Starting your first teaching job is very exciting - but can also be a bit daunting. This may especially be the case this year with such an unconventional period of training to be a teacher.
As part of our support to the STEM teaching community, we have developed a series of summer schools for newly qualified teachers to support the transition from trainee to a fully-fledged teacher. Delivered at the National STEM Learning Centre in York, you will be part of a community of new teachers, eager to learn but also with so many questions and queries about the unknown.
For primary science teachers, we understand that planning exciting, differentiated science lessons can be a lot to get your head around when you are new to the job. You will need to assess the children, answer complex questions they may ask, ensure progress is made, select the most appropriate method of enquiry or calculation and remain in a safe working environment. The primary summer school for NQTs will help you to understand the requirements of the primary science curriculum, improve your subject knowledge and give you time to plan for excellent science lessons.
For secondary science colleagues, there are two summer schools designed to support your transition to the classroom. In our summer school for NQTs teaching 11-16 science we provide in-depth support around practical work, classroom and behaviour management, dealing with misconceptions and helping you plan for success in your first term of teaching.
We appreciate the challenges of teaching outside of your specialism, especially with regard to practical work. Our practical work summer school is a hands-on experience which supports you in planning, carrying out and evaluating effective science across key stages 3 and 4. Both of these secondary science summer schools are supported by experienced teachers who will provide you with support and the all-important confidence to start your teaching career.
You may also find yourself teaching your specialist A-level science for the first time in September and our summer school for NQTs teaching A level is a great place to start. The course will support you with developing students’ practical skills and split out to biology, chemistry and physics specialist groups to deal with some of the tricky bits of the specific A level you will teach.
The added benefit is that these science summer schools are supported by generous ENTHUSE bursary funding which will support you to develop the skills to make you deliver great teaching – the key driver to improve education recovery at little or no cost to you or your new school.
If you are new to teaching mathematics, we also have a summer school for you. Our summer school for new and recently qualified mathematics teachers explores exactly what makes great mathematics teaching. The course explores a range of teaching strategies to help engage and inspire students during your early years of teaching, looking in particular at questioning, promoting positive behaviour, planning for learning and ways of providing feedback that makes a difference.
Engaging with our summer schools is a perfect start to your own professional learning journey as you launch your teaching career. Join us this summer to be inspired in a fun, engaging programme, develop your own network of teachers to draw on for support and learn about the resources that are available to you to use from the STEM Learning website to help your teaching career start on a high.