Whilst some stress is an inevitable aspect of being an educator, high and persistent levels of stress can take its toll and affect our quality of teaching. Moreover, the impact of stress on young minds can be debilitating and significantly hinder student outcomes.

Learning which stress management strategies work for you can help you take charge of your own wellbeing – and spot the signs of excessive stress within your classroom.

Embracing AI for workload reduction

Workload reduction is a core component of any stress management strategy for teachers. Whilst the use of AI in the classroom continues to be debated, data in support of its use for lesson planning has recently emerged.

A recent trial of using ChatGPT to support lesson and resource preparation in Key Stage 3 Science found that lesson planning time could be reduced by as much as 31% (Education Endowment Fund, 2024). Importantly, the lesson plans produced by both the trial group and the control group had “no noticeable difference” in quality.

We encourage you to clarify your school’s AI policy before adopting it as part of your lesson planning routine.

Increased confidence through professional development

In some cases, stress can develop when a teacher feels that they do not have the tools or strategies required to deal with specific classroom situations e.g. behaviour beyond low-level disruption.

As an early career teacher, part of the ECF entitlement is access to one-to-one mentoring from an experienced colleague. We’d encourage you to take advantage of these sessions to identify any CPD requirements that can help increase your confidence and reduce any anxiety.

You can read our article for more tips about your development as a teacher beyond the Early Career Framework.

Sparking a renewed culture of wellbeing

Even as an early career teacher you are making a significant impact, and you have the power to influence the culture in your setting. It can really help to know that other teachers have experienced similar challenges to those you might be facing. And likewise, it can be such a morale boost to celebrate your successes together, so don’t be silent!

The more you share, the stronger your support networks become and the better they can serve your wellbeing. These networks can include:

• direct colleagues within your department
• your ECF provider and your in-school mentor
• the Future Teaching Scholars team
• other ECTs at your school, or your fellow Scholars.

Helping students to get exam-ready

Helping students to build exam-specific skills can help reduce stress and anxiety through familiarity and feeling more supported. This might include:

• different types of revision techniques
• familiarisation with the exam room and exam conditions
• exam paper layout including any resource or formulae booklets
• timekeeping advice and tips.

When motivating students to revise, aim to use positive phrasing wherever possible. For example: rather than suggesting that a student aspiring to become a doctor might not get into medical school if they don’t revise, you could instead say that revision will bring them another step closer to medical school.

The FTS team continues to support Scholars and their needs for the rest of this academic year. Our team is available to provide advice and guidance if you are feeling excessive levels of stress. Get in touch with us by emailing info@futureteachingscholars.com; we’re here to help.

What training or support is available to you once your ECF entitlement ends? In this article we cover some of the ways you can continue to grow and develop as an educator, as well as achieve teaching career progression.

Growing your responsibilities

With two or three years of teaching experience under your belt, you may wish to seek additional responsibilities within your school. This could help further your understanding of pastoral care, curriculum management, or even begin building your leadership skills.

By initiating a conversation about growing your responsibilities yourself, this allows you to progress at your own rate and suggest responsibilities that you feel comfortable with. This may include:

• leading extracurricular activities;
• becoming a form tutor;
• transitioning into a middle leadership position;
• becoming a (deputy) behaviour/wellbeing lead.

Become a mentor for ECTs

As an ECT who is currently being mentored as part of your early career framework entitlement, you may be inspired to give back next academic year. Becoming a mentor for ECTs or trainee teachers can be incredibly fulfilling – what’s more, you’ll receive training on mentorship in this role.

Education Development Trust has been trusted to deliver the new Early Career Teacher Entitlement from September 2025.

Sixth form teaching

If you work at a secondary school with a sixth form now or in future, you may have the opportunity to teach further education classes in addition to Key Stages 3 and 4. Post-16 maths and physics represent a natural step-up in terms of curriculum depth, as well as a slightly different pedagogical approach.

A number of FTS Scholars have already begun to teach some sixth form classes. We spoke to two of these Scholars at a previous Scholar-to-Scholar event about their experiences teaching A-level. You can watch these recordings from this Scholar-to-Scholar event below:

>> What is your advice for teaching Key Stage 5?

>> How does teaching Key Stage 5 compare to Key Stages 3 and 4?

Specialist & leadership NPQs

National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) offer accredited training and support to teachers and leaders at various stages of their career. You may be able to receive scholarship funding which can cover your course fees.

Specialist NPQs support educators towards mastery of relevant expertise, giving them the knowledge and tools to develop others and extend their influence beyond their own classrooms. Leadership NPQs guide both experienced and aspiring leaders through learning that examines school culture, organisation and excellence.

New school, new challenges

Depending on your school setting, the opportunities available and your personal circumstances, you may decide to seek a teaching position in a new school. Moving schools can itself represent a significant and exciting challenge:

• You will be able to contribute to a new school culture that more closely matches your teaching ethos;
• You may be entering a school with many more pupils on roll, allowing you to learn more about other aspects of academic life;
• You may be starting a new position altogether, providing an opportunity for a reset and new development opportunities.

The FTS team continues to support Scholars and their needs for the rest of this academic year. Our Employment Coordinator is available to provide advice and guidance if you are considering the next step in your teaching career. Get in touch with us by emailing info@futureteachingscholars.com; we’re here to help.

Current adoption of AI in UK schools

Over the past year, the use of generative AI by teachers has rapidly increased. Generative AI includes algorithms and programmes which can generate content in response to a user’s text input. According to TeacherTapp, 57% of teachers in 2024 use tools such as ChatGPT for school work – an increase from 35% in 2023. However, only 11% of teachers have ever used AI tools during a lesson.

On the other hand, students are much more tech-savvy, and a majority are actively using generative AI. An Ofcom survey conducted at the end of 2023 found that My AI was already being used by 72% of 13 to 17-year-olds – as well as a third of junior school-aged pupils.

The potential of AI for workload reduction

A recent trial of using ChatGPT to support lesson and resource preparation in Key Stage 3 Science found that lesson planning time could be reduced by as much as 31% (Education Endowment Fund, 2024). Importantly, the lesson plans produced by both the trial group and the control group had “no noticeable difference” in quality.

However, it is worth noting that teachers most effectively used ChatGPT for lesson planning in conjunction with a guide. This emphasises how important it is for AI to be implemented in a controlled and strategic way.

A project backed by the Government is currently underway to develop AI tools for feedback and marking. One example of the potential application of these AI tools for maths is identifying common errors that students make in answering equations, helping to identify areas of focus with ease. It is estimated that these tools could save time spent on formative assessment by up to 50%.

Attitudes towards AI in education

As AI adoption grows, there is a continuing shift in the perception of AI amongst educators. The current consensus within education is that whilst there are clear emerging opportunities for AI usage, there is ongoing concern and scepticism surrounding pupils’ direct interaction with AI tools in the classroom.

This hesitance is, to an extent, aggravated by the emergence of more radical AI trials within education, such as the UK’s first ‘teacherless’ AI classroom in London. However, it is evident from current education policy that England-wide AI considerations will be rooted in increasing efficiencies for teachers rather than any kind of substitution.

Limitations of AI and risk considerations

• Rushing to jump on the AI bandwagon – Whilst it does look likely that AI is here to stay, it can be detrimental to staff and students alike to implement AI without a school-wide policy on its use. This can lead to inconsistencies in quality, as well as tasks taking longer than usual due to improper implementation or usage.
• Potential to exacerbate tech-driven inequality – Though many AI tools online are free to access, higher-quality and more accurate versions of these tools are generally available on a subscription basis. Data from TeacherTapp shows that AI adoption is far greater amongst independent schools, as well as schools with an ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted rating.
• Students’ potential to abuse generative AI – Where teachers begin using AI tools more visibly in the classroom, students may also feel more empowered or permitted to use AI for their work. If no guidelines are put in place, this could lead to over-reliance or abuse of generative AI.

It is clear that there is significant potential for workload reduction through embracing generative AI outside the classroom. But as adoption continues to grow, policy and guideline creation will be crucial to ensure that AI empowers teachers to do what they do best: teach.

As we enter the final year of the Future Teaching Scholars programme, we’re looking ahead to one of the largest CPD opportunities for our talented Scholars in the academic year: the annual National Conference.

What is the FTS National Conference?

The annual National Conference is the highlight of the FTS calendar, providing a day of insightful CPD for our maths and physics Scholars. Speakers from the education sector, as well as FTS Alumni, are invited to deliver sessions appropriate for ECTs to both complement and extend their ECF training.

Why are these conferences important to early career teachers?

Pritesh Raichura, who spoke at the 2023 FTS National Conference, believes in teachers having more face-to-face opportunities.

“Conferences are really important for early career teachers as they provide an opportunity to network, to meet other people – and that shared experience brings people together,” Pritesh said.

“I had so many interesting and stimulating conversations with Scholars at various stages in the programme; there was a sense of mission and purpose that was palpable. And when teachers share their stories and experiences, it builds a sense of camaraderie which is what we need in the teaching profession.”

What have past FTS National Conferences looked like?

