Helping you to become employable is one of our priorities. Our support doesn’t end there though. We’re keen to facilitate the support networks needed to help new teachers thrive in their roles.
Final-year BA (Hons) Primary Education student, Phil McCahill, has taken a pro-active approach to preparing for his own first few years as a qualified teacher and, in turn, is helping fellow student teachers from across the region.
He joined the Chartered College of Teaching soon after its inception in January 2017. The College is the professional body for teachers which allows them to gain professional recognition and allows teachers – outside of the Department for Education – to take ownership back for their professional practice. Membership of the College is free for student teachers and then, currently, £1.88 a month for Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs).
Early Career Network
Phil, who is leading the Early Career Network, said: “The creation of the Chartered College of Teaching in 2017, as the professional body for teachers in all stages of their career has continued to pave the way to a more informed and collaborative teaching profession. The College of Teaching’s work so far to support Early Career teachers has been fantastic, including an annual Early Career Teaching conference, free and discounted membership for student teachers and NQTs, publication of The Profession magazine this year, and the recent announcement of an Early Career steering group.
However, I noticed that in the more than 90 networks in the UK none of them focused on new teachers – so I decided to make one for my region! We all know that the first few years of a teacher’s career are critical to flourishing in the profession and helping with teacher retention. After around 12 months of planning on top of my studies and training, we managed to launch the Early Career Network in March. I am thrilled that the new partnership we have set up between the University and the College will continue to build on this successful work.”
Professor Kevin Mattinson, Associate Dean and Head of the School of Education and Social Work at Birmingham City University said: “We’re extremely pleased to be able to support the Early Career network and host it at the University. As one of the biggest teacher training providers in the region, we value the importance of high quality professional support and ongoing training and development for teachers in their first few years of their career. The establishment of the Chartered College of Teaching is a significant step in enabling the profession to lead and influence the agendas that will ensure that we continue to recruit and retain the best teachers so that our children and students in schools receive the quality of education they are entitled to”.
The new network was launched at an event held at Birmingham City University’s City South Campus in March. Those in attendance heard from inspirational speakers, including Vice-President of the Chartered College of Teaching and Professor of Education at the Sheffield Institute of Education, Sam Twiselton.
For further information and updates about the network and the upcoming events, follow the network’s account on Twitter @CCTEarlyCareer.
What inspired you to become a teacher?
We spoke to BA (Hons) Primary Education student, Becky, who told us her story.
