Supporting teachers who have trained during the pandemic to thrive in their first year of teaching: A guide for secondary schools.

Citation

Rushton E (2021) Supporting teachers who have trained during the pandemic to thrive in their first year of teaching: A guide for secondary schools.. BERA Blog [Blog post] 07.10.2021. https://www.bera.ac.uk/blog/supporting-teachers-who-have-trained-during-the-pandemic-to-thrive-in-their-first-year-of-teaching-a-guide-for-secondary-schools

Abstract
First paragraphs Everyone who has worked in schools and in initial teacher education (ITE) will remember 2020–21 as one of significant disruption and challenge, and none more so than those whose professional journeys as teachers began during this academic year. In their recent BERA Blog post, Aimee Quickfall, Emma Clarke and Phil Wood highlight the creativity and adaptability of newly qualified teachers during this most unusual period. The global pandemic comes at a time when, in the UK, the retention of secondary school teachers continues to be an area of concern for policymakers, school leaders and ITE providers (Worth & Van der Brande, 2019). Despite the recent increase in applications to ITE, research suggests that teacher supply gaps are unlikely to close (Worth & McLean, 2020). Furthermore, the pandemic comes at the same time of significant change in ITE, with the implementation of the new early career framework (ECF). The intention of the ECF is to provide early career teachers with mentoring and support over the first two years of their careers following their pre-service period to ‘ensure they have dedicated time set aside to focus on their development’ (DfE 2020, p. 4). However, it remains to be seen whether the ECF is sufficiently adaptable and responsive to meet the needs of those who have trained during the pandemic period.