Survival tips for ECTs in term one

For early career teachers in their first term of teaching, “cognitive overload is normal, and kind of to be expected”, says Sam Gibbs, curriculum and development lead at Greater Manchester Education Trust.

If the job feels difficult, this shouldn’t be taken as “evidence that you’re terrible at teaching”, she adds. “That difficulty doesn’t ever really go away, which should be reassuring, because I think teaching is about embracing complexity and difficulty and finding your way through it.”

That might be easier said than done when you’re in your first term in the job and dealing with managing your own classes, planning, marking, observations and feedback full-time for the first time, though.

So, how can early career teachers (ECTs) avoid becoming overwhelmed and get themselves to a place where they can embrace teaching’s complexity? Here are a few pieces of advice from the experts to make sure your first term goes as smoothly as possible.

Tips for early career teachers

1. You can’t improve everything at once

You will have multiple targets as part of the Early Career Framework (ECF), Gibbs says, but it may not be helpful to try to improve in every area at the same time.

“A good mentor should be helping the teacher to identify the most important thing to focus on now,” Gibbs says. “It doesn’t mean everything else goes away, but you can’t do it all at once. Start with the most important thing and your mentor should help you identify that and what success would look like.”

To support this process, write down any questions and worries you might have so you can address them in your first meetings with your mentor, advises Katy Micklewright, head of the Early Career Framework at the National Institute of Teaching. Offloading those worries will free you up to focus on teaching.

2. There will be some challenging behaviour - start by knowing your school policies really well

Two in five ECTs surveyed by Teacher Tapp for Tes said they anticipate that student behaviour will be the most challenging part of teaching as they head into this academic year.

“The first thing you think about as an ECT is always behaviour,” Gibbs agrees. “You’ll be hearing all these ridiculous maxims like ‘don’t smile until Christmas’”.

The sheer scale of advice can be overwhelming, but the best place to start, she suggests, is by setting clear and consistent routines from day one, and having a good knowledge of your school’s behaviour policy. Make sure you know, for example, how your pupils are expected to enter the room, what happens if someone doesn’t follow an instruction, and how transitions happen between lessons.

“This will help you cut down on the number of decisions you’re having to make when you have loads of things to think about at the beginning of your career,” Gibbs explains.

In addition, “having the same language that other teachers in the school use will make you feel less like an imposter and improve your credibility with the kids”.

If there’s anything you’re not sure about in the policy, ask another member of staff, Gibbs advises.

“Being really consistent will pay off,” Micklewright echoes. “It feels hard at the beginning, but the further you get through that term, the more you’ll notice that your hard work starts to become a little easier because students will appreciate knowing exactly what to expect.”

3. You have an entitlement to meet with your mentor for one hour a week

In your first year as an ECT, you should be meeting with your mentor for an hour a week. In your second year, it’s one hour every two weeks.

You will be observed, but how that happens will differ across schools. You should ask your mentor early on when you are going to be observed, how often, and if there are any observations where you might be seen by a more senior member of staff like the head, Gibbs advises.

“It should feel like ongoing collaborative lessons about how you are gathering evidence that you’re meeting the teacher standards,” she says.

4. You don’t need to be an inclusion expert - just be curious about your pupils

Nearly a quarter of the ECTs surveyed by Teacher Tapp said they anticipated they would need the most help supporting students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Your register will tell you in advance whether any of your pupils have additional needs, have education, health and care plans (EHCPs) or may present with more challenging behaviours, Gibbs says, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need to find out more detail.

“It’s about getting curious about those pupils as individuals, not just reading that two pupils have got an ADHD diagnosis and expecting them to need the same things,” she explains.

Your school’s Sendco, teaching assistants, pastoral colleagues, your mentor and other teachers working with the same children are a source of expertise, as are the children themselves.

“You’re not going to solve everything in one lesson, but speak to them about what helps them learn, when it becomes difficult for them, what helps them when they get stuck,” Gibbs says.

It might be helpful to take a “test and refine” approach, she adds. You will have lessons that don’t go well - take the opportunity to reflect on what did and didn’t work so you can learn from this.

Journalling at the end of the day can be a useful method, Micklewright says.

You should also prioritise small interactions that help to build relationships with pupils, she adds, whether that’s asking how they are as you greet them at the classroom door or finding five minutes to go down to the canteen or on to the playground to interact with them at lunchtime.

Within this, however, “remember to safeguard your time”, Micklewright says. “It is important you have your breaks and have the time you need for planning.”

5. Listen to another teacher making calls to parents

Another daunting thing for some ECTs is the prospect of difficult calls with parents or carers.

Micklewright advises listening to a more experienced teacher when they speak to parents on the phone, and maybe even attending some meetings with pastoral leads at your school, to see how they respond during difficult conversations. It may also be helpful to script some of what you’re going to say before you call a parent, she adds.

“What are the main points you want to get across? What are the positives? Say what you’re looking for, not just what you’re not looking for. So if it’s about a child’s behaviour, what are we hoping for in the future, and how can we resolve it?”

If you do have a particularly negative or challenging experience when speaking to a parent, log this and share this with your mentor, head of department or head of year. It may be that other colleagues have had similar experiences or are also communicating with that parent and will be able to advise, Micklewright points out.

6. Speak to more experienced teachers and check if your school has workload support

Perhaps the most important thing to remember is this: “You are not on your own,” Micklewright emphasises.

Your mentor and department have “an incredible wealth of knowledge”, she adds. Whatever challenges you are facing, they will be well-placed to help, so you should not be afraid to ask for support, whether that’s advice on working with a pupil who is exhibiting challenging behaviour or help with a subject knowledge question.

Engaging with your new colleagues brings another benefit, too, adds Gibbs: “In November when it’s raining and you’ve got a really bad cold and your marking pile is building up, it can be really hard to remember why you are doing it, and that’s where your support network is really important.”

Considering that more than one in three ECTs told Teacher Tapp that they expect their workload will be unmanageable this term, this may be a particularly crucial point.

It’s also worth checking if your school or trust has expectations around how often you mark, Gibbs advises.

There will be times of the year when you have more marking to do, such as during mock exams in the autumn. Plan out your time for busy periods, go through this with your mentor, and if a week is looking unmanageable, ask them for advice on how to manage it.

“In our trust we have a workload charter,” Gibbs says. “Lots of trusts have things intending to help manage this, so check your school’s policies and what support there is.”

You will also have study and seminars to attend as part of your ECT programme, Micklewright adds. Make sure these are in the diary, and schedule study time in your PPAs to keep on top of it rather than letting it build up at the end of term.

Still finding your feet in the classroom? Discover a range of practical guidance and expert advice on the Tes ECT Advice Hub.