Professional Development Centre
Woodside Road
Norwich
Julia Stephens
BCS/JS/MG 01603433276
26 March 2002
julia.stephens.edu@norfolk.gov.uk
To: Headteachers of all Norfolk Schools
Dear Headteacher
The Appointment and Induction of Newly Qualified Teachers 2002/2003
You may be considering appointing a Newly Qualified Teacher (NQT) to your school in the near future. As you are no doubt aware, since May 1999 statutory requirements have been in place regarding the Induction of NQTs. The DfES Guidance ‘The Induction Period for Newly Qualified Teachers’ gives details of these requirements and expectations. (see DfES website http://www.dfes.gov.uk/circulars)
I also enclose some guidance documents of our own, which I hope you will find helpful when preparing to appoint a NQT to your school, and when preparing for their Induction.
‘Employing a Newly Qualified Teacher’ is for Headteachers and Governors and provides an overview of the requirements for monitoring, supporting and assessing NQTs.
The ‘Checklist for Schools Employing a Newly Qualified Teacher (NQT)’is designed to help schools in managing the whole process from pre-appointment to completion of the induction period. It aims to help schools reflect on the responsibilities of induction, and to prioritise the associated tasks. It also aims to support the development of manageable administrative systems in schools, which ensure that the statutory requirements are being addressed.
‘Funding NQT Induction’ provides a summary of the costs involved in employing a NQT, the budgets available to schools to meet these and the support provided by the LEA.
The sheet outlining the ‘Quality Assurance by the Appropriate Body’ sets out how the LEA fulfils its own responsibilities in line with DfES requirements, whilst providing appropriate support for the teachers and schools involved in NQT Induction. If you have any comments on these arrangements, please contact Julia Stephens, as she would like to hear from you.
The ‘NQT Registration Form’ needs to be completed by the Headteacher and returned to the Advisory Service after an NQT has been appointed. Once it has been processed, additional funding will be paid into your budget and the relevant ‘Induction Support Packs’ will be forwarded. These packs will contain additional guidance and information on the Induction processes, expectations and arrangements.
Even if you currently have no plans to appoint a NQT to your school, please file these documents for future reference. It is not unusual for schools to appoint a NQT unexpectedly, for example when unforeseen staffing changes arise. In these circumstances it is important to have access to relevant information and guidance, particularly if such appointments are made at relatively short notice.
If you have any questions about the enclosed documents or about NQT Induction in general, please contact Julia Stephens at the Norwich Professional Development Centre.
Thank you.
Yours sincerely
Director of Education