The programme at each National Conference is different, reflecting both the general CPD needs of ECTs as well as topics that our Scholars have requested. Session topics at previous National Conferences have included:

• creating a positive behaviour culture,
• use of AI in the classroom,
• mastery learning,
• low prior attainment pupils and numeracy,
• developing independence in KS4 and A-level,
• supporting students with SEND.

You can watch highlights of the 2024 National Conference here.

Announcing our 2025 keynote speaker

We are thrilled to announce that Ross Morrison McGill will be joining us at our final National Conference in May 2025.

Ross’ career in education has spanned more than three decades, having spent 20 years as a school leader in secondary schools based in London. Ross is best known as @TeacherToolkit in addition to being an education author, writing such books as 60-Second CPD.

For further speaker announcements, follow Future Teaching Scholars and Education Development Trust on social media.

Both the FTS Programme and our Scholars have had a busy year – and we’d like to share a few of our 2024 highlights.

FTS Scholars more likely to remain in teaching than other teachers

In the 2023-24 academic year, 90.5% of Scholars on the FTS Programme who began initial teacher training remained in teaching after three years. This is in comparison to the current national average of 74.1% for the 2023 reporting year, as reported by the Department for Education.

FTS Programme Director, Nina Dhillon, commented:

“For our Scholars to maintain a retention rate well above the national average is an absolute testament to their talent, fortitude, and dedication to their subject specialism. Congratulations to our brilliant Scholars!”

Scholar achievements and greatest successes

Throughout the year, we’ve been delighted to hear so many Scholar success stories, and have been sharing these achievements with their peers.

It’s not often that we have time to reflect on just how much impact we have as educators in the classroom. Here’s a reminder of just some of the successes our Scholars have had this year that we’ve managed to capture.

Liam’s success teaching Year 13 in ECT1

Cherish and River discuss their biggest achievements

Three Alumni Scholars discuss successes with their students

New research: Predicting later classroom practice

The use of assessment centres as part of a teacher selection approach has been widely discussed. Using data from the FTS programme, Education Development Trust (the delivery centre of FTS) wished to determine the effectiveness of this approach as a predictor of future teaching performance.

We conclude that some assessment centre activities can indeed be used to predict later classroom effectiveness, and therefore support teacher recruitment.

You can download our latest longitudinal study report, as well as previous reports in this series.

National Conference 2024 is “best one yet”

In May, the FTS team welcomed Scholars to the 2024 National Conference in Birmingham. This year’s conference featured FTS’ largest line-up of speakers yet, whose session topics were largely guided by what Scholars wanted to develop further.

We were incredibly proud that alumni from the FTS programme were included in this speaker line-up. Each speaker session received a rating of at least 4 out of 5 from our Scholars, with one noting that the 2024 National Conference was the “best one yet”.

You can watch highlights of the 2024 National Conference here.

Next year’s National Conference preparation is well underway – and we’ll start revealing our speaker line-up in the new year, so watch this space!

By doing this, you’ll be able to:

• Reduce the cognitive load for students
• Increase students’ enthusiasm for the subject and willingness to try
• Boost their understanding and, ultimately, their success.

You’ll know from teaching – as well as from your own learning history – which topics within maths and physics are most complex. So, what can you do to make these topics more accessible to students?

Resources created by our Scholar alumni

We recently asked FTS Scholars who have already completed the programme to contribute their best pieces of advice on how to tackle topics in maths and physics that students often find challenging. These virtual presentations are part of a new ‘Teaching Complex Topics’ series being shared with our current Scholars.

We are incredibly proud that our Scholar alumni were eager to take part in this series and share their teaching expertise. You can access a playlist of these Scholar-produced presentations here.

Top tips for teaching complex topics

Here are five top tips to consider when approaching your teaching strategy:

1) Dual coding

This is a traditional teaching strategy that utilises both visual and audio instruction to more effectively teach complex topics. When using dual coding effectively, you combine several delivery methods including speaking about the topic verbally, modelling it live on the board, or using video modelling from online resources.

This approach can be particularly useful for teachers who are less confident in a specific topic or may be teaching it for the first time. This process can then be repeated before allowing practice time and live feedback.

2) Spend more time introducing a topic

Teaching complex topics often begins with introducing the topic to build a thorough foundation, before moving on and applying these foundational principles further. Though it can be tempting to move onto the application phase, make sure you spend as much time as your class needs to grasp the fundamentals. This will also help increase a student’s buy-in to their own learning.

3) Repetition, repetition, repetition

Use repetition of topics and the effective use of starters in your lessons to both recap and recall knowledge time and again. This will help to reduce cognitive load and reinforce the fundamental principles which will be mandatory for a deeper understanding of the topic.

4) Make it relevant

Where possible, try to link what you’re teaching to real-life situations or jobs. By making the topic at hand relevant to something tangible – especially for intangible concepts – this helps you show students why they are learning something. Again, this will reinforce a student’s buy-in to their own learning.

5) Be willing to change it up

Some teaching techniques for complex topics may work for one student group, but others may not. So be open to the possibility that your current way of delivering complex topics may need to change or be adapted. Discuss ways of teaching with your colleagues – especially those who may have taught your class previously, to determine what will help your students learn best.

Just 8% of the UK’s STEM workforce comes from BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) backgrounds.

Moreover, the intersectionality of race and gender affects these statistics further – with black women comprising just 0.3% of the STEM workforce.

Representation is incredibly important for school-aged children. An article by Kerrine Bryan for Teach Secondary reinforces this:

“I came to realise that if children don’t see people who look like them doing a certain job, then they’re less likely to go for it. […] Only when I had the benefit of maturity and hindsight did I see how important role models were at inspiring young people.”

By using Black History Month to begin spotlighting Black individuals in STEM, a more diverse range of students will consider a career in STEM throughout the academic year.

Influential Black figures in STEM

Katherine Johnson

Katherine Johnson

Katherine Johnson provided the orbital entry and launch window calculations that enabled John Glenn’s orbit around Earth. She also provided the calculations that coordinated the historic Apollo moon landing in 1969.

Benjamin Banneker

Benjamin Banneker was one of America’s first black mathematicians. Most notably, he built America’s first clock at age 24 in the 1750s. He was also able to accurately forecast lunar and solar eclipses.

Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE

Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon was one of the youngest people to ever receive a Master’s Degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of Oxford. She is a co-founder of the Stemettes, a social initiative whose mission is to inspire the next generation of girls in STEM.

Valerie L Thomas

Valerie L Thomas

Valerie L Thomas is an American data scientist, who was previously the associate chief of NASA’s Space Science Data Operations Office. She invented the illusion transmitter, which uses parabolic mirrors to reproduce images at remote sites – forming the foundation of 3D technology. The technology is still being used by NASA today.

Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson

Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson (pictured at the beginning of this article) became the first African American woman to earn a PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1973. Jackson is renowned for her work in developing the touch-tone telephone, caller ID, and call waiting.

Black History Month in schools

Here are some resources which may help frame any discussions surrounding Black History Month in schools.

DfE Blog: How black history is taught in our schools – A brief look at how Black History Month can interact with the curriculum, with links to additional resources.

BHM for Schools – A series of articles and teaching resources to support you.

OCR blog: Six black British pioneers of STEM – An article that builds upon the list of Black individuals in STEM above.

You might return to work with a new haircut, shiny new stationery, and new expectations for yourself as an early career teacher. But whilst we reflect on areas of potential improvement, it’s important to do so in a way that stays true to yourself and your own teaching style. 

We’ve rounded up some small pieces of advice directly from our Scholars. Some might resonate with you, and others might not (which is perfectly fine!) – the important thing is to consider other people’s advice through your own lens.

1. Ways to stay organised

“Don’t keep everything in your head,” Danny, a Year 6 Scholar, advises. “I use my planner constantly – my planner is my bible. For school duties, I make sure I log these on my phone so I have something that’s notifying me when I need to be somewhere.” 

Lucy, who graduated from the programme in 2023, prefers not to use planners or apps. “Personally, I’m not really into using technology. I have a draft email open which I’m constantly editing to add to my to-do list.”

2. Don’t reinvent the wheel!

Though you might feel that you should be creating new learning assets for your lessons, this often isn’t necessary – and will only increase your current workload. 

“Don’t do everything from scratch,” advised Jaden, who completed the FTS Programme last year. “Especially for maths and physics, there are so many resources online and in your department that other teachers have created that there’s almost never a lesson you’ll need to make from scratch.” 

Recently, FTS launched its Teaching Complex Topics video series. This series features sessions devised and led by alumni Scholars on various complex topics in maths and physics, such as Particle Theory and Hypothesis Testing.

3. Setting achievable boundaries that you can follow

 Whilst you have just returned from the summer break, we would advise you to try and (re-)establish consistent work/life boundaries as early in the academic year as possible. 

“I try to do as little at home as possible,” commented Annie, a Scholar who completed the programme last year. “I prefer to stay a little longer at school. If I work too much in the evening, I don’t actually stop working – so I try to draw a line under my workload when I get home.”

4. Let the positive outweigh the negative

It’s crucial not to feel like a bad teacher after one bad lesson. FTS Programme Director, Nina Dhillon, previously gave this advice to Scholars: 

“I think when the nights get darker, it’s easier to focus on the bad days rather than the good. So, what I would say is: be kind to yourself as [teaching] is not easy. Even on the bad days, remember the good ones and keep going.”

