Induction and Early Professional Development

Induction of newly qualified teachers

Induction is a statutory requirement for all newly qualified teachers (NQTs) in Wales who gain qualified teacher status (QTS) after 1st April 2003. The statutory induction period provides all newly qualified teachers with a bridge from initial teacher education and training to effective professional practice.

The induction period usually takes place over three full terms (i.e. one school year) or the equivalent, though there is flexibility for teachers who work part-time, have breaks in their employment or work on a short-term supply basis.

Induction in Wales comprises the following aspects:

• a programme of professional development, monitoring and support based around the core priorities in the areas that we know are key to improving standards of teaching and for improving learner outcomes. These priorities are literacy, numeracy, reducing the impact of poverty on attainment, additional learning needs (ALN), behaviour management, and reflective practice;
• the support of a mentor throughout the induction period;
• a 10% reduction in the newly qualified teacher’s timetable (this is set in the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document);
• assessment against the Practising Teacher Standards (PTS).

In order for a period of employment to count towards statutory induction, a newly qualified teacher must have qualified teacher status, must be registered with the General Teaching Council for Wales (GTCW) and must be employed in a maintained school or non-maintained special school.

Further Education Institutions and independent schools can also offer statutory induction if they choose to, provided that they can comply with all aspects of the Education (Induction Arrangements for School Teachers) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2012.

Induction supports the development of newly qualified teachers during their first year in post by encouraging them to focus and reflect on the advancement of their professionalism, knowledge, understanding and skills. Induction also provides induction mentors with professional development opportunities by ensuring that newly qualified teachers receive high quality induction through support, advice, feedback and encouragement.

The General Teaching Council for Wales is responsible for the administration of the funding of the induction programme.  Further information can be found on the GTCW website.

Changes to the induction of newly qualified teachers 

Following a consultation on proposals to revise the induction arrangements for NQTs, the Regulations have been amended and laid before the National Assembly for Wales.

The changes will ensure a more robust approach to induction for NQTs.  They will help to improve the quality of support provided to NQTs during their induction and assist in ensuring that all decisions made by the Appropriate Body (i.e. the local authority) at the end of the induction period are of the highest quality.

The revised induction regulations will come into force on 1 September 2012.

Full guidance on the revised induction arrangements will be made available in due course.  The guidance will update and replace the statutory guidance which accompanied the Education (Induction Arrangements for School Teachers) (Wales) Regulations 2005.

NQTs commencing their induction period on or after 1 September 2012

New arrangements will apply. The main changes include:

• NQTs will be required to complete an induction period of three school terms or the equivalent period of time as 380 school sessions (one session is equivalent to a morning or afternoon of teaching);
• NQTs without regular employment can accrue school sessions until 380 sessions have been completed;
• NQTs will be assessed against the Practising Teacher Standards (PTS) at the end of the induction period and will be required to gather evidence of how their practice meets the PTS;
• The support and supervision of the NQT will be carried out through a partnership between the school(s) where the NQT works and an external mentor working on behalf of the appropriate body;
• The introduction of an optional Masters in Educational Practice (MEP) for NQTs commencing their induction period from September 2012. This is intended to run concurrently with the induction period and provide the basis for early professional development beyond the end of the induction period.  Eligibility criteria for the MEP can be found at the Cardiff School of Social Sciences website.

Full guidance on the revised induction arrangements, including associated support materials, will be made available in due course.

NQTs who commenced induction prior to 1 September 2012 (including NQTs who are part-way through their induction)

The amended regulations that come into force on 1 September will apply to all NQTs undergoing induction irrespective of when they commenced their induction period. In practice this means that NQTs who are part way through their induction may now count individual sessions toward their induction period if they are unable to secure longer periods of employment. This cannot be retrospectively applied to include individual sessions of employment carried out before 1 September 2012. Periods of employment before 1 September 2012 that can be counted remain only whole terms or consecutive half terms.

NQTs who commenced their induction period prior to 1 September 2012 will, however, continue to follow the same arrangements for supervision, support and assessment as were in place when the induction period commenced.

Under these arrangements, induction will be followed by a two-year programme of Early Professional Development (EPD). The Early Professional Development programme encourages teachers to maintain and develop further the patterns and habits of self evaluation and reflection that they have developed during induction.

Teachers in their first year of EPD will be expected to focus their professional development activities on the following core priorities:

• Literacy
• Numeracy
• Reducing the impact of poverty on attainment
• Additional Learning Needs
• Behaviour management
• Reflective practice

Teachers in their second year of EPD should continue to work with their EPD mentor and build on the professional development gained during their first year of EPD.  It is recommended that the core priorities set out above are taken into account when planning for the second year of EPD.

The General Teaching Council for Wales is responsible for the administration of the funding of the Early Professional Development programme.  Funding for teachers undertaking their first year of EPD will only be released for development activities related to the core priorities described above.  Any professional development activities that fall outside these areas will not be funded.  

Click on Forms to the left of the page for support materials for assessment, observation and target-setting.