Stepping into the role of Head of Department for the first time is a significant moment in a teacher’s career. It brings with it new responsibilities, new pressures, and a shift in professional identity. You are no longer only responsible for your own classroom, but for the quality of teaching, learning, and curriculum across aContinueContinue reading “Becoming a Head of Department for the First Time: Leading People, Practice, and Purpose”
Tag Archives: Teacher Leadership
Mentoring ECTs: Supporting Development, Building Confidence, and Sustaining Practice
Mentoring an Early Career Teacher is a significant professional responsibility. Unlike ITT mentoring, ECT mentoring sits at the intersection of development, accountability, and wellbeing. ECTs are qualified teachers with real responsibility for classes, but they are still developing the habits, confidence, and judgement that underpin effective practice.This post reflects on what matters most when mentoringContinueContinue reading “Mentoring ECTs: Supporting Development, Building Confidence, and Sustaining Practice”
Mentoring an ITT for the First Time: Responsibility, Support, and Professional Trust
Mentoring an Initial Teacher Training (ITT) trainee for the first time is both a privilege and a responsibility. It represents a shift from focusing solely on your own classroom practice to helping someone else begin their journey into the profession. For many mentors, it is also the first time they are asked to articulate whyContinueContinue reading “Mentoring an ITT for the First Time: Responsibility, Support, and Professional Trust”
Life After the ECF: Your First Year Without the Label
Finishing the Early Career Framework can feel like a milestone. On paper, you are no longer an Early Career Teacher. In practice, the first year after the ECF often comes with a mix of confidence, uncertainty, and a quiet sense that expectations have shifted again.This is a year of transition. You are more experienced, moreContinueContinue reading “Life After the ECF: Your First Year Without the Label”
ECT Year 2: Moving from Survival to Sustained Practice
The second year of the Early Career Framework can feel unexpectedly difficult. By this point, you are no longer brand new, yet you may not feel fully confident either. Expectations increase, support can feel less immediate, and the safety net of being “new” begins to lift.If Year 2 feels harder in some ways than YearContinueContinue reading “ECT Year 2: Moving from Survival to Sustained Practice”
Surviving Your First ECT Year: What I Wish I Had Known
The first year of teaching is intense. Even with high-quality training, nothing fully prepares you for the pace, responsibility, and emotional weight of being in charge of your own classes. If you are finding your first year as an Early Career Teacher challenging, that does not mean you are failing. It means you are learning.ThisContinueContinue reading “Surviving Your First ECT Year: What I Wish I Had Known”
Ten Tips for Securing a Place on an ITT Course (and Choosing the Right Route)
Initial Teacher Training can feel daunting. With multiple routes into teaching and competitive places, knowing where to start and how to strengthen your application is not always straightforward. This post brings together ten practical tips for securing a place on an ITT course, alongside a brief overview of the main routes into the profession. UnderstandingContinueContinue reading “Ten Tips for Securing a Place on an ITT Course (and Choosing the Right Route)”
Raising Standards for Pupil Premium: Returning to First Principles
This is a post I have had sitting in my drafts for some time. The imposter syndrome of focusing on this area during my MA and continuing studies, I think will be ever present. Nonetheless, writing about pupil premium provision deserves care, honesty, and clarity. It is an area that resists quick fixes and soundbites,ContinueContinue reading “Raising Standards for Pupil Premium: Returning to First Principles”