5. Don’t be shy about asking for help

Tia, who completed the programme in 2023, shared that the most useful piece of advice she received was to not be afraid to ask for help from other teachers.

“It took me a long time to take that advice,” Tia said, “but it is definitely beneficial going to any teacher and asking for help – about students, lessons, or your wellbeing.”

For some early career teachers who may have only taught a Year 11 class for the first time this year, thinking about results day might be anxiety-inducing. But the truth is: no matter how experienced, all teachers get restless before results day.

So, how do secondary school teachers navigate results day? From celebrating achievement, dealing with disappointment, and moving forward.

Celebrating achievements on results day

The best part of results day is being able to revel in the achievements of your students and seeing their joy in-person. Having formed a bond with your students throughout the year, you’ve seen their journey first-hand and know in which areas they’ve had to overcome hurdles.

Especially if this is your first results day, it could be emotional for you as well as your students. So make sure you’re prepared for those emotions on both sides, and congratulate your students on their achievements.

Dealing with disappointment

Whilst we hope the majority of your students will be pleased with their results, there will inevitably be some who are disappointed with the outcome of their hard work. Helping these students to navigate their feelings in the moment can be one of the most important things you do as a teacher. Here are three things to consider:

• Listen and be available – Simply being visible and available on the day goes a long way. Students may take some time to process what their results mean for them. But your presence and willingness to listen on a pivotal day for your students shows that you are invested in their outcomes.
• Discuss their options – It can be difficult for a disappointed teenager to see the bigger picture beyond GCSEs. But by hearing that there are numerous paths they can take going forward, this can help ease any anxiety and kickstart a new mindset.
• Remain positive – Although it is important to have an honest and authentic conversation, maintaining a positive spin on the discussion can help keep your students calm in what can be an emotional day. Be sure to highlight the better outcomes and focus on all the possibilities that lie ahead.

However, it isn’t just students who can feel disappointment on results day. Especially where the average grade of your class isn’t where you hoped it would be, some teachers can internalise this as a personal failing.

But it’s important for teachers to have all the information to hand before reflecting. What is the national picture for your subject? Was it simply a bad day for a handful of students? This can then help guide your reflection.

Moving forward after results day

Many exam boards such as OCR share examiners’ reports following results day. These contain insight, knowledge and feedback from the exam series which may help you to prepare for the next academic year. In addition, you’ll likely be able to access exemplar candidate answers as well as detailed breakdowns of how marks have been awarded.

Last year, we met with some of our Scholars virtually about their experiences and feelings dealing with results day. You can read our article about this meeting, which features a recording of the discussion around results day.

The National Conference is the highlight of the FTS calendar, providing an insightful CPD programme for early career teachers in maths and physics.

This year’s conference featured FTS’ largest line-up of speakers yet, whose session topics were largely guided by what Scholars wanted to develop further. This included sessions on:

• creating a positive behaviour culture,
• use of AI,
• developing independence in KS4 and A-level,
• technology in the classroom,
• sparking wonder in physics.

We are incredibly proud that alumni from the FTS programme were included in this speaker line-up. As alumni, these talented teachers connect with Scholars in a unique way and can share their experience as teachers beyond the early career framework.

Alumni roundtable discussion

During the conference, we sat down with three of our alumni for a roundtable discussion. This peer-to-peer setting facilitated a lively discussion with topics including classroom technique and pedagogy, navigating exam season, and student success stories. Participating in this roundtable were:

• Tom, a maths and computer science teacher at a sixth form academy
• Chloe, a maths teacher at a large comprehensive
• Ashley, a maths teacher at a school based in Scunthorpe.

Speaking about how the FTS National Conferences have supported their teaching career, Ashley noted that much of the CPD provided has been both interesting and immediately actionable in the classroom. “A lot of the things that they go through, I think ‘that makes a lot of sense’ and I can use [the CPD] straight out the gate – a lot of it is really applicable.”

Tom added to this by highlighting how inspirational the conferences are. “[The speakers] give you some really good techniques – but it’s the inspiration as well. Because I’m now in a building full of people who all love teaching and they’re really enthusiastic about maths. And this is why I’m here; this is why I want to continue this job.”

On discussing student successes, Chloe spoke about helping several female students find their confidence with maths – and achieve improved outcomes as a result. “These girls have been working so hard all year, and in their recent [exam] they scored the highest of the group,” Chloe mentioned.

“In lessons, they’re now the ones that answer questions and use the correct language. Their confidence is amazing, and I feel like they’re starting to think: ‘I can do maths and I enjoy maths’ “.

We have made several extended clips from our alumni roundtable available to our Scholars. These can also be accessed below.

How the National Conferences impacted their teaching journey (4 mins)

Supporting students during exam season and results day (5 mins)

Classroom techniques that have had a positive impact (6 mins)

Recent student successes (8 mins)

The FTS team would like to extend a massive thank you to each of our National Conference session speakers, and to our Scholars for joining us during a weekend. Our next National Conference will be held in May 2025.

Pedagogy in the post-16 classroom

According to NIACE (the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education), post-16 lessons work best when:

• learning is fun, interactive and practical,
• there is a strong understanding of the purpose and importance of these qualifications,
• learning has a personal relevance,
• there is a clear assessment process with clarity on mark schemes.

Post-16 students respond to passion about the subject you teach. Good teaching at post-16 level is contingent on helping students to genuinely master the key concepts they need to learn. And post-16 students are more likely to come to school if they are succeeding.

This article explores best practices relating to sixth form and post-16 teaching in more depth, outlining the comparative ways of learning between children and adults – and how this aligns with a further education classroom.

You may think that this sounds rather similar to Year 10 and 11 students – and in many ways this is true. But one of the core pedagogical differences at post-16 is the emphasis on independent learning.

Focusing on independent learning strategies

With students in post-16 education significantly more independent than their secondary counterparts, it becomes more important to guide them with the right strategies for learning success.

Post-16 students are in a different place in their life compared with GCSE students. A-level students may have part-time jobs which they fit around their education commitments, in addition to other growing commitments which come with greater levels of independence. Therefore, learning strategies also need to adapt.

This article focuses on how sixth form students can benefit from cognitive science-informed learning strategies to boost academic performance.

What do Scholars who already teach sixth form think?

A number of FTS Scholars have already begun to teach some sixth form classes. We spoke to two of these Scholars at a previous Scholar-to-Scholar event about their experiences teaching A-level.

Jamie, who graduated from the FTS programme in 2023, focused on the importance of relationship building for post-16 students. He also spoke about how the teaching environment can be more relaxed and less explicitly rule-oriented.

Erum, who is graduating from the FTS programme this year, found that whilst the pedagogy for post-16 was not that different, the shift in expectations between these cohorts was much more significant.

You can watch these recordings from last year’s Scholar-to-Scholar event below:

What is your advice for teaching Key Stage 5?

How does teaching Key Stage 5 compare to Key Stages 3 and 4?

What is test anxiety?

Test anxiety is a condition in which a person experiences excessive levels of stress, nervousness, and anxiety before and during an exam. This often impairs learning as well as test performance, and may cause a series of physical and behavioural symptoms.

Test anxiety was first recognised by psychologists as early as the 1950s, who coined the term and described the two main aspects of test anxiety:

• Cognitive – including negative thoughts about the test itself (‘I can’t do maths’, for example) or “test-irrelevant” thoughts such as, ‘my family will be so disappointed in me’.
• Emotional – encompassing all associated feelings with test anxiety – dread, panic etc. – as well as any physical symptoms that manifest from the emotional response, such as nausea and excessive sweating.

How does test anxiety affect students and their performance?

The cognitive aspect of test anxiety has the most significant impact on test performance, rather than the emotional aspect. These types of intrusive thoughts can interfere with a student’s attention levels, hinder their recall ability, and impede their ability to process multi-step exam questions.

Test anxiety can also affect students before they even set foot in the examination hall. Studies suggest that test anxiety can make it harder for students to acquire knowledge, making learning in general less effective which restricts a student’s potential.

According to research (Putwain & Daly, 2014), test anxiety may affect female students significantly more than males. 22.5% of female Key Stage 4 students reported themselves to be highly ‘test anxious’, versus 10.3% of male students. However, it is possible that the actual figure for male students is higher, but they are simply more likely to try and mask their anxieties.

How can teachers help students with test anxiety?

There are a number of strategies that teachers can try to help students who suffer from test anxiety. However, it’s important to remember that teachers are not mental health professionals – and any interventions should be considered in accordance with your school’s usual procedures.

Exam preparedness

A better-prepared student may also be a student with less anxiety. Helping students to build exam-specific skills can help reduce stress and anxiety through familiarity and feeling more supported. This might include:

• Familiarisation with the exam room and exam conditions;
• Completing personal details on the front of the exam;
• Exam paper layout including any resource or formulae booklets;
• Different types of revision techniques;
• Timekeeping advice and tips.

