I recently began working at a new school and have come to a conclusion: starting at a new school is difficult.
Regardless of how much experience you have or how good a teacher you are, you are starting again. Many aspects of your new school may appear similar to previous places you've worked but there are inevitably subtle differences. Relationships need to be built from scratch and there are a million and one routines, norms and expectations that seem to differ from your last school. There's a lot to take in and a lot to learn. My first teaching role came through Teach First. I'd gone through the six weeks of Summer Institute and knew what to expect, namely that I wouldn't really know what I was doing most of the time. It took awhile for me to feel comfortable in my job but that was hardly surprising as it was my first teaching role. My next role was teaching abroad. As one might expect, this came with it's own set of unique challenges. Moving my life around the world meant setting up new bank accounts, working out social security, health & tax differences and a local driving licence, not to mention setting up a new place to live. Suffice to say it was a busy time before we even start to talk about teaching and learning (but an experience I would have no doubt in recommending to anyone if the right role comes up for you!). I tell you all this to illustrate why I am writing this post now. Perhaps I was naive before but I never quite realised how difficult starting in a new school can be, even when you remove factors like a lack of experience or living in a new country on a new continent. There's a lot to adapt to in any new role or new school. Relationships Once you've been in a school for 2 or 3 years, let alone 10 or 20, you become a known quantity to pupils and parents in the community. It might be that pupils know you because you always teach Year 6 or perhaps you taught their older sibling in their GCSEs. In some cases, perhaps you taught their parents or, whisper it quietly, maybe even their grandparents. Before pupils even take one step into your classroom, they know something about you and your expectations. Your reputation has preceded you. Of course, this can be a positive or a negative...or perhaps a little of both. When you first start in a new school, pupils won't know you from Adam. In schools with a high staff turnover, many won't expect you to still be there after Christmas. Some won't expect you to stick around for more than a year. They don't know that you care about them and they don't know that they can trust you. That'll take time. You may have built up a solid reputation with pupils in your last school but here, right now as a new member of staff, you're back at the beginning. It's a fresh start. Then we have everyone's names to learn, and not just the pupils' names. I'm talking about the staff. When we meet our new colleagues, we inevitably introduce ourselves by first name - of course we would, it's natural and normal. But having spent two or three days of staff INSET struggling to remember new names and faces, it's time to up the game and learn surnames too (or my favourite child-inspired version of the question: "What's your teacher name?"). And that's before we even get to learning pupil names. Once you've cleared these little hurdles, there's the small matter of getting to know the pupils' themselves. Okay, so I know that every new class presents this challenge but once you've been in a school for awhile you'd probably know some of the families, perhaps because of older siblings. When you start in a new school, the likelihood is you'll know nobody. You'll need to learn about behavioral and motivational tendencies, medical needs & subject preferences. Are there specific safeguarding concerns you need to be aware of? Is attendance an issue? What do they like and dislike? All of this before getting into the nitty-gritty of teaching and learning. Where are they compared to where they should be? Where do they need to be? What gaps do they have? Where do their strengths lie? Systems & routines Relationships are central to success in any school, no, any workplace. But before we even get to building these there are a few practicalities that need addressing. The first challenge is finding your way around the school during INSET or new staff training. Which rooms am I teaching in? Where are the bathrooms? What about the stationery cupboard? Next up you've got IT...how do I log on to my PC? What's my printer code? What's the staff network password? What does my timetable look like? Then there's HR: checking they have the right details for your pension, the right tax code, copies of your certificates and DBS. All very important when you're starting a new school. Once these practicalities are on track, we can start to think about the day to day. What do transitions between lessons look like in your new school? You'll need to learn the specifics of the behaviour policy so that you're putting the right foot forward on the first day with pupils. Consistency is key and it all seems so logical during INSET and orientation but in the heat of the moment can you remember the exact consequence for that repeated behaviour? Did you record it accurately and in the right place on the school system? Do you have a log in for that particular system? Oh, and what's the phone number for On Call, again...? Soon you'll be able to ask a few other questions...Are there any specific expectations about displays? How about planning? Is there a set lesson structure? Have you seen the MTP yet? Do we even have an MTP or do I need to make one myself? What about the marking policy here? I could go on and on but I'm sure you get the idea. One of the things that surprised me most in my new school is the level of specificity on little things like call and response routines in lessons and the rhythm in which we clap for quiet and to bring the pupils back together. Pupils know what to expect in different lessons and between different staff so there are definite advantages to this level of specificity. These are all things that a few months down the line don't seem like a lot but in those first few days and weeks there was a lot to take in which an established member of staff will already know. Fresh start and lots of support Fortunately, I have had great support starting in my new role. My colleagues have been fantastic in helping me to adapt to a new set of systems and I've had regular feedback in my teaching to help me improve my practice (I plan to write a blog on the benefits of regular coaching micro-steps soon). I'm still developing relationships with pupils in my class and across the year group and this will never be something we can tick off as 'done' but it will take time. Starting a new school will always be challenging but a supportive school culture can make it much easier for everyone involved.
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