Early Career Teachers 

At Scottish Borders Council we are strongly committed to supporting our Early Career Teachers (teachers who are in the first 5 years of teaching). The information below has been created to outline the expectations and support which should be in place throughout our schools for all Early Career Teachers (post NQT year). 

All Early Career Teachers should be assigned an informal in-school Supporter. We recognise that this relationship is central to each Early Career Teacher’s progress, success and wellbeing.

  • The Supporter should be suitably and recently experienced at the stage of school where the Early Career Teacher will be teaching.
  • The Supporter should be a competent, committed teacher with at least 3 years of experience, who will serve as an excellent professional role model.
  • The Supporter will be knowledgeable about what is required to support progress.
  • The Supporter should be comfortable adopting a mentoring/coaching role and be able to listen and empathise (ideally someone who has undertaken professional learning in ‘Coaching’ or who would like to further develop their own skills in this area).

Help and support should always be at hand for our Early Career Teachers.

The supporter will ensure that the following processes are put in place to ensure continued Professional Development of the Early Career Teacher:

  • Professional Development Action Plan (PDAP) for Early Career Teachers in first year of teaching / PRD Areas for Development (for those in years 2 to 4 of teaching) – take time to review the Early Career Teacher’s Professional Development needs and priorities and provide guidance on how these can be achieved going forward.
  • Check-In / Supporter Meetings – these should be offered at least on a termly basis, but ideally on a monthly basis.

Regular opportunities should be made for Early Career Teachers to observe colleagues. 

Opportunities for ECTs to Get Together

We are currently in the process of organising termly, ‘Coffee and Catch-up’ sessions for Early Career Teachers (not NQTs) in their Cluster areas.

The purpose of these sessions is to provide a space for ECTs to get together and chat with each other, with the aim of sharing what is going well as well as any challenges.  There will also be opportunities for ECTs to ask for specific support related to their professional learning and to provide feedback on their daily experience of being an ECT.  This will help us to provide the most relevant and helpful support in future.

Coaching

We are very fortunate in the Scottish Borders to have so many people who have undertaken professional learning to become a ‘Coach’.  All Early Career Teachers will be offered a coach who will be a trusted individual based in a different school.  Each coach will provide a confidential, safe space (which may be online) for their Early Career Support teacher to be open and honest about any challenges they are facing.  Through the use of ‘Coaching’ approaches, each Early Career teacher will be able to reflect and consider options in order to set goals and move forward.

Professional Learning

We offer a suite of high quality CLPL opportunities to further develop skills and knowledge which can be accessed via Business World.

If there are any opportunities which Early Career Teachers would find beneficial to their continued Professional Development please contact the CLPL Team and we will be happy to explore these requests.