Talk openly about emotions

Engage in direct and open dialogue with your class about the stresses of the exam period. This can help to normalise these emotions for your students, as well as identify those students who may have test anxiety and may require additional support.

Frame motivation positively

The use of “fear appeals” in motivation can be effective for students with strong self-belief. But for others, it can factor into their anxieties – so try to use positive phrasing. For example: rather than suggesting that a student aspiring to become a doctor might not get into medical school if they don’t revise, you could encourage them to concentrate on revision by saying that it will bring them another step closer to medical school.

Further reading

Ofqual blog – What can schools do about examination and test anxiety? https://ofqual.blog.gov.uk/2019/03/15/what-can-schools-do-about-examination-and-test-anxiety/

A review of the literature on anxiety for educational assessments https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-review-of-the-literature-on-anxiety-for-educational-assessments

British Psychological Society – Test anxiety makes it harder to absorb information while preparing for an exam https://www.bps.org.uk/research-digest/test-anxiety-makes-it-harder-absorb-information-while-preparing-exam

Whilst programmes such as Future Teaching Scholars can identify and support teaching talent, high-quality teachers take time to develop. This is why CPD for teachers in particular is absolutely essential.

What is CPD?

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is an ongoing process through which teachers access training, resources and support to further inform and develop their classroom practice.

In education, CPD comes in a huge variety of forms and includes both formal and informal CPD: INSET days, observations, mentoring, workshops and webinars, to name a few. Each school generally determines how CPD is defined and administered to its teachers.

CPD as an Early Career Teacher

As an Early Career Teacher (ECT), your core source of CPD will come from the Early Career Framework (ECF): a mandatory two-year induction package which supports your existing skillset with quality, evidence-based practice.

ECTs have their timetable reduced by 10% in their ECT1 year and 5% in their ECT2 year, which allows for a few hours per week to reflect on these CPD learnings. As with anything, the more you can engage with the ECF, the more you will ultimately benefit from it and grow as a teaching professional.

Approaching your CPD requirements

If you do have a particular development requirement that has not yet been addressed by your school, consider the following:

• Check your ECF programme syllabus – it could be the case that your CPD requirement will be covered in an upcoming module in your ECF programme. So take a look at your syllabus to determine what CPD is on the horizon.
• Speak to your mentor/teacher support network – part of the ECF entitlement is access to one-to-one mentoring from an experienced colleague. We’d encourage you to take advantage of these sessions to identify any CPD requirements you have that are specific to you.
• Research CPD resources – if you have already addressed your requirements with your school but have a more immediate need for CPD, try researching which online resources are available to support you. There’s a good chance that another teacher has published something useful!

CPD resources

This list provides a starting point for some additional teacher CPD resources suitable for ECTs. If you have found any CPD that you’ve found particularly useful, please do share it with us by emailing info@futureteachingscholars.com.

Chartered College of Teaching – develop your teaching practice, expand your network and discover evidence-informed research. FTS Scholars can activate their ECT Membership for free!

Scholar-recommended resources list – a list containing websites, books, apps and YouTube channels that our Scholars have found especially useful in their own professional development.

Teacher Tapp – a daily survey app for teachers which provides recommended daily reads and quick CPD upon participation.

As you gain more teaching experience or your personal circumstances change, you might consider applying for your next teaching role in another school. What are the best practices when finding your next teaching position? We’ve outlined a few key considerations if and when the time comes for you to search for your next role.

Finding the right school for you

Whilst your choice of school will be somewhat restricted based on commutable distance, it is important that your school fits your preferences. Here are a few things to consider when thinking of your ideal criteria:

• Proximity to home – Do you value a short commute highly? Or would you prefer working further away so you’re less likely to run into students outside school?
• School size – Does working in a school with a high pupil roll give you more chances to absorb and share knowledge? Or would a smaller school allow you to get involved in more areas?
• Your progression – Are you eyeing a move into middle leadership in the next year or two? Is it important that your school pro-actively offers lots of CPD opportunities?
• School pedagogy – Every school has its own ethos, and that may or may not work well with your teaching style. Make sure to do some research before applying.

Submitting a winning application

Once you’re certain that the school advertising the teaching role is a good fit for you, you’ll want to create a strong application with a CV that sells yourself as a teacher.

If you do nothing else, make sure that the personal statement is as strong as possible. Your application might be vetted based on this alone if lots of applications have been received, so it’s key to get this right. Things to consider including:

• A brief outline of your teaching style – Demonstrate that although you’re an early career teacher, you have developed your own style and are confident with this.
• A small detail about the school you’re applying to – This will show that you’ve tailored your CV for this specific application and that you’ve done some research.
• Your experience as an FTS Scholar – This isn’t something that most ECTs can put on their CV, so it’s likely to stand out in your application. It might also make for an interesting talking point at interview!

Approaching the interview stage

At this stage, the school is clearly very interested in you as a candidate. So, allow that to fill you with confidence as you approach the interview; this will be the key to success. Let your passion and enthusiasm for teaching maths or physics shine, and demonstrate what you already know about the school during your interview.

For a successful school interview, consider the following:

• Ask questions ahead of the interview – Don’t be afraid to ensure you have all the information you need going into an interview – particularly for a trial lesson. Try to put all questions in a single email to make it easier for the school to respond.
• Use STAR – The STAR approach (Situation, Task, Action, Result) will help ensure that you provide a well-rounded response to any competency-based question. Further guidance on this can be found in the Employment Zone on Its Learning.
• Prepare a few questions for the end – Asking questions at the end of the interview demonstrates your enthusiasm for the role and the school. This could include questions about the department, progression opportunities or something that was mentioned during the interview.

Although it’s been a few years since Covid-related restrictions, some schools continue to conduct interviews virtually. Ensure that you are prepared for this eventuality by:

• testing your webcam, microphone and software in advance
• considering using an ethernet cable for a more stable connection
• resisting the urge to have too many notes prepared – your interviewers will know if you’re simply reading a pre-prepared paragraph of text.

We’re here to support you

The FTS team continues to support Scholars’ employment needs beyond their ITT year. Our Employment Coordinator is available to provide advice and guidance if you are considering the next step in your teaching career. Get in touch with us by emailing info@futureteachingscholars.com; we’re here to help.

Many share the sentiment that they “don’t see STEM as a subject for somebody like them”. Moreover, just two-fifths of secondary pupils from a disadvantaged background would ever consider a career in STEM.

We know that STEM fields can provide diverse, bright, and fulfilling careers. So why do so many students shy away from STEM subjects, and how can we as teachers inspire young minds to consider a future in STEM?

What makes students steer clear of STEM?

Maths is “too difficult”

Although maths is for everyone, some people simply believe that they “can’t do” maths. It is thought that over 10% of students suffer from maths anxiety, creating avoidance for STEM in general, and this seems to affect girls more than boys.

A perceived lack of real-world use

We’ve all heard that dreaded question in the classroom: “When am I ever going to use any of this?” But the perceived lack of transferable real-world application can really affect attitudes towards learning STEM subjects.

The stereotype that STEM isn’t for girls

Although more and more female role models emerge within STEM fields, it remains a male-dominated sector. This leads some girls to overlook their own potential within STEM.

Encouraging their potential in STEM

As teachers, we have a responsibility to help maximise student outcomes through our subjects. Here are three things that you can consider which may help your students to realise their potential in STEM.

Channel your own enthusiasm for maths and physics

Enthusiasm is infectious and will influence your students’ enjoyment of a class – so don’t hide it! Although our Scholars are all subject specialists, many secondary maths and physics teachers did not study these subjects at undergraduate level. Our Scholars can therefore allow this natural passion to shine through their teaching practice, which can inspire a class to consider a future career in STEM.

Create an environment where mistakes can happen

Maths anxiety in the classroom often stems from a fear of being wrong. In a past Scholar-to-Scholar Event, Maths Scholar Tia shared her advice about how removing such barriers had a significant effect on her students’ enthusiasm for learning:

“I find what helps a lot is using whiteboards,” Tia commented. “A lot of [students] are too scared to make mistakes – and when it’s in their book, to them it’s permanent. If it’s on the whiteboard first, they have the confidence to show me their work… and we can talk through any errors.”

Make learning relatable

Wherever possible, try to use examples that are rooted in day-to-day life or something familiar to most young people. For those subject areas that can’t relate clearly in this way, try making examples engaging in other ways. Simply integrating students’ names at random into your questions can boost engagement significantly.

EDT is the delivery centre for the Future Teaching Scholars programme, in addition to providing a wide range of education development, employability and careers services – both within the UK and globally.

This year, EDT’s work impacted 12.3 million school-age learners worldwide – over 3 million more than last year. We also impacted the work of over double the number of teachers and over 14,000 more schools than in 2021/22, equipping educators and school leaders to create positive, lasting change.

Impact of Future Teaching Scholars

Future Teaching Scholars is one of EDT’s longest running programmes within the UK. With a third cohort of Scholars graduating from the programme in 2024, we are taking a closer look at the impact that FTS has had thus far on nurturing a new generation of maths and physics teachers.

