Are probationary teachers expected to teach A level classes?

[HairyPotter]

Just curious to find out if this is standard practice.

Yes! How else are they supposed to get sixth form experience?

Yes. Don't forget they are often very up to date re their subject, their classes are regularly monitored by senior staff, and they are continuing with their professional development during the probationary year. They will have an experienced mentor in school. Their lessons will be more closely observed than any other teacher. If they are on track to be an excellent teacher, you have nothing to worry about.

Do you have a problem with this OP?

Any particular subjects?

Yes. I taught sixth form classes from day one, including A levels classes due to take their exams that same year.

Teachers in their NQT teacher do have additional monitoring and extra PPA time.

That's interesting, thank you.

My dc is sitting two science highers (Scotland) and her teacher for one of the subjects seemed to be struggling. We brought up our concerns in September (so a few weeks into the school year) and someone from Smt agreed to look into it. Things muddled along for a while with senior teachers observing the classes for a few sessions. However my dc was becoming stressed as they felt the class was very far behind the other higher classes and the teacher was clearly flustered and struggling to explain things. There were many other problems as well.

I went back and said again that we were very concerned and what could be done. The school admitted that there has been problems and they were working with the teacher. They did move my dc's classes where the new teacher can barely hide her surpise at how little of the curriculum has been covered to date.

So, all sorted from our point of view, a lot of work needed to pass the higher with a good grade but hopefully it can be achieved.

It did make me feel sorry for the teacher though. They appeared to be out of their depth and I wondered If they just got thrown in the deep end so to speak.

Thanks for the replies though, it seems that it's not unusual at all.

Hi Hairy - I'm a teacher in Scotland and it is unusual for an NQT to be given a Higher class up here unless it was a split or team- taught class.

Highers are more usually given after the teacher is 2 years or so post probation because NQTs are on 0.8 FTE for one thing and usually have a lot of training time in school too.

A very experienced teacher once told me that it was better to get thoroughly familiar with Standard Grade (Obviously Nat 5 now!) before getting on to Higher when you only have a year to get it right!

This is standard practice - I only knew about one NQT who taught Higher straight in their NQT year.

I didn't start teaching Higher until I had finished my NQT year.

Sounds like Scotland is different but maybe the school struggled to appoint a more experienced teacher as there is a shortage. Teaching 0.8 in England would not prevent a teacher from teaching A level. A level is 2 years of course and teachers would not just teach A level classes ( well, unlikely).

Thanks Sal that confirms what I was beginning to think. I spoke to someone who is friends with a head of department in another LA and they said that they don't have Nqt taking any higher classes.

As I mentioned up there ^^ I do feel sorry for the teacher, however I am concerned that this was flagged up almost straight away and my dc has suffered as a result of poor teaching. They are aiming for an MChem so this is a very important subject. it's fair to say we are all stressing now. After an A at Nat5 in all 3 sciences, they dropped to a C for chemistry at the prelims in February. How much that was down to the course being so much harder or the issues with teaching, we don't know although they still achieved an A in biology (having dropped physics after Nat5)

Is an advanced higher in Chemistry out the window unless an A is achieved do you know?

Thanks Milly it does sound like things are done differently in England. the highers here are usually one year courses. My dc is doing 5 this year and hoping for 2 Advanced highers plus 2 further highers in 6th year.

Massive generalisation here, but I'd say the thing that NQTs struggle with most, is not subject matter, but behaviour management. That is always going to be FAR easier in an A Level group (presumably the same for Highers in Scotland) than it is for a bottom set Yr8 or 9 group.
If you had any concerns about a teacher's ability at all, then it's not the A-level groups you should be steering them clear of.

My DD taught AS and A2 in her NQT year, and got fab results. She does have a degree from Oxford and is a born teacher though.

Might vary from subject to subject but I've taught A Level since I was an NQT and always aim to give an NQT some A level teaching. I wouldn't dream of hiring someone in my department who I thought wouldn't cope with the subject matter at A Level and I agree that in a lot of ways (behaviour management being one) teaching A Level in easier than GCSE and below. It may not always work out but I would wager that a teacher really struggling with A level in their specialism is likely struggling with their other classes too.

The difference up here is that Highers are done over one year so no wiggle room to take it steady for an NQT learning the ropes.

So getting fully to grips with assessments, content of curriculum, timelines etc. is better done in the first year or so after NQT year before jumping into Higher straight off.

Saw an ad on DD's school's twitter today, asking for a teacher for an unpopular subject to teach years 7 - 13, so including Sixth Form. It specifically stated that NQTs would be considered.

I taught A level during my first year qualified, had no idea of the subject really and was one step in front of the students.
I was also expected to permanently cover Further Maths when I don't even have a GCSE.
I could continue, but you'd never believe me in a million years.
Needless to say, I don't teach anymore.

Really??? You taught Further Maths without a GCSE???? Did anyone pass?

Are there really still parents out there with no idea about the huge crisis in teaching in some areas?! In maths and physics in particular there simply aren't enough qualified teachers to fill the posts. There are very few good trainee teachers in these subjects and so the situation is gradually getting worse and worse. many schools struggle to recruit qualified maths teachers and so non specialists have to teach it.

And that's another difference between Scotland and England.

Up here you cannot teach a Secondary subject unless you have enough degree credit to be registered with the GTCS as a teacher of that subject.

And yes, we kept our GTCS and they are still our professional body.

You cannot teach without being registered with them and they won't register you to teach a subject you aren't qualified at degree level to teach.

Hairy - I wouldn't say an A pass at Higher has to be the selection for Advanced Higher but it depends on the school. Plus I'm not a Chemistry teacher!

I'll keep my fingers crossed for your DC too. Make sure he/she gets tons of past paper practice in!

Indeed salmo-for the moment. I know a scottish school I did a placement at was very concerned about new physics teachers. I can teach in both places and actually I really enjoy teaching all three sciences to gcse. I would prefer to teach in Scotland, though.

In our school our student teachers teach a couple of A level lessons only on their placement or team teach or teach a short section of a lesson. NQTs don't teach A level because they have enough on their plates. They'd probably get two periods of year 12 in their second year.

Yes, Physics is a problem.

In fact I've heard that the GTCS may make it easier for teachers from England to register up here as its been tricky to do up until now - lots of proving the content of your degree etc - and I have worked with a few teachers who trained in England.

Apparently it's easier for English-trained teachers to register up here if they did a PGCE? Rather than QTS? Must admit I'm not sure how the English system works!

I think it's bloody difficult for English trained teachers to register in Scotland now. I scraped in about nine years ago and their criteria got stricter after that. I'd have to start at ghe bottom of the pay scale as a probationer if I went back. I imagine they will make it easier for physicists soon.