Teach Secondary Issue 14.3

Bullies in the STAFFROOM John Bolton calls attention to how some ECTs are falling victim to the darker side of teacher mentoring... O fficial guidance is somewhat nebulous regarding the role of ITT/ECTmentors, currently defined as “ Providing or brokering effective support ” (see tiny.cc/ts143-M1 ). For many new teachers, however, even this loose description falls wide of the mark. My own NQTmentor – let’s call her Ruth – expected me to have emerged frommy training as a seasoned practitioner. Early on, she took umbrage withmy assessment of a unit of work. She unveiled a mark scheme she’d created – which until then I didn’t even know existed – berated me for not following it, and proceeded to change numerous grades to what she believed those students should have achieved. When I followed Ruth’s example, and made similar adjustments at the end of the next unit, she reprimanded me. Ruthmade my life a misery by belittling and bullying me. She even sent members of her Y11 tutor group into my lessons to watchme ABOUT THE AUTHOR John Bolton is a primary and secondary school teacher, and former freelance education writer teach and report back to her. I grew to fear her, and would tiptoe past her office each night to avoid her. She very nearly put me off teaching altogether. It was only when I took on the running of a Facebook group for trainee teachers that I realised I wasn’t alone. Acommon problem The DfE’s Core Content Framework vows – no fewer than 18 times – to give trainees “ Clear, consistent and effective mentoring ” (see tiny.cc/ts143-M2 ), but its execution is inconsistent. Many members of the aforementioned Facebook group have opened up to me about their own experiences, describing mentors who are “ Constantly making digs ”; who “ Give no feedback or targets ”; who never look at lesson plans, and are “ Negative and generally disinterested ”. One trainee told me about her mentor, who we’ll call Tony: “ My mental health and confidence were destroyed… he made me into a shy, cowering, weak person and was, quite frankly, a bully. ” She went on to recall how Tony, “ Always wrote pages of feedback about how awful I was, but never offered anything in the way of support. ” Lesson observations should be discussed regularly, and involve regular constructive feedback, yet I’ve seenmany trainees describe a lack of meetings and singularly negative feedback. Some have revealed that their mentors fail to hold regular meetings, instead ‘faking paperwork’ and replying to questions with, ‘ Google it. ’ Even when a mentee has the courage to speak out, who can they turn to? ECTs are assigned an induction tutor and designated mentor, but existing DfE guidance allows for both roles to be held by the same individual. One ECT said they had nobody to talk to about their issues because their mentor was the deputy head and their induction tutor was the headteacher. Who also happened to be husband and wife. Ableakoutlook According to DfE data, 8% of trainees weren’t awarded QTS3 during the 2022/23 academic year. Even among those who successfully completed their ITT and achieved QTS, 24%were expected to have left teaching before finishing their induction period. I personally believe that a notable proportion of ECTs are abandoning the profession due to negative mentoring experiences. The profession continues to struggle with a teacher shortage, but certain elements within it are throttling the pipeline. The Early Career Framework promises funded time for mentors to support ECTs, as well as funded mentor training – but as reported last year by Schools Week (see tiny.cc/ts143-M3 ) , some schools have insisted that they can’t afford to release teachers for the amount of time required. With both NASBTT and UCET calling for Ofsted to suspend inspections of ITT providers – a cycle which only happens once every six years as it is – it doesn’t seem as though the problemwill be solved any time soon. Acertain set of skills Defending poor mentoring by pointing to a lack of resources and funding can only go so far, however. Being a mentor requires a distinct skillset and personality traits that not everyone possesses. In the school where I teach now, mentoring is a positive, progressive experience grounded inmutual respect, but the scars of past experiences run deep. In their book, Mentoring and Coaching in Education , Lizana Oberholzer and Derek Boyle describe a great mentor as someone who can demonstrate self-reflection, humility, empathy, and patience, and suggest that every teacher and leader should try their hand at mentoring as part of their professional development. Well, I agree with that first part, at least... 21 teachwire.net/secondary T R A I N I N G