• 93% of Scholars who started their Initial Teacher Training remained in the profession after three years – compared to a national average of 76%.
• 56% of our Scholars are female, and 44% are male – breaking the gender gap that is widely observed across STEM subjects and occupations.
• Some Scholars have already begun to progress, moving into middle leadership roles including Head of Year, Deputy Head of Maths, and KS4 Coordinator within just three years of teaching.

The impact of the Future Teaching Scholars programme is also observed at an individual level, with many of our Scholars sharing their stories of how FTS has supported them on their journey into a career in teaching.

The goal of the programme has always been to support students with the potential to become outstanding maths and physics teachers, and we are proud that 100% of Scholars who completed their ITT successfully secured a qualified teaching post for their fifth year on the programme.

A series of research has been published by EDT, outlining the effect of support provided during the undergraduate phase on our Scholars’ Initial Teacher Training. This research led by Dr Richard Churches, Global Head of Research at EDT, has been documented in a series of papers: ‘Assessing the Potential to Teach’.

A summary of the impact of the FTS programme, as well as the research published by EDT, can be found on the FTS website.

EDT’s fifth Annual Impact Report, focusing on the year to September 2023, is now available to download or watch at edt.org/impact23.

As teachers, you can’t always control our external environment (as much as we’d love to) – but you can control what you’re able to do. And although the demands of teaching will always be there, taking control of your wellbeing wherever possible can help keep your health in good stead.

Remember your impact as a teacher

If you can still remember some of your old school teachers fondly, then imagine the impact that you can have (and are having) on your pupils. Sometimes, taking a step back and remembering your reasons for getting into teaching can help to refocus your mindset.

At our first Scholar Roundtable event last month, we asked four of our graduate Scholars what their greatest success with a student is. Unsurprisingly, this section of the roundtable was the longest of all – which emphasises just how much teachers achieve from week to week. So, don’t forget about your own successes!

Spark an increased culture of wellbeing

Even if you only began teaching in September, you are making a difference and your impact is felt. So don’t underestimate the power you have to influence your colleagues and those within your networks.

It can really help to know that other teachers have experienced similar challenges to those you might be facing. And likewise, it can be such a morale boost to celebrate your successes together – don’t be silent!

The more you share, the stronger your support networks become and the better they can serve your wellbeing – as well as the culture of wellbeing within your setting.

Don’t forget about physical wellbeing

Teaching doesn’t just require mental concentration and fortitude, but physical stamina too. From being on your feet all day to taking dozens of exercise books home for marking – looking after yourself both mind and body will serve you well as a teacher.

Consider the following tips to boost your physical wellbeing:

• Find your stress-reducing activity – Physical activity can be a great way to combat stress. Whether that’s through rock climbing or speed cleaning, we encourage you to get the endorphins flowing your way.
• Maintain positive sleep habits – Sleep is the ultimate reset for your body. Try continuing your regular sleep routine throughout the winter break so that you can kick off the new term with good-quality sleep come January.
• Water, water, water – Staying hydrated can work wonders: it helps reduce fatigue, prevent headaches and increase overall energy levels. Keep a water bottle at your desk and leave a post-it note reminder to top it up throughout the day.

If you’re a Scholar and you find yourself struggling, having a frank discussion with your mentor can really help. In addition, you can always reach out to the FTS Team by emailing info@futureteachingscholars.com for additional support – we’re here to help.

It’s a funded entitlement for newly qualified teachers – and has been designed to help you succeed. We would advise you to try and maximise your ECT years to get the most out of this framework of support.

Making time to engage with the ECF

Early Career Teachers (ECTs) have their timetable reduced by 10% in their ECT1 year, and 5% in their ECT2 year. Consider using these few hours to reflect upon the Framework and how it can support your learning as well as your teaching practice.

The ECF exists as a means of enriching your existing skillset with quality, evidence-based practice. And as with most things – the more you can engage with the ECF, the more you will ultimately benefit from it and grow as a teaching professional.

A Scholar’s experience of the ECF

Ashley, a Scholar that graduated from the programme in summer 2023, recently spoke with us to recount his experiences of the ECF and how it has benefitted his teaching.

“The Early Career Framework helped to complement all the stuff I was doing at school,” Ashley commented. “My school’s weekly sessions aligned with the ECF training online, so having the ECF there was a really helpful reminder.”

“Things like behaviour management, marking and feedback – it can be easy to forget with all the stuff that’s going on in school and all the different responsibilities that you might have. The Early Career Framework was there to help keep it all fresh in my mind.”

Get the most out of your mentors

Part of the ECF entitlement is access to one-to-one mentoring from an experienced colleague, and this is something that Ashley managed to benefit from greatly.

“In my first ECT year I had weekly mentor meetings, and this year I have a bi-weekly mentor meeting after school,” Ashley mentioned. “It was a really supportive environment where my mentor could talk me through every one of my classes, and any problem I had they would sort them there and then.”

“One thing [my mentor] recommended was roleplay activities – where we try out a scenario in a classroom, and then see ways in which this could be improved,” Ashley added.

Nina Dhillon, FTS Director, spoke about the core mission of the ECF: “The importance of the Early Career Framework and this programme in supporting early career teachers, to both become the best teacher they can be and also remain in the profession, cannot be emphasised enough.”

“The ECF means more high-quality teachers in classrooms working to improve outcomes for pupils,” Nina concluded. You can access Nina’s slides to find out more about the ECF by clicking here.

Education Development Trust (EDT) has been a lead provider since the early rollout of the Early Career Framework. To learn more about EDT’s Early Career Professional Development Programme, which is delivered through the ECF, visit the website.

We’ve rounded up some of our favourite pieces of advice directly from our Scholars – from ITT to FTS alumni – to share with you ahead of the beginning of autumn term.

1. Stay organised – in a way that works for you

“Don’t keep everything in your head,” Danny, a Year 6 Scholar, advises. “I use my planner constantly – my planner is my bible. For school duties, I make sure I log these on my phone so I have something that’s notifying me when I need to be somewhere.”

Lucy, who graduated from the programme in 2023, prefers not to use planners or apps. “Personally, I’m not really into using technology. I have a draft email open which I’m constantly editing to add to my to-do list.”

We encourage you to explore different ways of staying organised and find one which works best for you.

2. Utilise existing available resources

Although you might feel that you should be creating new learning assets for your lessons, this often isn’t necessary – and will only increase your current workload.

“Don’t do everything from scratch,” advised Jaden, who completed the FTS Programme in 2023. “Especially for maths and physics, there are so many resources online and in your department that other teachers have created that there’s almost never a lesson you’ll need to make from scratch.”

3. Establish your work/life boundaries

Autumn term is the longest term of the year. So although you have just returned from the six-week summer break, we would advise you to try and (re-)establish consistent work/life boundaries as early in the academic year as possible.

“I try to do as little at home as possible,” commented Annie, a Scholar who completed the programme in the 2023. “I prefer to stay a little longer at school. If I work too much in the evening, I don’t actually stop working – so I try to draw a line under my workload when I get home.”

4. Let the positive outweigh the negative

A positive-focused mindset is an asset as a teacher; it’s crucial to not feel like a bad teacher after one bad lesson.

FTS Programme Director, Nina Dhillon, gave advice to ITT Scholars at our last conference: “I think when the nights get darker, it’s easier to focus on the bad days rather than the good. So, what I would say is: be kind to yourself as [teaching] is not easy. Even on the bad days, remember the good ones and keep going.”

Amjad Ali, who spoke at our ITT Conference in December, reiterated this message. “You can’t judge yourself on the outcome of one lesson – you have to reflect, tweak, change and adapt.”

5. Ask for help whenever needed

Tia, who completed the programme in 2023, shared that the most useful piece of advice she received was to not be afraid to ask for help from other teachers. “It took me a long time to take that advice,” Tia said, “but it is definitely beneficial going to any teacher and asking for help – about students, lessons, or your wellbeing.”

In addition to your colleagues and fellow Scholars, you can also reach out to your RTC Coordinator as well as the FTS team at EDT should you require any support going into the new academic year.

These events provide a great opportunity for Scholars in their ITT and ECT years to share their experiences in the classroom, as well as consider new approaches, advice and teaching tips from fellow Scholars.

In this session, four of our Scholars – ranging from a Scholar who has just achieved QTS, to an alumni Scholar with four years of teaching experience – led the discussion on a variety of topics, including the pressures of results day.

“In my head, I thought if [my class] absolutely smash [the exams] then I’m clearly good at my job,” Katie said, who completed the FTS Programme in 2022.

Katie spoke frankly with our Scholars about her experience teaching her first Year 11 Maths class during her ECT years, and what it is like awaiting their GCSE results.

“Last year I was getting a little bit of Imposter Syndrome… and I thought [strong exam results] would cure everything,” Katie explained openly. “But when it comes to the real [exam], anything can happen on that day. You can have a complete mind blank; you might’ve had another exam the afternoon before and you’re completely wiped out.”

Ultimately, all but one of Katie’s students received a good passing grade – with some students performing more (and less) strongly than predicted. Summarising this, Katie commented, “Actually, it’s okay that [some students] maybe didn’t do as amazingly because I know how hard they worked, and I know they did try their best.”

Speaking about how she feels about subsequent results days, Katie said, “It’ll get easier but you’ll never stop worrying – because we care so much.”

