Launched by SecEd and Headteacher Update, the ECTs and Mentors National Conference will take place on December 1 and 2, offering a wealth of best practice, advice and resources.
For ECTs, we will be offering support to help you survive and thrive during your first years at the chalkface – putting in place the foundations for a long and successful career.
For mentors, we will be offering support to help you help your ECTs with effective mentoring practice.
Our programme features a range of leading experts, including ECTs and experienced mentors, and all sessions at the event will be practical in nature – seeking to offer ideas, advice, tips and solutions. Key themes include protecting workload and work/life balance, effective mentoring practice, how to be a good mentee, classroom practice including marking, assessment and pedagogy, supporting SEND students, professional reflection and development, common pitfalls to avoid, and more.
The event also includes a focus on the implications of the Early Career Framework, which was rolled out nationally from September 2021. We will be considering how things are going and any early challenges we are seeing with the ECF roll-out.
The conference will be streamed live online across two days and will be available on-demand for three months after the event.
There will be 12 presentations delivered live and a further three sessions offered as on-demand downloads for delegates to access via the event platform.
Four keynote sessions
- The ECF in practice: What have been the lessons learned so far this term, the challenges and the best practice solutions to effective ECF implementation?
- Me, my mentor and I: An inside look at the key tenets of a successful ECT-mentor relationship.
- From novice to expert: Practical advice on how ECTs can set out on the road to teaching expertise while keeping their workload in check
- Rights, entitlements, trouble-shooting and best practice: Are you getting your rights and entitlements to support and training, both as an ECT and ECT mentor?
Eight workshop sessions
- The ECF roll-out: Lessons learned so far, advice for mentors and tips for ECTs
- Top 5 pitfalls to avoid as an ECT
- Building your teaching toolkit
- It doesn't need to take hours: Effective marking & feedback
- How to be a good mentee
- SEND: A guide for ECTs
- Mentoring a diverse ECT workforce
- Are you listening? Deeper level listening for ECT mentors
Four on-demand downloads
- Understanding and reducing teacher anxiety
- Practical ideas for using metacognition in your teaching
- Prioritising your wellbeing as an ECT
- Access to the event costs £99. For details, visit www.early-career-teachers.co.uk