My school doesn't seem to have an induction programme set up. Does this matter?

Your induction into your new job and the profession generally is vitally important. You should be receiving extensive support and training to ensure that you pass your induction year. If you are not receiving a formal induction this will have implications for your future in the profession and you should contact your union representative and the named person at your LEA as soon as possible. It would also be a good idea to document your concerns for future reference. Talk to your induction tutor/mentor and your tutor from your initial teacher training provider for more ideas about improving your situation. Do not let this go on. Your school has a statutory responsibility to provide the support that will give you the best possible opportunity to pass your induction year.

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I do not have a good relationship with my induction tutor/mentor. Does this matter?

This is a problem for several reasons. Your aim should be to build good working relationships with all your colleagues. Also, an induction tutor/mentor is often the gatekeeper to additional INSET training and support and can make or break an NQT's experience of joining the teaching profession. With so much resting on the induction year, it simply isn't worth not having an excellent working relationship with your induction tutor/mentor. That said, if you really don't get on, perhaps your induction tutor/mentor does not have the skills (or time) necessary to perform the job to professional standards. Do talk to your induction tutor/mentor about your concerns, or, if that seems inappropriate, talk to a trusted colleague. If there are other NQTs at your school who share your induction tutor/mentor, talk to them about how they feel. It may be necessary to mention this to the person (usually a deputy headteacher) who has responsibilities for all NQTs. Again, do not let the situation go on indefinitely; it needs to be resolved as soon as possible.
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I have been assigned a mentor but not an induction tutor Does this matter?

There is not any consistency in schools over the use of the terms 'induction tutor' and 'mentor'. Many use them interchangeably and to a great extent, it really does not matter what name is given to the role. As an NQT, you are entitled to have a single person with responsibility for getting you through the induction period and for supporting you through your transition from training to employment. As long as you know who this person is, there should not be a problem. You may also have several colleagues who take on the role of professional 'buddy' or mentor. If you are still unsure whether your entitlements are being met, contact the named person with responsibilities for NQTs at your LEA.
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I have not been given a reduced timetable because my school cannot afford to give me this extra time. Is this OK?

Absolutely not! Your school will have been given additional funding (via the Standards Fund) specifically for the induction of NQTs. If there is none left, it has been badly mismanaged. If this is what you have been told, contact the named person at your LEA as soon as possible. Not having a reduced timetable has serious implications for your chances of successfully completing the induction period; if your school cannot give you induction time, how is it going to afford non-contact time for your induction tutor, who will need it to observe and support you? Remember there are no second attempts at induction. This needs to be sorted out without delay.
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I want to move schools before the end of my induction period. Is this possible?

If you possibly can, get through the first year in the same school to give you a good chance of passing the induction period. Once this is completed successfully, you are free to move without risking complicating this important time. If there is no alternative but to move, your new school will have to pick up where your old school left off (providing you leave after one or two terms). Your original headteacher must retain all the documentation relating to your induction so that it can be passed on to your new headteacher.
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A pupil/parent has made a complaint about me. What should l do?

This is a relatively common occurrence so don't feel inadequate in any way, unless there really is cause for complaint about your actions. The usual explanation is a misunderstanding and a skilful headteacher will be able to discern this and resolve the situation with no ill feeling. As soon as you are told of the complaint, take some time to jot down exactly what you perceive the situation to be. If possible, talk to your union about the complaint. You should be given the opportunity to relate your interpretation of events to an impartial listener. If your headteacher does have cause to talk about your conduct, you're not the first new teacher and certainly won't be the last that this has happened to. There is a great deal to become familiar with in the first few years of teaching and you should treat such a pep talk as a learning experience - one that may even enable you to become a better teacher. If you feel disgruntled, talk to your headteacher - he/she should be able to explain the situation to your satisfaction. If not, talk to your union representative again.
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My head of department seems to be making unfair demands of me.

