NQT Infomation needed

jenny_pest · NQT Infomation needed

I have a friend who is teaching in a school in KS2, she is struggling and doesn't have much support if any from the school. Don't want to go into much detail but I have tried looking on the TDA website & cant find any info on what would happen if she were to fail, would it be just the first term she would fail or would it be the whole year or would it be at the end of the yr when the decide but it is looking probable that she would fail this term based on what I know.

Does anyone know any webistes or any info they can help me with so i can pass these on to her please? Perhaps i'm just looking at the wrong sections online!

Opera Diva

I understand it to be that if the first period of assessment is in question then a school should be making sure they have support in place othewrwise the NQT would have questions to ask. I understand it to be if the first period of assessment is potential 'fail' then NQT would have to repeat that term before moving onto second and third.

If they think they are failing or have been led to believe this by the school, the school must be saying why and also what they are going to do to support.

I have an NQT who is only with me for a term as I have the new appointment taking up post in January.

However, this NQT is not cutting the mustard. I have invested in the NQT induction programme(£540) and also NQT gets planning time with DHT 1 hour each week and a morning of shared and observed teaching with DHT. This is on top of PPA and 10%NQT release.

jenny_pest

Thanks for the OD - Much appreciated. Both school and teacher are aware there are failings - these have been adddressed but it may well be a case of them just not cutting the mustard as you say. Hopefully they will turn things around though with the right support.

You certainly have offered lots of support to your NQT, lets hope the investment pays off.

twinkle298

OD is not quite right. You cannot actually fail the first or second assessment, the only one that is pass or fail is at the end of the year. For the first assessment the school have to say whether the NQT is making sufficient progress towards meeting all the standards at the end of the NQT year. If the school ticks the box to say they are not, they must put in place an extra plan of support and the NQT should get the LEA advisor for NQT's involved if they aren't already. They should also contact their union and make sure they are getting all the support NQT's are entitled to.
You cannot repeat an NQT term at all, you may get an extension for sickness or if the school haven't provided what they should have done but I don't think this happens too often. At the end of the year if things haven't improved and standards haven't all been met, the school can fail the NQT - this is serious because it means you can never teach in a state school again.
If your friend is likely to have the 'insufficient progress' box ticked at the end of this term, the school must identify exactly which standards they are failing to meet, and outline what support they will put in place to help the NQT reach those standards. Your friend should also make sure she is being proactive and trying to remedy the problems herself and asking for support where needed.

jenny_pest

Thank you twinkle - that is very clear advice. Thank you so much, will pass it on now as it seems likely that they will make insufficent progress but lets hope things work out.

twinkle298

No problem at all - I was in that position once myself, and have now been teaching successfully for 3 years, rated good with outstanding features.
My advice would be that if the school are not being supportive, changing the goalposts, seeming to make unfair judgments, putting on a different picture for people from outside, to not try and fix things, just resign and leave before assessment is completed. OFten schools will release an NQT early if they are not doing well - if you leave before the end of a term they don't have to fill in the assessment form and you can start that term again. The school can make a huge difference to how you perform so if they are in a position toi leave and then look for another job after having a break that might be the best thing.

jenny_pest

I agree Twinkle and think your right, i advised them to leave but now the dealine has more or less passed in a few days time they wont be doing that because she is determind to overcome the problems, although i know the school very well and can understand how they are causing the problems. Neither of the two parties are innocent though and It is a maternity cover post until July 10 so perhaps things may change in light of the end of the first term.

Thanks again for everything.

twinkle298

Just to let you know that she can still resign after the deadline and the school may well let her go pretty much immediately, that was what happened to me, resigned after the resignation date and left at the end of the week. The school just have to get the governors to agree and if there are problems they may feel it is best for her to go and so agree to the release.
Obviously can't force someone to leave if they don't want to but just make sure she knows that she can't teach again at all if she stays and fails - there is no second chance, no repeat of the year etc.
Also it is no failure of hers if she cannot overcome problems in a "difficult" school (management not area). I am only just keeping my head above water as an experienced teacher in my school and can see why so many NQTs have had to leave - it is best to find a decent school that will support and help.

Poppy_Red

Hi Twinkle,

I read your posts with interest as I have a friend in a similar position to Jenny's (1st term of NQT). The school are being hyper-critical and seem to be pushing her out already. I have advised my friend to leave, but think she will at least stick it out til the end of term. Her worry is that no ther school would want to employ her if she is at risk of not meeting the standards in term 1 - do you have any advice in respect of this?

On another note, I am due to start my final NQT term in January, and although have not had major problems so far, I am anxious about what would happen if my new school did feel there were any issues seeing as I only have that term to 'get it all right'. Eeek, it's a stressful year! x

twinkle298

Hi Poppy_Red,

If the school are pushing your friend out, I would strongly advise her to consider resigning and asking for immediate release (if she wants to do this she should ask her union for advice as I think they can sometimes negotiate pay until the end of term, I didn't and wish I had). In hindsight I really wish I had done this - I was assessed as making insufficient progress in my first term but thought that if I worked hard enough and did everything they said that I would be ok. It took me until Feb half term to realise that actually although I was doing lots of good things the head and deputy really just thought I was rubbish, had a bad opinion of me for whatever reason and weren't going to change their minds whatever I did. They kept changing the goalposts on me - I wasn't perfect by any means but was really trying and was doing lots of good things but every time I followed their advice they changed their minds about what they wanted.
If this is the case for your friend, she should seriously consider resigning and asking for release before Christmas, as this will mean they won't complete her first assessment form and she can start the full NQT year again at a new school.
I won't lie and say it was easy to find another job, it wasn't, particularly as the school were giving me a terrible reference, but I did manage to get interviews and eventually found a position in the best school ever. You can get round the problem of not having done well at the first school because it is actually more common than you would think for this to happen. If you find the right head they will understand what can happen and good heads will judge a person on what they see for themselves not what someone they don't know said.
I would say it is better to have the full year to meet the standards in a new school and take the risk of it being a while before they find a new job. With a full year your friend would be able to get used to the new school and have a normal NQT year with proper support. Hopefully she could say what she has learnt from her current experience and how it will make her stronger as a teacher and the right school will respect this. Also when applying for jobs she can say that it was a personality clash.
Sorry for such a long rambling post, to summarise:
x Try to leave and get early release before end of term if possible
x Speak to union for advice about this and NQT support as a matter of urgency
x Contact LEA union advisor
x Document any actions that could be considered bullying with date, time and how the incident made her feel

If she wants to contact me directly I can pm you my email address to pass on to her.

jenny_pest

twinkle - I can't thank you enough for your support with this, my friend is in a similar position and really is being messed around by her school. I will tell her your words of advice and support.

I'm pleased things worked out for you and you came through all of this and out the other side to now show you are a good teacher. Well done to you for your perserverance and determination.

Poppy_Red

Twinkle, thank you so much for your advice. I will show this to my friend tomorrow, I think she may well find it really useful to be in contact with soeone who has been through a similar experience. From what she has told me and what you have posted there are a lot of similarities.

I will PM you when I have shown her. Thanks again xx

twinkle298

It's no trouble, if I can prevent someone else going through what I did. It really does happen a lot more often than you think and I was so grateful to the couple of people who tried to help me at the time.

Poppy_Red

Bump for my friend Confused