' books and do my 2 stars and a wish based on one paragraph, rather than on the past 3 lessons worth of work (I teach French so it takes a while for pupils to be ready to write a detailed paragraph).

I guess the issue is that I am willing and able to mark well when I see the point in it, but I don't see the point in marking every lesson's work in that way (or at all).

Get yourself a 'Verbal Feedback Given' stamp. Lifesaver.

Reply 12

Steveluis10

10

Original post by outlaw-torn

Sounds like similar reasons to why I'm kinda glad to be moving on from my current school. What have you struggled with in terms of behaviour? You may find it gets easier now you've established yourself at the school and you are returning for another year. The kids at my current school really only trust you when they know you aren't leaving them after a year.

Do you have any tips for sixth form? I'm being thrown in at the deep end: 2x y13 and 1 year 12. I'll be teaching year 12 but mostly just supervising y13 coursework. Terrified!

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I struggled with not being firm or assertive enough early on with year 9 and 10 classes or my one a week classes. I was able to turn it around slightly with year 10 through building good relationships, parental contact etc but there's still a couple of difficult pupils in the class who don't really care about any consequence I can give them so I find I'm having to really praise them a lot and keep them on side to get them to not be too bad but they never really produce work of a great standard and it's a massive battle to get them to be quiet and work hard.

My one a week classes have been a bit of a disaster other than year 7. Behaviour was so poor because they knew they could piss about as I wasn't their 'proper' teacher, they wouldn't see me again for a whole week which meant I let things slip like following up detentions etc and their books were hardly ever marked. It was a vicious cycle of them misbehaving because they could tell I didn't like them and my lessons had no structure but me disliking them because I could tell they knew my lesson was a joke to them!

My concern about behaviour is that I can try lots of different strategies and sometimes they may have some effect but when there's certain pupils in a class that just do not care about consequences and detentions or phone calls home and know that they will never get suspended or even isolated for extremely poor and disruptive behaviour. It puts me in such a rubbish position because I know these pupils are affecting the quality of lessons. They make me feel nervous and on edge so my delivery isn't as good as it can be and the actual lesson suffers a lot of the time because I'm having to stop to deal with their disruptions.

The reality is that planning a good lesson often leads to better behaviour - I have no problem with that concept - it's fairly accurate. However does this then mean that on certain days when we are zapped of all energy and motivation (and everyone has those days in this job) that we can just accept extremely rude, cheeky and often abusive behaviour from kids? I don't think this should ever be tolerated. Some pupils come to lessons with the wrong attitude from the very start and planning a fantastic lesson with differentiation at the core won't make any difference because that pupil has decided they aren't going to work, they're going to disrupt the class and there won't be any real, meaningful consequence to them doing that. That's what keeps me awake some nights - I hate that thought of my lesson going tits up, good pupils suffering because of it and me getting the blame because I'm the teacher.

Anyway, in terms of 6th form advice - I taught year 12 only this year for coursework modules. Lots of independent learning is my advice - make sure the majority of lessons is them doing work whether it's group work or independent analysis and writing. Treat them like adults but if anyone pushes the boundaries then be firm with them. I probably wasn't as firm as I could have been with things like lateness and mobile phones but because I built up such a good working relationship with the class they would always work to their best ability.

Reply 13

TraineeLynsey

7

Hi all! I'm primary, year 4 and staying in the same school (and same year group) where I've done my NQT.

Can't wait for September and the chance to do everything better! That said, we are expecting OFSTED, so I'm a bit panicked about that!

My class for next year is a mix of two classes from this year (they were ability grouped this year, but we've mixed them for next year), and there's quite a bit ability range of 2C to 4C in old level terms. My range this year was close to that though, so I feel like I'll be prepared for it this time around.

Reply 14

lantan

7

Hello!
Secondary Music, staying in the same school, pretty excited, tbh!
Just finished my PGCE top-up write up, so next year will be the first year truly study-free, just work and nothing else!
So far the NQT year has only been tough in December and just now, in July. The other times it was alright, and much easier than my School Direct ITT year.

Well done to all of us who are stying in teaching! :smile:

Reply 15

TraineeLynsey

7

I found out today in a very odd fashion that I'm getting moved up the pay scale! I only know because I am moving and the letting agent needed to confirm employment details with the school. They copied me in and it says my pay will increase on the first of September!

Reply 16

Original post by TraineeLynsey

I found out today in a very odd fashion that I'm getting moved up the pay scale! I only know because I am moving and the letting agent needed to confirm employment details with the school. They copied me in and it says my pay will increase on the first of September!

Any way of finding this out is a good way! :biggrin:

Reply 17

OP

I got one of my year 9 girls a little well done card and a bar of galaxy for doing so well this year. She's the one kid that I've made a difference with (she's been on subject report most of the year and improved her grade from a G to a D/C!). I've got such a good rapport with her and I'm genuinely sad I won't see her get her gcses.

Is it weird that I got her a little card? My boyfriend sort of gave me a look when I said it and now I'm worried it's inappropriate or something. It's just got a little message in saying well done for this year and how much I know she can pass History. Any thoughts?

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Reply 18