Although there are variations from school to school, the following are some of the things that you might expect on joining a school as a Probationer or an experienced Teacher.
SENIOR MANAGEMENT
1. On appointment, find out who in Senior Management has responsibility for the induction of new, and, in particular, probationer teachers and what arrangements are on hand for induction.
2. On the first occasion possible, you should have an initial meeting with this member of the Senior Management (Mentor/Regent). At this meeting you would expect to:
• Get copies of the School Prospectus and of the Staff Handbook
• Be introduced to other members of the Senior Management Team and perhaps to the Administration/Clerical Staff
• Have a short tour of the school including your teaching area and the staff-room facilities
• Get a copy of your timetable and a list of the names of teachers with whom you are to be working, including the Head of Department, to whom you will be responsible
• Get a copy of the school diary (if available) - this may include dates of formal examinations, parents meetings, deadlines for reporting, other dates of concern to the corporate life of the school. (This may be included in the Staff Handbook.)
• Be introduced to the Head of Department.
It is expected that this member of the Senior Management Team would indicate availability to deal with any concerns and apprehensions that you may have.
3. The Staff Handbook would normally include sections on:
Aims of the School
Curriculum of the School
General Role and the Job Specifications of all teaching staff
Support from Ancillary Staff
Discipline Policy including bullying and harassment
Guidance Policy and Arrangements
Registration Policy and Arrangements
Homework Policy and Arrangements
Health and Safety Policy and Arrangements
Other sections where appropriate.
4. If it is intended that you be a Register Teacher, you would expect to get initial training/introduction to registration procedures.
5. After a short period of weeks, you would expect to have an arranged meeting with the Mentor/Regent to discuss progress, problems. If you are a probationer, there is further guidance for this given in GTC documents, which will have been issued to you.
6. You would expect to have on-going/periodic discussion with the Mentor/Regent identifying: areas of concern, difficulty, areas of development, and in the case of probationers, progress to GTC requirements.
HEAD OF DEPARTMENT
1. On the first occasion, you would expect to get a copy of the Departmental Handbook and of your timetable, if not already received. You would also expect to be told where you are teaching and from where the departmental resources are available.
2. At some stage, you should be advised of the timing of departmental meeting (if timetabled) and the working time arrangements.
3. You would expect to have on-going support from the head of department, especially in matters of curriculum and discipline.
SSTA REPRESENTATIVE
Make yourself known to the SSTA Representative. Usually you will find a notice-board for Professional Associations in the Staff-room. This should include a section for the SSTA and the name of the Representative. A keen Representative will get to you first!