This is a common complaint and one that can be easily remedied. First, keep a record of the expectations that have been made of you for future reference. It would also be a good idea to talk to other NQTs at your school to find out what their experiences are, and of course, talk to your induction tutor/mentor. This will help you to gain some perspective on the situation, as it can be easy to feel 'put upon'. Next, employ some skills of assertion! Explain to your head of department that you feel that if you take anything else on at the moment you will not be performing your tasks to adequate standards. You feel the need to consolidate what you have to do and focus on fewer tasks. If this doesn't help to relieve the pressure on you, talk to your induction tutor/mentor or a trusted colleague to see if they will take up your case for you. Try your union as a last resort.
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I teach many children with special educational needs and there does not seem to be adequate learning support in place for them. This is putting a great deal of pressure on me. What can I do?

The first thing to do is identify exactly who has extra needs in your classes (this should have been done for you by your SENCO). Next, jot down some ideas on why support is needed in your lessons in particular. Do you rely on the use of a lot of equipment? Does your subject require heavy emphasis on writing and reading? You are expected to do a certain degree of differentiation in your lessons, but if this means you are writing additional schemes of work simply to accommodate the children with learning difficulties, you will soon burn yourself out. Talk to your SENCO about the problems. He/she will be able to give you some ideas on how to manage the extra needs in your classes and is also the person able to allocate additional non-teaching support to particular classes. Lean on your SEN department for help differentiating materials etc. By raising this issue, you have shown your commitment to all the abilities in your classes and have opened up the possibilities of a more extensive working partnership with colleagues in the SEN department.
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One particular child is making my lessons a misery. How can I deal with this?

Whatever the age of the child, talking to them and explaining what it is about their behaviour (not personality) that you find unacceptable is always a good place to start. You need to establish clear expectations of the child and even clearer consequences for misbehaviour. Discuss with the child the rewards and sanctions you have in mind (and every opportunity for praise must be taken) and arrange a trial period of a week, after which you will have another talk. When you are getting to the point of hating a child, you need to take a step back and focus on finding solutions. It would be a good idea to talk to your induction tutor/mentor or head of department about your difficulties and the ways that you are attempting to resolve them. There may be established systems in your school for dealing with such situations that you can lean on. Never underestimate the effectiveness of being honest with children about their behaviour and your disappointment. You could also involve their parents by writing to them and outlining your expectations for improvements in the child's behaviour (clear this with your head of department or induction tutor/mentor first). However, do something sooner rather than later, before you reach the point of just wanting the child removed from your lessons. Teachers who also teach or have taught the child will be a good source of support too.
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Am I within my rights to refuse to teach a child?

According to the DfES, there are no national guidelines on this. It is a local decision, so your LEA would deem whether a child is 'unteachable' and make other arrangements for his/her education. However, your induction tutor should be ensuring that you are given the support you need if you have a particularly difficult child, so if you get to the point of wanting to refuse to teach him/her, there has been a failure of communication in your induction.
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I feel as though I am drowning under a sea of paperwork and have just been given a batch of reports to write. I simply don't have time to do everything. What can I do?

It can be very difficult to pace your work in your first year. Time management skills will develop as you get used to the rhythm of each term, but it is no failure to find yourself swamped from time to time. You will have to lean on others for a while. Ask your induction tutor/mentor if anyone can help you with marking and preparation to free up some time to focus on the reports. Some headteachers recognise the added pressures that report time brings and arrange for additional non-contact time. Ask your induction tutor/mentor if this is a possibility for you. At very busy times, you are perfectly justified in minimising the amount of written work you ask classes to do and making sure that any homework you give will not require you to mark it outside lesson time. It is also worth remembering that at such times you may need to look after yourself a little more so that you don't fall ill when it all dies down.
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A group of children in my tutor group has been boasting about their drug-taking antics. What should I do with this knowledge?

While the children could well be bluffing, especially as they don't seem to want to hide what they are doing, you must take this seriously. Talk to your head of year about what you have heard and take any advice you are given. It may be that the parents will be contacted or some drugs awareness counsellors brought in to focus on the issue. The key here is to share the knowledge you have with someone of higher authority than you.
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I have been asked to take on additional responsibilities and have only just completed my first two terms. I know I shouldn't take anything else on just yet, but don't want to adversely affect my career prospects. What can I do?

