NQT recruited as head of department

[hardboiled]

If you were considering a school and saw that they had recruited a NQT as head of one of the sciences departments, would that worry you? Or am I just being narrow minded?

Yep, probably.

Would depend a bit on what they had been doing before- have they been on Teach First or something?

Any school is going to be having difficulties recruiting Physicists though.

Depends on their background. Is your NQT a mature student with an extensive background outside education? Then, yes. 22 year old NQT, no.

BTW I meant I'd probably be worried not that you were probably being narrow minded.

No matter how able you are in your subject or what valuable experience you've had in other fields it does take a couple of years to a) figure out how to teach and b) figure out what a department needs to run well. I think anybody would struggle to do both things well off the bat.

Maybe they've done some time unqualified in the Independent sector before qualifying?

Have they taught elsewhere before? I think it would depend on the person tbh.

No worries Inclusionist, I understood what you meant.

According to the website, the person is fresh out of college. Looks max 25 in the photo.

Depends. When I was in year 10 they appointed a new head of Physics who hadn't even taught before or done any teacher training. He came from a big engineering company, and he was a very good teacher. His main downside was he was small and it was possible to position the rotating blackboard so he couldn't actually reach it.

As far as I know, NQTs are not allowed to be given a subject to co-ordinate (in mainstream primary schools) as their absolute priority must be to develop their teaching before being taking on any additional responsibilities.

Surely not possible? A HOD would be doing lesson observations with feedback on the staff in their department - how on earth can someone who's not started teaching yet judge/mentor other people's teaching? I think you must be slightly mistaken, OP, and just mean 'inexperience/young' not exactly 'only just qualified'?

Unless, as mentioned, they have been teaching previously unqualified and have now just achieved QTS?

Don't NQTs have to be mentored by an experienced member of department and a member of SMT as part of statutory stuff? Quite odd imo but agree with those who say it depends on prior experience.

BooksandaCuppa, this is what it says: "Mr. xxx has joined the school as an NQT from xxx University."

I would read that as meaning that he came to the school as an NQT, but not necessarily recently.

Thanks, but I know for certain he is a new recruit. Joined in Sept 2012.

Where does it say he's the head of a science, though?
Certainly he might be the only teacher of a particular science, with another science teacher as the HOD.

Head of one of the Science departments? Rather than head of Science? If he's a physicist, then he may well have to be head of physics if the department is run that way (mine isn't - we manage key stages/qualifications rather than subjects).

A school you are considering for your children, or to work in?

He is Head of Biology.

So MistressIggi, if it didn't say he is HOD I would not have posted my question to begin with!

It is exactly as I said, an NQT from xxxx University, joined three months ago and he is the new Head of Biology.

Anyway, I think opinions are diverse, so thank you anyway.

In that case he probably IS the biology department! And will report into the Head of Science overall.

Is he the only biology teacher though?

We only had one.

And one physics teacher.
And one chemistry teacher.

Etc etc.

What larks to give them all 'head of' titles.

It only involves leading other staff if there are other biology staff though.

I am a treasurer. Can I call myself head of the treasury department, please?

If that is the case, I'd be assuming the school is all fur coat and no knickers.

Awesome!

HoD means different things in different schools, but likely he is the only, or only full time biology teacher, and therefore has control of the biology paperwork. Actual departmental stuff would be handled by the HoF.