Moving from key stage 1 to key stages 3 and 4 partway through my NQT year has been daunting. At the infant school I was the only newly qualified teacher, but it’s nice to have other NQTs to chat to. Their secondary training prepares them for the behaviour of older children, something I’m getting used to. Seeing 100 different faces each day rather than the same 30 all week is also challenging.
Support is the key to getting through induction and a change of key stage.
My new colleagues are sensitive and supportive. They offer advice when I ask for it, are there when I call, and don’t mind that I am still trying to get my head around the huge differences between a small infant school and a large secondary.
Time is one of the biggest changes I’ve noticed. I used to get one afternoon a week and got loads done. Now I get an hour here and there between lessons, which doesn’t give me much time for marking or preparation. I find myself working on the computer and hauling all my marking and resources home when I’d prefer it to be the other way round.
No matter what the challenges, I have no regrets about moving schools. The reaction of a pupil when they achieve is as gratifying whether they are four or 14.
Sarah Banks teaches DT food technology, and health and social studies at Severn Vale school in Gloucester