Katie also provided some advice for Scholars who will be experiencing their first results day this month, as some Scholars were unsure when they would be able to see their results.

“Definitely chat to members of your department to see if there’s a way to see those results earlier, because it’s something that you’ll want to know,” Katie said. “Or if you’re able to, go in on results day. I wanted to be there and I wanted to see [my students] open their results. I wanted to see the results myself, too.”

A series of clips from our summer Scholar to Scholar event will be shared with all our Scholars in the coming weeks – featuring topics including teaching A-level, achievements over the past year, and the transition from ITT to ECT. You can view a clip of our discussion surrounding results day here.

We have once again enjoyed hearing from our Scholars about their experiences and successes this past academic year, and we look forward to our next virtual event which will be held in the Autumn term.

Jaden Read, who received the promotion earlier this year, has just completed his sixth and final year of the FTS Programme this summer. He attained Qualified Teacher Status in 2021 and has been teaching maths at The Oxford Academy since becoming a qualified teacher.

Talking to us about his new responsibilities as Deputy Head of Maths, Jaden explained: “Alongside my ECT responsibilities, I am responsible for curriculum development, assessment planning and setting within KS3, as well as supporting with timetabling and budgetary issues. My school has been very supportive in ensuring that I can manage all of my roles, without feeling overwhelmed.”

In addition to our talented Scholars achieving success within their schools, they are also bucking the national trend with stronger than average retention rates. Whereas 93% of our Scholars who completed ITT have remained in teaching after three years, 76% of teachers nationally who qualified at the same time have stayed in teaching.

The FTS programme is funded by the Department for Education and is one of Education Development Trust’s longest standing UK programmes. Launched in 2016 as a six-year programme, 78 Scholars have completed the programme to date and a further 77 Scholars are in employment in secondary schools across England.

Jaden added: “The Future Teaching Scholars programme offers a really well thought-out and structured introduction to teaching. The team was invaluable in the ITT process, helping us to find our initial placements and ensuring we settled in well.”

Several of our other Scholars have also been promoted within their schools, whilst still in their ECT years – including to roles as Mastery Lead and Key Stage 4 Coordinator.

“Future Teaching Scholars have so many factors in their favour – passion for their specialist subject, commitment and dedication to teaching, and the fantastic experience from the undergraduate part of the programme,” commented Kate Wastie, FTS Programme Delivery Manager.

“It is incredible to see our Scholars progress in their teaching careers so quickly as a result of their hard work and ambition, and the team is so proud and excited to see what the Scholars do next.”

Our dedicated Scholars in their ECT years attended a weekend programme featuring session speakers including Mark McCourt, Jo Morgan and Pritesh Raichura, in addition to three alumni Scholars from our first graduating cohort in 2022.

Nina Dhillon, FTS Director, explained the conference in more detail: “The conference is a mixture of a celebration for our Year 6 Scholars, who are graduating from the programme this summer, and continuous professional development for both Year 5 and 6 Scholars.”

“We’ve got a range of subject specific sessions in addition to subjects that are more pertinent in the education sector – for example, SEND through a maths and physics lens, as well as behaviour. It’s a really exciting, purposeful and meaningful day.”

Many of our Scholars joined us for a dinner on the eve of the conference, taking the opportunity to network with each other and share their successes over the past year.

The Conference began on Saturday morning with an opening session for all Scholars led by Pritesh Raichura, Head of Science at Ark Soane Academy. Pritesh commented on his session, “I shared some concrete practical strategies that teachers can use in their classrooms, as well as some larger underlying principles of how teachers can ensure they have effective behaviour.”

Speaking about the importance of conferences in education Pritesh said, “Conferences like this are really important for early career teachers as they provide an opportunity to network, to meet other people – and that shared experience brings people together.

“I had so many interesting and stimulating conversations with Scholars at various stages in the programme; there was a sense of mission and purpose that was palpable. And when teachers share their stories and experiences, it builds a sense of camaraderie which is what we need in the teaching profession.”

Other sessions were held simultaneously throughout the day, with Scholars attending which sessions were of most interest to them. These sessions included the following topics:

• Supporting SEND in the classroom (a whole-group session)
• Low prior attainment pupils and numeracy
• A-level teaching
• Challenge in the maths classroom
• Mastery learning
• Creating mastery resources
• What does primary maths look like post-pandemic?
• What makes a task mathematically rich?
• Using NRICH as a resource for stretch and challenge
• Using student-generated data to improve the teaching of statistics

Three of our conference sessions were run by FTS alumni: Elizabeth Sladen, Shadia Moore and Tom Habing – all of whom graduated from the six-year programme in 2022 and are in their fourth year of teaching. As alumni, these talented teachers connect with our Scholars in a unique way and can share their experience as teachers beyond the early career framework.

Tom, a sixth form maths teacher, now has experience of both being a Scholar and mentoring other Scholars. “I’ve had the pleasure of being a mentor to two Scholars, which is amazing – and they were on a different level,” he remarked. “They were ready to go, and they knew the key terminology that I was already using, which is incredible.”

Also in attendance at our conference were our Regional Training Centre (RTC) Coordinators, who coordinate the subject-specific and teacher development opportunities for our Scholars by region. Emily Giubertoni, Regional Training Director based at Bishop Challoner Catholic College, has known our Scholars for several years and commented on their teaching journey.

“There is nowhere else in the education sector where you have such a committed group of teachers,” Emily said. “The fact that when our Scholars were 17, they signed up for a teacher training programme that is six years long, taking them from A-levels to being 24 years of age, in the classroom and moving into subject leadership – I think that’s really powerful. The Scholars are such an inspirational and unique group of people.”

The conference ended with FTS Director Nina Dhillon wrapping up the day with some advice for our Scholars. “Always hone your craft,” Nina said. “There is always so much to learn as a teacher, whether that’s looking at the latest evidence base, building subject networks, or looking at new and proven pedagogy. As we say to our pupils, we aim for them to become lifelong learners – and so too must we as educators.”

The Future Teaching Scholars team would like to extend a big thank you to our session speakers, Alison Kiddle, Elizabeth Sladen, Jamie Freeman, Jo Morgan, Katie Slusar-Fletcher, Mark McCourt, Pritesh Raichura, Rebecca Turvill, Shadia Moore, Tom Habing and Zoe Mather for sharing their knowledge and expertise with our Scholars.

Our dedicated Year 4 Scholars, who began their Initial Teacher Training in September this year, gave up their Saturday to attend a programme featuring session speakers, including Amjad Ali, and for the first time, several alumni Scholars from our first graduating cohort earlier this year. 

Many Scholars also joined us for dinner, on the Friday evening, where Nina Dhillon, FTS Programme Director, gave an inspiring speech about the realities and rewards of teaching. 

“Teaching is arguably one of the most important jobs – now more than ever,” Nina began. “But there will be days where you’ll face challenges. Because if anyone thought teaching was easy, everyone would be doing it.” 

“But on those days, I urge you to remember why you got into teaching,” Nina continued, “It’s the pupils; your pupils are the future and you are in the career where you are needed most. Learn from our conference speakers this weekend, but most importantly celebrate your own successes.” 

The Conference began on Saturday morning, with an opening session led by Amjad Ali. One of the most crucial takeaways for Scholars focused on the importance of reflection in teaching, when things don’t go quite to plan. “You can’t judge yourself on the outcome of one lesson,” Amjad said. “You have to reflect, tweak, change and adapt.” 

Other sessions were held simultaneously throughout the day and included the following topics: 

• What Every Teacher Should Know 
• Progression and The Maths Curriculum 
• High-performance Classroom Culture 
• Reinventing The Wheel: Maths Resources 
• Teaching Maths Through Problem Solving 
• Proof In A-level Mathematics 
• Low Prior Attainment Pupils and Numeracy 

The final session of the day, attended by all Scholars, was led by Roger Terry, who focused on practical techniques to boost confidence in the classroom. From using staging to communicate expectations to pupils, to how posture and a strong core can instantly translate into confidence, our ITT Scholars took away numerous confidence-boosting tips, to try out in their classrooms. 

 Anna Searle, UK Director at Education Development Trust, who attended the conference commented: 

“It was wonderful to meet and spend time with the Year 4 Scholars.  The event provided the opportunity for them to share their experiences over the last 3 years, particularly how they had been impacted by undertaking their degrees during the covid pandemic and to focus on their successes despite the challenges.  It was particularly interesting to hear how they are settling into their current schools.   

The passion and commitment they are bringing to every day is inspiring. They are clearly taking every opportunity in their schools, to continue learning. The conference provided the chance for them to reflect on the past term and share experiences with each other, to learn together.  It was a great opportunity to get to know some of the scholars more, hear their stories and their ambitions.  An absolutely inspiring experience for me and I wish every one of them, the very best for the year ahead and their future teaching careers.  

Marian Gould, Deputy UK Director at Education Development Trust, was also at the conference and shared her reflections 

“A super event, which proved to be both informative and supportive for our Year 4 Scholars.  It was particularly pleasing to see our alumni Scholars return to deliver sessions and generously share the invaluable experience and expertise, which they have gained in the early part of their careers.” 

