Support will help newly qualified teachers into new roles

With schooling disrupted by the pandemic many trainee teachers across Wales missed the opportunity to gain experience with in-classroom training.

As schools switched to providing services digitally, teachers in training delivered their lessons online.

With the new school year starting in September and pupils at all ages due to be back in classrooms, the Welsh Government has allocated an extra £1.7m in funding to ensure newly-qualified teachers (NQTs) have a term of employment to support their transition into teaching.

The funding will support NQTs throughout the autumn term, providing them with the training, experience and confidence they need.

As well as giving NQTs more opportunity for training and mentoring, the support will also allow schools to increase capacity and free up other teachers to provide extra help to vulnerable learners.

The extra funding brings total Welsh Government support for NQTs during the financial year to £7.7m, as part of a £39.1m package of wider funding backing the Welsh Government’s Renew and Reform plans for education. This also includes continued support for its Recruit, Recover and Raise Standards programme, and supporting learners in exam years to move to the next phase of their education.

The new support is open to NQTs who have not already found full-time employment with a school, and more than 400 have been placed in schools across Wales.

Jeremy Miles, the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language, said: “We know the last academic year was incredibly difficult for learners and teachers – and it especially impacted upon the training of new teachers, as they were unable to gain the experience they would usually have seen during a ‘normal’ school year.

“This new support will make sure they get the chance to build on their face-to-face teaching skills, plan for and evaluate the progress of their learners over a longer amount of time and build on the expertise they need to successfully complete their induction.

“Those who trained as teachers during the last academic year worked incredibly hard, and it’s right that we support them and ensure schools and local authorities are able to retain their vital expertise.”

Rebecca Evans, Minister for Finance and Local Government, said: “As we move beyond the pandemic, it’s vital that new teachers feel supported in their new roles.

“This additional funding will ensure that no-one is left behind as we work to build a fairer, greener, stronger and ever more successful Wales.”