Continuity, support, togetherness and trust: findings from an evaluation of a university‐administered early professional development programme for teachers in England

Abstract

This article discusses the evaluation of a unique university‐based early professional development (EPD) programme in England that enabled newly and recently qualified teachers to have continued contact with their initial teacher preparation provider. The programme was designed to enhance the induction, EPD and retention of beginning teachers of secondary science, graduating from the university’s Postgraduate Certificate of Education initial teacher preparation course, through the provision of development days and the growth of a support network involving beginning and more experienced teachers. The main findings are that the programme helped to compensate for limitations of existing induction and EPD provision and to provide continuity and coherence between the beginning teachers’ initial teacher preparation and EPD. The new teachers perceived it to be a distinctive and strong programme that fostered reflective practice and addressed the emotional and affective side of teacher development. The findings are discussed within their broader research and policy contexts, and some implications for policy, practice and further research are considered.

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Vanessa Hayward and Patricia Ashby (special lecturer), University of Nottingham, for their relevant and helpful comments on drafts of this paper.