As new teachers and mentors become overwhelmed with the workload around the new ECF, one expert shares his advice on how to relieve the pressure
“I’m not surprised schools are finding it challenging because the rollout has been fairly quick and it’s obviously during a very challenging time for schools,” says Dr Mark Hardman, a professor at UCL’s Institute of Education who has been involved in research and piloting of the framework.
“But this system has the potential to raise everybody, not just the ECTs: as mentors develop their own coaching skills, they, in turn, can support other staff to do the same.
“The things coming from this programme go beyond ECTs and their mentors: it can enable a research and evidence culture to filter through the whole school. If possible, I’d encourage schools to take a moment to take stock of how they can make the most of the opportunities in the current framework.”
This article in TES written by Kate Parker who is a school and college’s content producer. The article offers 8 useful tips on how to iron out the issues:
- Check for duplication
- Remove NCTs and mentors from unnecessary activities
- Reduce mentors’ other responsibilities
- Share mentoring out across staff
- Have a formalised mentor routine
- Get the balance between research and practical advice right
- Monitor wellbeing
- Don’t use the ECF as a checklist
The link to the original article can be found on tes.
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