NQT Special: Pedagogy and innovation

This article was triggered after meeting up with someone I mentored as an NQT 20 years ago. He is now an experienced, well-established headteacher. I mentioned this article and asked what advice he would give to his younger self. What follows is his response. By the end of his NQT year we knew this guy was destined for big things. We talked about long-term career goals, and how he’d reach them. He believes that early intervention was crucial to his development.

Identify precise career goals. Not in general terms, make them specific. They aren’t written in stone, they can be changed, but be clear about what your future will be. Several heads on Twitter are busy encouraging young teachers to aim for headships. It is the best way to shape education for the future because you get to apply the beliefs you have formed during years of classroom practice.