Annabel’s ECT journey: Building confidence in the classroom

Annabel is a first-year early career teacher (ECT), teaching history and geography at St John Baptist School in Woking; a school she attended as a pupil. She is now developing her practice through the Early Career Training Programme (ECTP), delivered in partnership with Xavier Teaching School Hub.

Growing up in a family where education was a topic of conversation, she was surrounded by teachers and a strong belief in the importance of learning. By the time she reached university, the decision felt clear. Teaching was something she had always been moving towards.

But it was her own experience at school that helped shaped the kind of teacher she wanted to be.

“I had a history teacher who taught me right through GCSEs and A-levels, and she was amazing. She was always telling us about new research and implementing it into the classroom. You could really see the positive impact it was having on our learning.”

“She was just so brilliant at getting me through those A levels, which can be so hard.”

If she hadn’t believed in me as much, and if she hadn’t been as on it with her teaching quality and pedagogy, I might not have ended up in the same place.

Annabel, history and geography teacher at St John Baptist School and ECTP participant.

Returning to a school that inspired her

Annabel now teaches at St John Baptist School, a school she attended as a pupil, something she feels incredibly lucky to do.

“I loved it when I was there as a student, and even going back now, I love it. They are always at the forefront of research and they’re a fast-moving school with the times.”

The school has a strong sense of community, where staff support each other both professionally and personally.

One thing I love about our community is everybody’s so dedicated and really cares about the children and their education.

“We work really hard, but we are treated well too. We have things like staff get-togethers, and it means everyone feels like we are all part of the same team.”

Her school also has a high proportion of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

“We have a lot of SEND students at our school. That is probably one of our biggest challenges, but it is a great challenge to have because SEN children in schools is only on the rise and it has made me be a better teacher because of it.”

“I think we are all teachers of SEND, and it has made me adapt my teaching to suit the needs of all pupils in my classroom.”

Stepping into the classroom

Like many early career teachers, Annabel found the transition into her first year both exciting and challenging. As part of the Early Career Teacher Entitlement, Annabel benefitted from a 10% timetable reduction in her first year, giving her time to continue developing her practice alongside teaching.

“One of the biggest challenges is the amount of lessons that you teach. You are jumping between lots of lessons and quite a full timetable, which is different to the training year.”

Over time, my confidence has grown. You get to build these brilliant relationships with the students, and that really helps.

The impact of the Early Career Training Programme

“The Teach First material has been phenomenal. It is really in-depth and it covers a broad range of ideas linking to the teacher standards.”

“What is valuable is that it reinforces what I learned during my Initial Teacher Training, but you are looking at it through a different lens with a new set of children and a new school environment.”

One of the biggest benefits has been access to the latest research.

It has helped me be at the forefront of research that is up to date and current. I think as ECTs we are in a very privileged position to be engaging with this level of consistent, high-level training.

Support that makes a difference

Support from her mentor has also been an important part of Annabel’s ECT experience.

“Having a mentor has been really useful. Your mentor is your first point of call for any questions or concerns you may have. This is particularly helpful if you are starting as a first year ECT in a new school; your mentors experienced knowledge of the school, pupils and staff is really important”

“My mentor will run through a lesson or a concept and break it down. They observe my teaching and offer practical advice, they also might have taught my students before, and they offer me bits of knowledge that are like gold dust.”

Having that directed time with my mentor every week is a great way to touch base. It’s also great for wellbeing purposes to have a point of contact you can go to.

Making a lasting impact

Looking ahead, Annabel is focused on the difference she can make beyond academic outcomes.

“I think building resilience and independence is really important, that students can tackle difficult challenges on their own.”

She is also particularly motivated to support pupils with SEND.

“I have really enjoyed teaching students with SEN needs, and I think my teaching has significantly improved because I am thinking about those students more.”

“In terms of the future, I would love to have an impact in that space either regionally or nationally in some capacity. It is such an important part of education.”

Advice for future ECTs

The first year has been amazing. It's such a great learning curve for positive reasons. And this is the time where you're going to grow and develop the most.

For those about to start their ECT journey, her advice is:

“Get to know the key people in your school, like reprographics, IT, or the site team. These are the people who can help if you’ve got any problems. And get organised early. Map out the inset days or the parent evenings. And plan good breaks in the holidays, as well!”

“Protect your time. The to-do list can feel overwhelming, but prioritise the most important tasks that need doing and keep a to-do list to stay organised. Being smart with your time and looking after yourself is really important.”

A programme that builds better teachers

The Early Career Training Programme has helped me grow exponentially this year in confidence and in my capabilities within the classroom.

“The training is really comprehensive in how it covers all of the teacher standards and it goes into enough detail, but it's not overwhelming for ECTs.”

“It's also a great way to meet other ECTs. Without the programme, we wouldn’t bond over the experiences of being an ECT. We’re sharing what works well in the classroom and we’re hearing all these great experiences beyond our departments.”

“The programme produces high-quality teaching and brings a level of consistency, because we’re all receiving the same high-quality materials.”

Give your ECTs a confident start

Learn more about how the Early Career Training Programme builds confident, capable teachers from day one.

Explore the Early Career Training Programme