The Future Teaching Scholars team would like to extend a big thank you to our session speakers, Amjad Ali, Beth Sladen, Sam Crome, Katie Karran-Antrobus, David Burghes, Derek Robinson, Paul Glaister, Shadia Moore and Roger Terry, for sharing their knowledge and expertise with our Scholars. 

We look forward to hosting a conference for Scholars in Years 5 and 6, of the FTS programme, in May 2023. 

Should I spend my Friday night marking those exam papers? Should I be thinking about school during the half-term break? How long should I switch off for over summer? These aren’t easy questions to answer, and every teacher has their own routine that works for them.

We reached out to our Scholars as well as our partner regional training centres to gain some insight into how teachers spend their time off at the weekend, during half-term and term breaks, and over the summer holidays.

At the weekend

Weekends are an essential time for teachers to relax and recharge ahead of a new week of teaching. But with a full schedule during the week, it’s common for teachers to pick up a few work-related tasks over the weekend. It’s a fine balance, as our Scholars have been discovering during their ITT and ECT years.

“Friday evenings, I probably leave school around 4pm and from then that whole evening is ‘no school’ at all,” explained Yasmin, a Year 5 Scholar who began her second year of teaching in September. “I do around two to three hours of work on a Saturday and Sunday. I’m the sort of person where [work] is always in the back of my mind – but I find doing all my little errands fun at the weekend because they help take my mind off school.”

Kieran, a Year 6 Scholar, also keeps his Friday evenings clear. “I give myself an allotted amount of time on a Saturday, normally in the morning, to get a little bit of work done. This is my time to get it done, and if it’s not done by then it gets put to bed – it’s relax time.”

During half-terms

“As a working parent, half-term is a great opportunity to catch up on the more mundane aspects of life,” commented Rebecca Turvill, Director of Primary Maths at St Philip Howard Catholic School, who waits for the half-term to organise essentials such as dentist and optician appointments.

Rebecca also uses one half-term each year for her main family holiday. “Half term is a really important time for us all to recharge a bit,” explained Rebecca. “We make the most of having more flexibility with time to recover.” Another consideration is that the price of hotels and flights are much higher during the summer break, so taking a holiday during a half term can also help save money.

Over the summer break

“The main thing that I’ve learned over the past three years is: give yourself a break,” said Tom, a Scholar who graduated from the FTS programme in summer this year. Tom went on to explain that whilst there is a temptation to plan for the whole first term over summer, plans are likely to change once you receive your classes and your timetable – and having six weeks off school feels much shorter than it actually is.

For Scholars entering their ITT year in 2023, it can be difficult to know how best to utilise the gap between finishing university and beginning your first teaching role.

“I didn’t have any lessons planned before my first day at school and it was fine, because there were inset days and we had staggered starts for year groups,” Holly commented, reflecting back on her ITT year. “Something that I could have done last summer was to look at GCSE papers to know where the curriculum builds up to. So if you’re looking for something to do that’s not planning lessons, I’d recommend that.”

For a teacher, work-life balance is absolutely essential and we encourage our Scholars to ensure this balance is maintained as best as possible. Here are some resources that can help you to manage your workload and look after that important work-life balance:

School workload reduction toolkit (the Department for Education)

Maintaining a work-life balance (The Early Career Hub from MyCollege)

Each term, we invite our Scholars to share their teaching experiences with other Scholars at our virtual Scholar to Scholar events. We are looking forward to our next Scholar to Scholar event, which will be held in November.

The Scholar to Scholar events provide the opportunity for Scholars in their ITT and ECT years to share their experiences in the classroom, as well as consider new approaches, advice and teaching tips from fellow Scholars.

In this session three of our Scholars, Holly Snowdon (completed Year 4, ITT year), Jaden Read (completed Year 5, ECT) and Tom Habing (recent FTS graduate), led the discussion on a range of topics including their best advice for Scholars about to begin their ITT year, planning for the year ahead, and behaviour management.

The session began with a question which asked the Scholars how they prepare ahead of a new academic year. Tom answered, “The main thing that I’ve learned over the past three years is to give yourself a break.” Elaborating on his answer, Tom explained that whilst there is a temptation to plan for the whole first term over summer, plans are likely to change once you receive your classes and your timetable.

Holly, who started her ITT year in September 2021, will be teaching her first Year 11 class this year. “If you’re looking for something to do that’s not planning lessons, something that I’m focusing on this summer is looking at GCSE papers to know where the curriculum builds up to,” Holly mentioned.

Our Scholars also had advice to give to those Scholars who will soon be starting their ITT year. “Don’t do everything from scratch,” advised Jaden. “Especially for maths and physics, there’s so many resources online and so many things in your department that other teachers have done that there’s almost never a lesson you’ll need to make from scratch.”

Tom also spoke passionately about Scholars finding their own teaching styles. “Your mentor’s teaching style doesn’t have to be your teaching style. When I first started teaching, my mentor’s teaching style was very different to mine. For me, I found a teacher within my school that has a similar teaching style and ended up taking notes from them about how I can adapt.”

On behaviour management, Holly uses the warning system in her school. “Naturally, I assume the best in people,” Holly said, “but sometimes students are just going to mess around and they don’t want to be in your maths lesson. There is a fine line, but in some cases perhaps be a bit stricter than you want to be and that will benefit you in the long run.”

Expanding on this, Jaden said that the most important aspect of behaviour management is to be consistent. “Your school will have a [behaviour] policy and if you’re not following it, you’re making it harder for the kids to know how they should be behaving,” Jaden said. “Ideally if every teacher has the same policy and they all stick to it, those are the schools where you see really clear behaviour because everyone knows what they can and can’t get away with.”

A full recording of this event, as well as shorter videos broken down by question, are being made available to Scholars in the coming weeks.

We have once again enjoyed hearing from our Scholars about their experiences and successes so far this year, and look forward to our next Scholar to Scholar event which will be held in the Autumn term.

Having spent six years on the programme becoming fully qualified and experienced teachers, our Year 6 Scholars met for the last time in Birmingham for an evening of entertainment and celebration with the FTS team.

Meeting at the Crowne Plaza Birmingham NEC for an overnight stay, our Year 6 Scholars caught up with each other during a drinks reception before sitting down to a three-course meal. They received a certificate and were gifted with an engraved pen as well as a personalised USB flash drive – a teacher essential! – to commemorate their time on the programme.

Our Scholars then participated in a table-top escape room adventure where, working in teams, they played the role of bank robbers attempting to solve a series of clues and puzzles to crack into a safe. Our winning team was victorious in just over 40 minutes and was rewarded with a voucher prize.

Richard Churches, Programme Director of Future Teaching Scholars since its inception, delivered a speech which celebrated the successes of the programme and congratulated our Scholars’ progress within their teaching career.

“Future Teaching Scholars was and is still the most unique teacher training programme in the world,” Richard began. “No other programme seeks to find people committed to teaching so early on in their career, and supports them through university, through qualified teacher status and two years beyond.”

“Congratulations on making it through three years of teaching, and we’re so proud of what you have achieved over the past few years,” Richard told our graduating Scholars.

Catching up with some of our Scholars during the event, it was great to hear their enthusiasm for the teaching profession as well as how the Future Teaching Scholars programme helped prepare them for a career in teaching.

Tom Habing commented: “Future Teaching Scholars is a well-tailored programme to people that want to join teaching. It gives you very early experience of what teaching is right from university. From all the Scholars that I’ve talked to, their first year [in teaching] was so much easier compared to every other trainee I’ve seen.”

“The support from the FTS team is absolutely incredible,” Tom continued. “Every single conference that I’ve been to I’ve walked away with an incredible passion for teaching.”

Felicia Hebbes agreed with this sentiment: “The Future Teaching Scholars programme really made my route into teaching so much easier. Coming to all the conferences, being part of a programme like this and getting to mingle with lots of other people in the same position has been amazing. It’s something that you don’t often get to do.”

On behalf of the Future Teaching Scholars team and everyone at Education Development Trust, we wish our first graduating cohort of Scholars every success in their teaching career going forward. We will continue to keep in touch with our former Scholars periodically through a new alumni network and hope to share some of their post-programme accomplishments with you all.

The Scholar to Scholar events provide the opportunity for Scholars in their ITT and ECT years to share their experiences in the classroom, as well as consider new approaches, advice and teaching tips from fellow Scholars.

In this session, two of our Scholars, Yasmin (Year 4, ITT year) and Kieran (Year 5, ECT), led the discussion on topics including organisation and time management, confidence in the classroom, personal wellbeing, and biggest achievements in the academic year so far.

For Yasmin, her biggest achievement was leading a Year 9 class trip in celebration of International Women in Science Day, where her class visited a university campus and was inspired by talks about empowering women in science careers.

Kieran had been responsible for co-ordinating the Explorers Programme, which provides local Year 6 students with a taster of secondary school life – liaising with five other schools in the area to ensure the success of this programme.

When it comes to organisation, our Scholars took two different approaches – Yasmin preferring to use a physical diary planner, and Kieran opting to use digital planning resources such as Google Tasks. Kieran also gave some advice about taking advantage of “dead time” for admin tasks, as it is time that you would otherwise not be doing anything else with, such as being on public transport.