There are many issues here. Firstly, if your seniors have asked you to take on the work they clearly believe you can achieve it. However, if you want to focus on your induction year, you should not be put under undue pressure to take on extra responsibilities. Talk to your induction tutor/mentor about the situation, as he/she will probably have been consulted in the first place. Do also find out how much of a financial incentive is going to be provided. This shouldn't sway your decision, but it will give you insight into the way that your management team is working. As for fears for future career progression at the school, it would be perfectly reasonable to decline the offer of extra responsibilities in your first year and extremely unreasonable for this to affect your career prospects. If you express your desire to consolidate the vast amount you are learning in your first year for the sake of improving your teaching, and that you would be happy to consider the proposition again in the near future (perhaps six months time), there should be no problem. If you feel that a tense atmosphere has been created, talk to your union representative. It may be necessary to document any conversations you had in case of a future need to refer to them.
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I am coming to the end of my induction year and wonder if I should be looking to change schools to broaden my experience.

There is no law stating that teachers must keep moving from school to school, otherwise their experience will be severely limited, but it is worth thinking about the benefits of not teaching at the same school for years and years. A consolidation period of two or three years is perfectly acceptable and advisable in many cases, especially if you are happy in your school. Beyond that you may want to start thinking about promotion and additional responsibilities and, unless there are openings at your school, you will have to move on. Comfortable as it may seem to stay put, your next school may be a vast improvement on your first, and the simple fact that it is a different institution will mean that you will broaden your experiences. The decision is yours.
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I would like to be able to lend materials and equipment freely to pupils, but so much is being stolen. What can I do?

The best approach is to have a formal system of lending things out. Use a book to record exactly who has what, when, and remember to note when the item is returned. This may seem complicated, but it will allow you to see who can be trusted and who needs reminding to return your property. It would be wonderful to be able to trust everyone but using a system like this helps to avoid disappointment. The underlying issue of trust and responsibility needs to be addressed frequently with classes that don't always return the property that is loaned to them. This could be effectively covered in every subject under the banner of Citizenship.
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I keep hearing about creativity in schools but I don't really know what this means. How can I find out more?

There is a lot being written now about this issue, particularly following the introduction of the revised national curriculum which, it is hoped, offers teachers greater flexibility in encouraging pupils to explore their creative potential. The bottom line regarding creativity in schools is based in preparing children for the workplace of the future with its global communications and rapid pace of technological change. Hand-in-hand with creativity come thinking skills, again given greater prominence in the revised curriculum. The current thinking is that creativity, thinking processes and thinking skills need to be taught explicitly. Some schools choose to do this within specific subjects while others infuse them in a cross-curricular approach. Creativity in Education by Anna Craft et al (published by Continuum) would be a good place to start further reading. There is also a forum for debating, investigating and exploring the nature of creativity in all and any educational contexts hosted here. Teaching Children to Think by Robert Fisher (published by Stanley Thornes) is another useful read.
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I'd like to teach my pupils some playground games to help them to develop co-operation outside the classroom. Where can I get ideas?

The Internet is a good source of inspiration for playground games from around the world. Take a look at www.gameskidsplay.net for starters.
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Now that citizenship has been introduced in schools will I have to teach it even though I am a science teacher?

It is up to individual schools to decide how they organise the teaching and delivery of the programmes of study for citizenship. Many schools will not be marginalising citizenship as a new subject but will look at the role that every subject and every teacher can play in this dimension of education. It is therefore highly likely that you will be involved in teaching citizenship matters as they relate to your area of expertise, just as you do with numeracy, literacy and ICT. Any subject associations that you belong to will undoubtedly have resources relating to citizenship and there are many specialist publications available now (see Further Reading and Useful Addresses). As with all elements of education that cross subject boundaries, it is best to become as involved as possible in order to enrich both your lessons and your relationships with the pupils you teach.

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Extracted from The Newly Qualified Teacher's Handbook

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