White noise. That’s how one teacher explains the deluge of advice that arrives at the door of an about-to-be newly qualified teacher (NQT). Everyone’s trying to help - which is lovely - but there is so much (often conflicting) support, all at the same time, that it just mutates into one big mass of sound.

This year, it seems likely this big audio orb will be even bigger and even less comprehensible. These are not normal times. Describing the tumultuous events of the Russian Revolution, Lenin said: “There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen.” In the space of a few weeks, we have witnessed decades’ worth of exceptional things happening. Initial teacher training programmes hastily altered. GCSE exams and Sats tests cancelled. Schools and universities closed.

It’s tough for us all, but those about to enter their NQT year are in the tricky position of not having had the training experience they had hoped for and being unsure of what kind of school environment they are about to enter - or even if they will get to enter it.

So, what they need is someone to decode all the advice coming their way, filter it and make it simple. They need someone to reduce that sound bubble and make it more audible. They need me.

For I have asked NQTs to express their deepest fears, and I have gone out and gathered all the advice in a big sound bubble of my own. And I have refined it into the following manageable nine-point list.

1. Don’t worry about forgetting how to teach

Beyond concerns about completing the course, the most common fear I’ve heard from trainees is that they’ll have forgotten how to stand up in front of a class and actually teach. Given the significant chunk of classroom experience that trainee teachers have missed out on, it’s not surprising that many will feel unprepared for the demands of the NQT year. After all, most trainees won’t have done any kind of teaching since late February or early March.

You will have been told that the final placement is often the time when teaching really starts to click for trainees. Unfortunately, that is true. But I guarantee you that even the most experienced teachers will feel like a novice for the first lesson back. You’re in good company.

And the students, too, will be feeling disorientated after such a long break. They’re unlikely to notice if your opening lessons lack fluency. Over time, your muscle memory of explanation and questioning will begin to kick in. So don’t panic - it will all come back to you.

One further point to console you: after weeks of homeschooling, most students will just be grateful to be taught by an adult who isn’t their parent.

2. Be protective of your time

Another common worry concerns the leap to a much heavier timetable. As a trainee, you’ll be jumping from a timetable of, say, 12 to 15 lessons per week to something like 40 hours of teaching from September. Managing this timetable increase in your NQT year is hard enough as it is, but ongoing disruption and possible staff absences may make things even more overwhelming.

Rest assured, sensible school leaders will do all they can to keep contact time for NQTs as low as possible. But if you do find yourself with a hefty timetable, you’ll need to guard your non-contact time zealously. Be prepared to say a polite no to “opportunities” to volunteer for things that will eat into your time. Focus on things that will help you to improve as a teacher. Resist unnecessary distractions. And shout when you feel overwhelmed.

3. Ask for extra pedagogical help

Your new school should already have a decent understanding of your strengths and weaknesses. But, as a fledgling teacher, it’s important that you flag up in advance those areas for improvement that might not have been picked up on.

The interrupted second half of your training year means you’ll have inevitably missed out on helpful feedback from experienced colleagues. For this reason, one trainee told me that they’ve already requested additional support in this area: “I’d like increased observations and feedback when I start in September. I feel like this is the best way to learn, and I’ve grown to love being observed.”

Another trainee I spoke to has informed their school that “it would be good for some teachers to have an open-door policy for me to pop in occasionally for the odd 10 minutes, and vice versa, to help give me useful ideas and advice.”

Early communication with your school about what extra support you will require is vital. It will appreciate your proactive and reflective approach, and will see your request as a strength, not a weakness.

4. Establish behaviour routines as quickly as possible

If you do request extra observations, one area to work on is behaviour management.

Behaviour is usually the main source of anxiety for NQTs. The length of time you’ve spent away from the classroom will naturally amplify any feelings of concern about dealing with tricky students. And many of the students will have had what we can euphemistically call disrupted routines and a lack of clear boundaries. So it’s vital that you set out your stall from the off.

Don’t be afraid to seek regular advice from your mentor - every teacher struggles with behaviour, so seek help at the earliest opportunity.

Also, keep reading. Tes features behaviour columnists who write advice online every week - the articles are free to read and have a broad ideological range (these articles can be found at bit.ly/TesBehaviour).

5. Work on subject knowledge

For those with plenty of time on their hands, lockdown has provided an ideal opportunity to tackle the vital business of addressing subject knowledge gaps. Because no matter how glittering your academic career so far, you will undoubtedly have areas of subject knowledge weakness.

If you haven’t yet signed up for any online offerings, keep an eye out for subject-specific sessions and resources from organisations such as Seneca and MASSOLIT. Also, ask your subject lead to recommend books and articles that will help with any deficiencies. As a teacher, you need to see yourself as a lifelong learner, keeping abreast of the latest knowledge to help you address students’ key misconceptions in your areas of specialism.

6. Ensure you get the most from your mentor

Mentors play a pivotal role in nurturing, guiding and challenging NQTs to succeed. Now is not the time for you to be landed with a mentor who is too busy to meet your needs.

School leaders must do far better than fobbing you off with somebody who has had their arm twisted to take you on. Your mentor should understand the turbulence that you’ve encountered, provide you with reassurance and clearly communicate how you will be supported to meet your teaching potential.

If you see a problem - a room that leaves you geographically isolated, for example, or a class full of low-attaining students who are likely to need lots of support - make sure you raise this, diplomatically, with your mentor as soon as possible.

Listen carefully to your mentor’s advice. But don’t keep quiet if something is preying on your mind.

If you have issues with your mentor, first address them with your mentor directly but escalate if the situation persists. Do not suffer alone in silence.

7. Don’t waste time questioning your status

NQTs often worry about whether they will be up to the demands of the job. They often worry that the children, or their colleagues, will find them out. I remember feeling like that, many Septembers ago.

Throw in the anticlimax of the curtailed training year, and the long, long teaching break, and it’s no surprise that many of you will feel the unwelcome creep of imposter syndrome. Several trainees have told me they are concerned they will come to be known as the Not Quite Teachers, for ever seen as the ones who weren’t able to do things properly - a ghost cohort destined to carry an invisible asterisk next to their QTS award.

But I don’t see you like that at all. And I’m certain that my colleagues in the profession won’t categorise you in that way either. Even the most battle-hardened teachers had easier trainee years than yours. The truth is that the NQT class of 2020 will flourish because they have learned to cope with such adversity.

Wear it like a badge of honour.

8. Retain your excitement and enthusiasm

At times like these, it’s easy to feel adrift and downbeat. When you return to school, classrooms, playgrounds and even teaching styles are going to look different from when you were last there. But it’s important that you don’t let the odd circumstances and sombre environment eat away at your natural enthusiasm for entering this most rewarding of professions.

More than ever before, teaching needs an infusion of optimistic new talent to help see us through these strange new times.

9. Be specific about your CPD requirements

All the NQTs I spoke to were worried about specific things they didn’t get to experience during training. For example, one trainee told me that they felt they had “missed out on how the process of summative assessment works throughout the year and effectively tracking students’ progress”.

Others haven’t yet got their head around the school information management system. Several felt that they would struggle with report writing and parents’ evenings.

So, it’s important that you are specific about your needs when it comes to CPD. Most schools will have put together a generic CPD programme, making assumptions about what you’ll need to know and when. If they know what’s going to be a priority for you, they’ll be able to make adjustments to their induction programme.

Mark Roberts is an assistant headteacher in the South West of England

This article originally appeared in the 17 July 2020 issue under the headline “9 things next year’s NQTs need to know”