But both our Scholars agreed that ready-made resources were a great time-saver. With so many resources available online including past paper questions, our Scholars can utilise more of their time elsewhere. “Don’t reinvent the wheel,” Kieran commented, which was a sentiment also echoed by some of our Scholars in attendance: “Don’t make the work harder than it needs to be for yourself.”

When asked what the best piece of advice our Scholars had received about confidence in the classroom, Yasmin said: “It’s okay not to know everything.” A student asking an unexpected question that you may not know the answer to off the top of your head can affect your confidence – but don’t shy away from it. Engagement from students is key, and their questions can always be answered later once you have had time to consider it.

Maintaining a work-life balance is crucial as a teacher to ensure that you can sufficiently recharge ready for the next day of teaching. During the session, we heard different opinions and strategies about when (and when not) to do work during free time – and this was summed up by one of our Scholars in attendance.

“You have to think about what works for you,” mentioned Jaden. Whilst advice can be helpful, not everything will be compatible with your teaching, planning and working styles.

The session concluded with some remarks about the usefulness of the Future Teaching Scholars programme in its preparation for the ITT year. Our Scholars agreed that ITT teachers from other routes seemed more out of their depth initially, having not received the same level of in-classroom experiences prior to September.

We have once again enjoyed hearing from our Scholars about their experiences and successes so far this year, and look forward to our next Scholar to Scholar event which will be held in the Summer term.

Given the ongoing disruption that students have experienced as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, Ofqual wishes to “provide a safety net” for those whose learning has been impacted. Without this support, some students – particularly those in areas of greater deprivation – may not be able to reach their attainment potential.

While each exam board has published specific guidance for their exams, the general support for GCSE Maths and Physics exams in 2022 is summarised below.

Support for GCSE Maths

• Information has been provided on the focus of exams to help students with their revision;
• A formulae sheet is being provided for teaching and learning;
• Students will receive a clean version of this formulae sheet in the exams;
• Grade boundaries will be set more generously by examiners.

Support for GCSE Physics

• Information has been provided on the focus of exams to help students with their revision;
• A revised equation sheet is being provided for teaching and learning;
• Students will receive a clean version of this equation sheet in the exams;
• Teachers can deliver practical work by demonstration;
• Grade boundaries will be set more generously by examiners.

How might this affect teaching?

The aim of this additional support is to be as fair as possible to students – and it will undoubtedly make planning for Year 11 maths and physics lessons more effective, too.

One of our Scholar speakers at the last Scholar to Scholar event in November gave some advice to our Year 4 Scholars about understanding what skill they want to test students on in any given lesson. Ofqual’s support, such as students having access to physics equations in the exams, will allow teachers to re-focus their attention onto other areas.

As researched last year by one of our Scholars, maths anxiety affects around one in ten pupils and has a significant impact on performance, particularly in secondary school. Pupils most often felt anxious about exams – so knowing some of the topics that will come up in the exams should help inspire confidence and alleviate some of this anxiety.

You can find more information about the changes to GCSE Maths and Physics exams in 2022 on the GOV.uk guidance page, where further links to each exam board are also provided.

This event, hosted virtually by the team, provided our Scholars with new inspiration through a series of interesting and varied sessions as they look to further develop their professional teaching careers.

The conference began with an opening session led by Dr. Richard Churches, Programme Director, which featured a pre-recorded welcome message from Richard Hall, FTS Programme Lead at the Department for Education.

“Future Teaching Scholars is unique in that it’s a six-year programme, which is unlike anything else we do in the department,” explained Richard Hall. “We have Scholars now in every stage of the programme, which is really exciting for us.”

“These events are always engaging, whether they are in-person or online – and the conference today is designed to give you an even wider choice of sessions than ever before.”

Sessions were delivered by experienced teachers based upon research-driven expertise, and included the following areas:

• Starting again: From KS2 to KS3 Mathematics
• Technology from Remote Learning to the Classroom
• Planning a Broad and Varied Curriculum
• Supporting Students with EAL
• Care and Training of Your Voice
• The Role of Deliberate Practice in Teaching
• The Science of Learning and The Field of Educational Neuroscience

The day concluded with ‘Implementation – Making Your Mark’ delivered by John Coats from Notre Dame High School, Sheffield. Scholars were provided with a robust framework and methodology for solving problems and enacting change in their school, following the ethos that “a bad idea well-implemented is often better than a good idea badly implemented.”

The Future Teaching Scholars team would like to give a big thank you again to Jamie Freeman, Rebecca Matthews, John Coats, Laura O’Brien, Rebecca Turvill, Roger Terry, and Matthew Roberts for sharing their knowledge and expertise with our Scholars.

To catch up on the sessions that our Scholars attended, follow #FTSConf2021 on Twitter.

During this session three of our NQT Scholars, Beth Robinson (Year 5), Tia Arnold (Year 5) and Ben Marsh (Year 6), led discussions around their successes from the first half-term, behaviour management, working with SEND students and building professional networks.

Beth began by talking about one of her recent successes, which was observing a breakthrough with one of her students. “I feel like the biggest achievements are those small wins,” said Beth, a sentiment which became a recurring theme throughout the event.

“Showing [students] that you’re human has helped, too,” Beth continued, speaking about forming positive learning relationships with classes. “They need to know that you care before they’ll engage with the lesson and with you. That’s one thing I have found out this year especially.”

On preparing for class with students with SEND attending, Tia discussed how removing barriers has had a significant effect on their approach to learning. “I find what helps a lot is using whiteboards. A lot of SEN students are too scared to make mistakes – and when it’s in their book, to them it’s permanent.”

Tia continued, “If it’s on the whiteboard first, they have the confidence to show me their work without it being permanent in their books and we can talk through any errors.”

Ben provided our ITT Scholars with some pertinent advice regarding ways to keep informed about the progress of particular students. “In your ITT year you’re not on full teaching capacity,” Ben explained. “So you could use those hours to go and see a student in a particular lesson and observe what strategies that other teacher uses to help that student make progress. Because it can really inform how you teach that student in particular.”

The speakers also revealed which professional networks they had joined since becoming teachers, which included:

• The PTI, which provides subject focused CPD events and courses
• Maths Working Group
• Association of Teachers of Mathematics (ATM)
• Chartered College of Teaching
• AMSP, which provides training and resources for teaching A-level.

The session ended with each speaker sharing the most useful piece of advice that they have received from a colleague.

“It’s better to consistently plan good lessons than to inconsistently plan outstanding lessons,” Beth shared with the Scholars.

“Think about what you want the students to learn,” said Ben. “If you’re not testing arithmetic, give them a calculator. Home in on what skill you want the students to be tested on.”

“Don’t be afraid to ask for help from other teachers,” Tia mentioned as the most useful piece of advice she had received. “It took me a long time to take that advice,” continued Tia, “but it is definitely beneficial going to any teacher and asking for help – about students, lessons, or your wellbeing.”

We are looking forward to seeing our Scholars virtually at the ITT and NQT National Conference in December, and we will be hosting another Scholar to Scholar event in the spring term.

Future Teaching Scholars, developed and delivered by Education Development Trust and funded by the Department for Education, aims to develop the classroom skills and confidence of aspiring teachers, as they study undergraduate courses in maths and physics at some of England’s top universities.

The conference is the highlight of the year for Scholars, where they can meet peers in their cohort from all over England and aims to introduce Scholars to a range of topics that are vital for new teachers, helping to prepare them for their Initial Teacher Training (ITT).

This year’s conference was held at East Midlands Conference Centre in Nottingham and highly anticipated by both organisers and attendees as last year’s conference was held virtually over Zoom due to COVID-19. Sessions included challenges of COVID-19 in 2021, current classroom landscape, getting workplace ready and advice for ITT application process.

For the first time, Scholars from Cohort 1 – Tom Habing and Jess Robinson – who have been qualified teachers for two years returned to the conference to deliver sessions on their experiences of behaviour management and using modelling in their classroom as a tool to explain scientific concepts.

“It is always a huge privilege and pleasure to attend the September Future Teaching Scholars Annual National Conference,” said Professor Paul Glaister, Professor of Mathematics and Mathematics Education at University of Reading, representing the National Advisory Board.

“I am blown away by the enthusiasm, commitment, energy, maturity and professionalism of our Scholars. They will undoubtedly be the future leaders of mathematics or physics education in our schools and beyond, and we are very fortunate to know that our young people will be in their very capable hands for many years to come.”

Our Scholars in Cohort 4 at this conference are the last cohort who are yet to enter their ITT year therefore making this the last September National Conference before they join Scholars who have graduated from university at the ITT & NQT National Conference from 2022 academic year.

The Future Teaching Scholars team would like to give a big thank you again to Colin Wright, Rob Eastway, Katie Steckles, Tom Habing, Jess Robinson, Emily Giubertoni, John Coats for sharing their knowledge and expertise with our Scholars and making this conference a success.

The team will hold their next conference in December for Scholars in ITT and NQT years.

To catch up on our conference day on Twitter, follow #FTSConf2021.