The Induction Experiences of Newly Qualified Secondary Teachers in England and Wales

Abstract

Since 1999 all newly qualified teachers (NQTs) in England have been required to complete a statutory induction year. In Wales the induction year became statutory in 2003. This article reports on the experiences of NQTs during the year 2000-2001. All of the NQTs received their initial training in Wales, but some obtained employment in England and others in Wales. This provided the researchers with a unique opportunity to compare the professional development received by the new teachers in the two countries. Questionnaires containing a mixture of open and closed questions were used to gather the data. The results confirm previous research showing that there are aspects of the process that are working well but further attention needs to be given to the training needs of the induction tutor.