The understatement of the year will be that has been the strangest and most unexpected year most of us will probably (and hopefully) ever experience. When schools closed to the majority of pupils in March, I don’t think anyone really thought they would still be largely empty until September. As a result, this has been
By Katharine Airstone-Thompson, NQT, Mathematics Teacher Dear NQTs (2020/2021), What a training year this has been. I started off in September bright-eyed and bushy-tailed ready to tackle the world of education. Great progress was made by us all during the first 6 months and we finally began to feel like we were finding our
By George Cook, Geography Teacher The last few months have been strange, stressful and weird for everyone but especially so for those in schools. March was one of the strangest months where one minute you were preparing for a big school event and the next you were preparing the systems for if there were
My name is George Cook and I am a Geography teacher from Hertfordshire. I have just been awarded QTS following the completion of my training year through a school-direct program with the Alban Federation. Previously, I worked as a sixth form tutor teaching Geography, Government and Politics and History whilst completing a Masters in Development
Katharine is our latest contributor to the Talented Teacher blog, and will be delighting us with a blog post every month about her experiences and opinions as a teacher. My name is Katharine Airstone-Thompson and I am a Mathematics Teacher. I have just gained Qualified Teacher Status and will be an NQT next academic year
By Miss G. I applied for around ten schools before hearing back from at least one. I was starting to get disheartened as I was unsure how to make my application stronger. When I received the email informing me that I had been shortlisted for a school, I was elated! The shortlisting task involved selecting
When you first close that door on that first day in the draughty classroom and you realise that you have no mentor with you and no training provider to call on, you’ll feel a sense of both exhilaration and utter terror. But be reassured that you’ll feel this every year. Regardless of how long you’ll
To my NQT self, Welcome to the adventure of a lifetime. This year will be over before you know it and it will always be etched into your memory so make the most of it! Remember you are shaping lots of young people’s lives and you are making a difference, even when you feel like
Dear NQT me, You’re no doubt staying at work til 7pm (yes, my NQT school stayed open that late) doing your marking. Stop for a moment and take heed of my advice after 5 years of teaching. I’ve condensed my advice down to 16 short points because I’m wary of cognitive overload (you’ll find out
