Career Path
Potential Career Path within the New River Teaching Alliance
This helps to identify a typical career path for teachers, clarifying how you can gain further expertise and the types of roles that you could take on at different stages of your career. It is important to note that fast track progression overriding this may be available for exceptional teachers if they show outstanding teaching and have excellent leadership skills.
Expectations
- The trainee teacher will fully develop their teaching and learning skills (including assessment and use of data) in the classroom and subject knowledge for the KS/subject in which they teach.
- This will include undertaking a second placement in a contrasting school to enhance the teaching experience and practice.
- They will have a sound knowledge and understanding of their wider professional responsibilities and role in a whole school context and a pastoral capacity.
- This will be evidenced through direct observation of teaching against the Teaching Standards. The trainee teacher must also ensure that their professional qualification at their university provider are also undertaken and passed to the required standard.
Opportunities for NRTA – Professional Development
- Weekly Professional Studies program developed in consultation with the partner university.
- Dedicated subject mentor with weekly training meetings.
- Seminars provided by NRTA for all trainees.
- NRTA inset focusing on a range of different issues in education.
- Additional experience days e.g. at non-mainstream schools NB: this is in addition to training and professional development opportunities provided at university.
Example Roles
- Responsibility and accountability for learning and progress for a class / range of classes over a sustained length of time and in more than one school.
- Attachment to a form in a pastoral capacity.
- Participation in whole school activities e.g. contributing to the school’s extra-curricular program.
- Access to observe Open Classrooms.
Expectations
- The effective teacher does more than just the successful transference of knowledge/skill or application around a particular topic.
- The effective teacher ensures that this surface approach to learning is replaced by deeper learning experiences where pupils engage with the resources independently, leading to progress being made in their learning.
- This will be evidenced through work scrutiny, direct observation of teaching, analysis of class data and pupil voice.
Opportunities for NRTA – Professional Development
- NQT Continuing Professional Development Program
- Opportunity to join ITT seminars
- Insets focusing on a range of different issues
Example Roles
- Class teacher (Year 1)
- NQT mentor
- Class Teacher & Form tutor, (Year 2)
- Subject lead (shadowing)
Expectations
- Proficient teachers create highly effective teaching and learning experiences for their students. They know the unique backgrounds of their students and adjust their teaching to meet their individual needs and diverse cultural, social and linguistic characteristics. They develop safe, positive and productive learning environments where all students are encouraged to participate and achieve.
- They design and implement engaging lessons that meet curriculum, assessment and reporting requirements. They use feedback and assessment to analyse and support their students’ knowledge and understanding.
- Proficient teachers use a range of sources, including student data; SEND requirements, EAL, to evaluate their teaching and to adjust their long and short term planning to better meet student needs.
- Proficient teachers are active participants in their profession and with advice from colleagues, identify, plan and evaluate their own professional learning needs.
- Proficient teachers are team members. They work collaboratively with colleagues, for example on schemes of work, implementation of learning interventions and departmental approaches to teaching and learning.
- They seek out and are responsive to advice about educational issues affecting their teaching practice. They communicate effectively with their students, colleagues, parents/carers and community members. They behave professionally and ethically in all forums.
Opportunities for NRTA – Professional Development
- Creative Teachers Program
- Outstanding Teachers Program
- Shadowing opportunities at other alliance schools
- Opportunities to deliver CPD
- Inset focusing on a range of different issue
Example Roles
- Class teacher & form tutor
- Second in charge in secondary school dept.
- Department leader in smaller departments
- Responsibility post in cross school projects
- Research Champion for NRTA for your school
Expectations
- Highly Accomplished teachers are recognised as highly effective, skilled classroom practitioners and routinely work independently and collaboratively to improve their own practice and the practice of colleagues. They are knowledgeable and active members of the school.
- Highly Accomplished teachers contribute to their colleagues’ learning. They may also take on roles that guide, advise or lead others. They regularly initiate and engage in educational discussions about effective teaching to improve the educational outcomes for their students.
- They maximise learning opportunities for their students by understanding their backgrounds and diverse individual characteristics and the impact of those factors on their learning. They provide colleagues, including pre-service teachers, with support and strategies to create positive and productive learning environments.
- They have in-depth knowledge of subjects and curriculum content within their areas of responsibility. They model sound teaching practices in their teaching areas linked to knowledge of specific subject pedagogy. They work with colleagues to plan, evaluate and modify schemes of work to improve student learning. They keep abreast of the latest developments in their specialist content area or across a range of content areas for all teachers.
- Highly Accomplished teachers are skilled in analysing student assessment data and use it to improve teaching and learning within their dept. They are active in establishing an environment that maximises professional learning and practice opportunities for colleagues. They monitor their own professional learning needs and align them to the learning needs of students.
- Their interpersonal and presentation skills are highly developed. They communicate effectively and respectfully with students, colleagues, parents/carers and community members.
Opportunities for NRTA – Professional Development
- NPQ Middle Leadership
- NPQ Senior Leadership
- Shadowing opportunities at other alliance schools
- Insets focusing on a range of different issue
Example Roles
- Class Teacher and Form Tutor
- Head of a Year Head of Dept.
- Leading on something whole school, e.g. rewards and sanctions; a research project
Expectations
- Lead teachers are recognised and respected by colleagues, parents/carers and community members as exemplary teachers. They have demonstrated consistent and innovative teaching practice over time, for example, contextualising learning to support relevance and meaning, to develop inspiring opportunities to enhance creativity and independence. Inside and outside the school they initiate and lead activities that focus on improving educational opportunities for all students. They establish inclusive learning environments, meeting the needs of students from different linguistic, cultural, religious and socio-economic backgrounds. They continue to seek ways to improve their own practice and to share their experience with colleagues.
- They are skilled in leading and developing teachers and participate in mentoring and coaching of colleagues and use activities that develop knowledge, practice and professional engagement in others. They promote creative, innovative thinking among colleagues.
- They apply skills and in-depth knowledge and understanding to deliver effective lessons/learning opportunities and share this information with colleagues and trainee teachers. They describe the relationship between highly effective teaching and learning in ways that inspire colleagues to improve their own professional practice through leadership and development of workshops and courses within and beyond the school. They actively seek to develop professionally through post grad study and other accredited courses and help to create a culture of research and development across to school to ensure the most effective learning strategies and teaching pedagogies are embedded into departmental and whole school practice.
- They lead processes to improve student performance by evaluating schemes of work, analysing student assessment data and taking account of feedback from parents/carers. This is combined with a n analysis and synthesis of current research on effective teaching and learning.
- They represent the school and the teaching profession in the community. They are professional, ethical and respected individuals within and outside the school.
Opportunities for NRTA – Professional Development
- Leading on Innovation and Change
- NPQ Senior Leadership
- Specialist leader of Education roles available
- Shadowing SLT – opportunities at other alliance schools
- National conferences linked to national agenda in education
- Insets focusing on a range of different issues
Example Roles
- Class Teacher and Form Tutor
- Head of a Key Stage with pastoral responsibilities
- Head of Dept.
- Leading on something across the whole school:
initial teacher training as contact with NRTA; or
responsible for CPD across the school;
responsible for PSHE program
Safeguarding lead
Timetabling responsibility
Development of curriculum
Teaching and Learning lead
Assessment lead
Pupil Premium Lead
EAL lead - Specialist Leader of Education (outward facing) school to school support
- Assistant Headteacher
- Deputy Headteacher
- Headteacher
- Executive Headteacher