And this is at a time when each and every one of these new teachers is precious to our profession. Can we lay blame on the individual teacher for not researching the realities of the job enough? Or is it lack of preparation by the trainers at university? Or are the host schools to blame for not supporting the new teachers? Perhaps it's a bit of all three. However, the reality is that we do, without doubt, have a problem.
Interestingly, when that classroom door closes at the beginning of the year, it doesn't take the new teacher long to realise that teaching is vastly different from what they thought it would be. Before, there were others to turn to, others to take responsibility. Now it is all on the new teacher's shoulders. And that does feel like a big responsibility. Add to this the loneliness of being a new teacher in a new school, and the oppressive regime of performance pressure and workload.
No matter how good individual school support structures are, we must be doing something wrong. The expectation that when an NQT enters the classroom they are nearly the finished article is a burden many cannot handle. And, on top of that, they must deal with all the pressures of the classroom and the school, plus an equal amount outside school, as they adjust to being part of the workforce. Training institutions could certainly do more.
And I believe this. But it is also true that there has never been a more challenging time to enter this noble profession. Imagine that. A similar pattern emerged in October , though in slightly larger numbers. There is clearly a problem here. As the recession recedes, it is likely to be harder to recruit top graduates into teaching so those who do enter teaching need to be retained.
Training is not cheap and we need to look after this investment even better when the potential supply chain is under threat. Schools should take the opportunity to employ NQTs regardless of when and if an Ofsted inspection is looming on the near horizon. Ofsted should not observe and report the teaching of NQTs Not Quite There in the same way as they would other teachers.
Newly qualified teachers are the future of the profession. They are a precious resource but all too often are not treated as such by employers. The leaky pipeline of recruitment and retention needs to be fixed. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later?
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