Confidence or confusion: how well are today’s Newly Qualified Teachers in England prepared to meet the additional needs of children in schools?

Abstract

Faced with growing numbers of pupils with special needs, as well as those whose first language is not English, head teachers are increasingly faced with the challenge of employing Newly Qualified Teachers who require not only a different type of skills and knowledge base but the necessary personal qualities to effectively respond to the ‘Every Child Matters’ and ‘Extended Schools’ agendas. In more recent years, teaching has come under intense scrutiny, with suggestions being made in some quarters that many teachers entering the profession are ill-prepared and that following expensive appointment processes many are leaving the profession after only a short period of employment. This article explores the perceived confidence levels of student teachers in their final year, prior to entering the profession in regard to meeting the needs of children with a range of complex needs. The research forms part of a three-year project supported by ESCalate.

Keywords:

• employability
• initial teacher training
• special needs
• Newly Qualified Teachers

Notes

1. The BEd can be a three or four year degree, depending upon the institution, and results in graduate status and the agreed standards to teach in schools in the United Kingdom and abroad. The PGCE programme is a one-year course for postgraduates who achieve the same agreed standards.