NQT Support & Time Saving Resources

If you’re an NQT and new to Opogo then this article is a must read for you. I’ll give an overview on Opogo, some insight into the challenges facing retention in education, explain how Opogo is helping to support you, and finish with a consolidated list of amazing time saving resources. Ready? Let’s get started.

Introducing Opogo

Opogo is a talent and community platform focused on recruitment and retention.

Our mission is to find you the right job, at the right school – we support you every step of the way from your initial job search to your career development and progression. Educators are passionate about improving the lives of others and we want to support you through this journey. We understand that finding your perfect NQT role is one of the most important decisions you will make in your career and with the current retention statistics concerning people leaving teaching after only a number of years, it’s more important now than ever to offer NQT’s the right support from the beginning.

To help support you in the job you love, we offer a blended approach fusing the best consultant-led service with the best tech. We are partnered with a diverse selection of schools which include, Academies, Trusts, SEND schools and Faith schools.

We provide CV guidance, mapping out which schools are right for you, as well as coaching you through the interview process. We have worked with hundreds of NQT’s over the years and we understand that each person is on a unique journey.

Not only do we offer the consultative and service-led approach at Opogo, we also give you access to the Opogo Community. The community is an online educational social platform where you can meet, share, engage and be inspired by likeminded people.

Its a free platform where you can access a wide range of current education content including free courses, articles, and resources. The main purpose of the community is to improve the lives of educators as its a place where you are able to engage with well-known education influencers, network with other teachers, ask questions, post concerns, have debates and get the right support you need.

Current challenges affecting retention in education

• It is no secret that teacher retention in UK schools face a number of challenges.
• The numbers show that retention of teachers has slightly improved with those who qualified in 2018.
• 1 in 5 new teachers are leaving the profession after their first two years, and 4 in 10 leave after five.
• 85% are still teaching one year after gaining QTS compared to the previous 2 years
• However, extending that to cover 5 years, only 67% of teachers who qualified in 2014 are still teaching
• This data shows there is still a problem in retaining staff in education
• It is important that we support the education system now more than ever, especially when the number of secondary pupils is expected to rise by 10% between 2019 – 2023 and the pupil to teacher ratio is increasing year on year

So, what does this look like for London NQTs?

• London does have a greater proportion of NQT’s each year than the rest of England.
• A government report conducted by the National Foundation for Education Research found that Factors that discourage teachers to teach in London included Cost of living, teacher pay, flexible working, support and professional development and the recruitment process
• However, with COVID affecting employment worldwide, the cost of living in London has seen to be reduced, flexible working has increased and we at Opogo are still moving forward by supporting educators with CPD, new placements and on-going support
• Starting in London as an NQT is a fast and effective approach to progression. It is not uncommon to go from NQT to headteacher in less than eight years, which is several years faster than the national average.

Opogo supporting you every step of your journey

We believe the key to keeping great educators (like yourself) in the classroom is to ensure they feel valued and supported.

The community is a support system for you, our teachers, TA’s and any of our educators to express their professional opinions, to develop their own skills and to work with other educators in the UK.

Most importantly, it is a free platform to sign up to and the content included is also free and always will be! Opogo is a social enterprise and we are more than a business, we’re a deeply responsible one. We are responsible and we believe in making a social change to the education sector. Opogo brings educators together so they can learn, upskill and share their thoughts; it is a network there to support YOU and gives YOU a voice.

Our tech is innovative and effective which meets the demands of schools and educators and Opogo is changing the state of education day by day.

The Community hosts free courses, webinars, networking events, articles and groups dedicated to key education topics. From the likes of Diana Osagi, Ross Gill, Drew Povey, Lucinda Powell and obviously Pete Atherton, Opogo offers a safe space for educators to come together to learn and collaborate. We cover safeguarding, SEND, behaviour management, Covid classroom management, remote learning, mental health and wellbeing and many more.

Mental health and wellbeing were some of the foremost challenges flagged by our NQT’s as part of our end of academic year survey. Our Mental health and wellbeing experts champion positive and proactive strategies relevant to those in the teaching profession. These include Lucinda Powell (qualified psychologist), Steve Carr (classroom psychology expert) and Amy Sayer (author and schools mental health expert).

Anyone can access to the community, whether you are an educator looking to develop your skills or even an individual looking to kickstart your career in education. The community is here to support and nurture your progress and Opogo is here to focus on recruitment and retention within the education sector ensuring a successful and inclusive journey from application to placement to aftercare.

Time saving resources 

Ultimate Teacher’s Organiser (resource to support weekly planning). https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/ultimate-teacher-s-organiser-11136489

Tutor Toolkit (365 days of knowledge for year 7 – 11, completely editable and free). https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/tutor-toolkit-form-time-activities-for-year-7-11-12146088

Teacher organiser/planner/diary (great for parent evenings, report writing, behaviour patterns and individual misconceptions – helping you recall highlights fast. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/teacher-organiser-planner-diary-11899263

Explore more than 175 ‘Nqt’ resources for teachers, parents and pupils as well as related resources on ‘Teaching Standards’ https://www.twinkl.co.uk/search?term=nqt