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What teachers tell us – information from the GTC annual survey

Every year the GTC surveys teachers. The views of teachers with up to five years’ experience, or early career teachers (ECTs), can help you start to plan your professional development beyond induction. 

We have taken the key findings of the survey and drawn out some questions to get you thinking.

Where will you be in five years’ time?
The vast majority of ECTs surveyed see their careers developing in terms of strengthening classroom practice. A substantial minority want to take on management responsibilities (excluding headship).

What are your aspirations? Do you wish to take on a management role in the next five years? Do you aspire to achieving headship eventually?

 

What CPD do you need?
According to the survey, the CPD needs of 80 per cent of ECTs have been met in full or in part in the last 12 months. The great majority have experienced collaborative learning with colleagues in their schools. Substantial majorities said they had taken part in external courses and school self-evaluation, engaged with subject specialist associations, and participated in collaborative enquiry and problem solving.

ECTs also described their outstanding CPD needs, which included:

• motivating under-aspiring pupils
• addressing underachievement in certain groups of pupils
• developing personalised learning
• improving teaching and learning
• strengthening skills and knowledge in curriculum areas
• teaching thinking skills
• teaching gifted and talented pupils.

Would you consider any of these to be useful for you? What CPD would you like next year? Are there CPD strategies not listed here that you feel are important?

 

Around half of the ECTs had been supported by a mentor or coach and a similar number were themselves mentors or coaches.  

Can you offer coaching and mentoring next year? How will you access coaching and mentoring support for yourself?

 

An overwhelming majority said that observing colleagues teaching was a valuable form of CPD, and most respondents also said it was valuable to have their own teaching observed by others. A large majority said they would like more opportunities to observe lessons as part of their CPD.  

Can you plan opportunities to build observations into your CPD?

 

How do you make it happen?

ECTs identified a range of important factors for making CPD an integral part of the teaching profession. They include support from senior managers, an understanding of teachers' individual development needs, and supply cover for professional development during teaching time.

What support is available for you? What is your school’s CPD policy?

 

So here are some practical suggestions:

• Talk to your induction manager.
• Go over these questions.
• Start to think about your EPD now.
• Link it to your career aspirations.

 
The responses of teachers were analysed in a series of segmentation reports, each focusing on a different category of teacher:

www.gtce.org.uk/policyandresearch/research/survey04/segment_reports/

The Teacher Learning Academy offers recognition for your professional development. The staged framework can help you structure your EPD. Find out more at:

www.gtce.org.uk/tla

Finally, why not get in touch and tell us what EPD is on offer to you?

Email: engage@gtce.org.uk