Some thoughts on the challenges faced by newly qualified teachers (NQTs) and those who support them: a discussion paper

This short paper was written in order to introduce the main theme for discussion at the conference: Association of Global Teachers: international conference on supporting new teachers – Dedham, UK, 24 October 2015. This theme was ‘ways in which we can support newly qualified teachers (NQTs) so that they remain in the profession’. It is influenced and inspired by colleagues who I have worked with over a career in education which is now over twenty years long. It is influenced by teachers I worked with in schools. It is also and most significantly influenced by current colleagues at the University of Northampton, where we run a course for Newly Qualified Teachers, that is now a deeply embedded part of our practice in working with the teachers who work in schools in our local community. As these sentences above illustrate this is a paper shaped by the experiential knowledge and reflections on the working practice of colleagues as revealed through conversations we have had over the past two years. It is written in an informal and, at points, anecdotal tone with the aim of provoking discussion. However, it is not a paper about the mechanics of our NQT programme, but rather about the ideas, personal reflections and experiences that shaped its design. Three themes are presented for discussion as follows: the pressures of the workplace; seeing oneself as a teacher; and reflections on a recent past. In the conclusion I link these to another theme for discussion: degrees of freedom - degrees of support.