Career Progression

As the new Hampshire Regional Centre for Independent Schools Teacher Induction Panel (ISTIP) this year, we were delighted to welcome back our cohort of first year Early Career Teachers (ECTs) to their second ECT Conference of the year. 

"It was wonderful to see how these young teachers at the start of their careers have progressed and grown over the course of this year. Our PGS core values of courage, compassion, collaboration and creativity were very much at the heart of our sessions today" said Sarah Stewart, Head of Year 13 and Co-ordinator of Initial Teacher Training at PGS. "It is genuinely inspiring to see the next generation of teachers engaging so energetically as they move rapidly towards the end of their first year. Days like this, we hope, enable them to reflect on their successes and all that they bring to the educational community."

This conference hosted ECTs in their first year of their teacher induction process from across our region. They attended sessions about "Sticky Teaching and Learning" with Caroline Bentley-Davies - how to make sure your lessons hit home and embed them into pupils' understanding. They also engaged with a session about building and strengthening relationships with their tutees, since most are now taking on that vital pastoral role in their schools too. 

This was followed by a thought-provoking afternoon considering "Coaching - an introduction and practise". This was a session designed to get our ECTs thinking about the difference between coaching and more the more traditional styles of mentoring. This works both as a personal and professional development tool, but one that can be applied to so many contexts within schools when working with pupils. So much of this could be applied to supporting pupil wellbeing as well as the ECTs as they complete their first full year of induction and move into their second year of their induction and the teaching profession.

It was fantastic to hear back from the attendees at the end of the day that this was a very enjoyable day indeed, not least because it was hosted at our beautiful Hilsea playing fields in the sunshine. And the lunch was amazing - thank you so much to Kylie Hobson and her team. We now look forward to our next year of conferences!