More than a quarter of newly qualified teachers were surprised by a larger-than-expected workload in their first year, despite efforts to prepare them.
About 65 per cent of NQTs had discussed workload with their training provider or school before their induction year, pollster Ipsos Mori revealed, but 28 per cent still reported a bigger workload than expected. The survey found that 62 per cent believed the workload was the same as they had anticipated.
When asked about the help they had received to cut down their workload, 52 per cent said they had been encouraged to eliminate unnecessary workload around planning and teaching resources, while 47 per cent were encouraged to eliminate unnecessary workload related to marking.
The survey, which was commissioned by the National College for Teaching and Leadership, also found that NQTs were largely positive about their induction year with 76 per cent rating it between 7 and 10 out of 10.
Newly qualified teachers were confident that their initial teacher training had prepared them for teaching, with 91 per cent saying they felt both able to follow high standards of personal and professional conduct, and prepared to take responsibility for pupil safeguarding.
But confidence was lower about other aspects, with just 39 per cent saying they felt prepared to teach pupils with English as an additional language and 40 per cent saying they were confident about assessing the progress of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.
The survey was carried out in September 2017 and was completed by 1,639 teachers who had gained qualified teacher status between December 2015 and November 2016.
The government has announced plans to extend the induction year for teachers to two years.
The proposal of giving new teachers an extra year with a reduced timetable has been welcomed, but concerns have been raised that it needs to be done properly to ensure NQTs feel supported rather than scrutinised.
School-standards minister Nick Gibb said: “It has never been a better time to join the teaching profession. This survey demonstrates high levels of satisfaction with teacher training.
“Despite the challenges of recruiting graduates in a strong economy with fierce competition for graduates in other professions and industries, last year we recruited more than 32,000 trainee teachers, up 3 per cent from the previous year.”
He added: “We have recently announced a 3.5 per cent pay rise for teachers in the early part of their careers, and there are ample opportunities for promotion.”
