Going Above & Beyond
At Wonder we go beyond our statutory requirements. In joining Wonder, you are joining a family of professionals who hold your pastoral needs in high regard. A place where you will feel empowered as a trusted professional, where education is seen as being evolutionary, hence our commitment to embrace it ambitiously.
Where we prioritise the importance of collaborative engagement, critical curiosity and encourage you to connect and reflect with ECTs from other schools through our dedicated ECTs meets, and finally where we endeavour to enrich your induction period, exposing you to a wealth of opportunities and experience that will widen your knowledge of the world of education.
External facilitators of the Wonder Early Careers Induction programme
The Wonder Institute of Education has selected to work with Teach First as our Lead Provider and our delivery partner is Vantage Teaching School Hub, who acts as our appropriate provider of your ECT induction programme.
Vantage Teaching School Hub offer a programme that is “delivered by locally-based lead facilitators responsive to local needs and circumstances” (Vantage Teaching School Hub, 2022), to ensure that you receive contextually relevant training for our local area and schools, that is underpinned by evidence- informed research.
Vantage Teaching School Hub will deliver crucial elements of your induction via a hybrid of face-to face and online learning experiences. You begin your ECT journey each year by attending a face-to-face conference with the Vantage Teaching School Hub, and thereafter, you will complete three facilitated group seminars each half term, on relevant areas from the Early Careers Framework. These seminars will either be face-to-face or virtually attended.
It is Vantage Teaching School Hub’s expectation that you will complete the following self-study “Early Career Teachers will look at a range of materials, activities, and reflections on the online learning platform. Amounting to about four and a half hours over each half term, this online content has been broken down into weekly bitesize chunks. Much of the content is supported by video exemplification, filmed in real schools, and featuring real teachers and classes” (Vantage, 2022).
Internally supporting your Wonder Early Careers Induction programme
To statutory comply with the ECF and to support you through your induction programme the Wonder Learning Partnership schools will ensure that:
- we provide you with the necessary employment task, experience, and support to enable you to demonstrate satisfactory performance against the Teachers’ Standards throughout, and by the end of your induction period.
- you have an Induction Tutor and designated Induction Mentor to monitor and support you throughout the induction process.
- you have a reduced timetable to allow you to complete induction activities. In year one (terms 1 – 3) you will teach no more than a 90% timetable of existing teachers on the main scale. In Year two (terms 4 – 6) you will teach no more than a 95% timetable of the timetable of existing teachers on the main scale. This additional time will be specifically allocated to you completing your induction activities and will be in addition to your planning, preparation, and assessment time (PPA) that all teachers receive.
- no unreasonable demands are made of you.
- you are not normally demanded to teach outside the age range and/or subjects for which you have been employed to teach.
- you will not be presented on a day-to-day basis with discipline problems that are unreasonably demanding for the setting.
- you will regularly teach the same class(es).
- you will not be involved in additional non-teaching responsibilities, without the provision of appropriate preparation and support.
At Wonder we go beyond, simply because
We Care
WE Care Package
W: Well- being
Teaching is without doubt one of the most rewarding careers. It is a privilege to have the opportunity to provide our children and pupils with life choices, enriching experiences, as well as a first-class education. Teachers are so important, and we therefore want to make sure that all our Early Careers Teachers are well cared for as they progress through their own educational journey. You will therefore have:
• Access to a dedicated Early Careers Mental First Aider if you need to talk.
• Receive a 10% discount card for the KP resort in Pocklington, for their spa, fitness suite and restaurant.
E: Environment
Starting a new job can sometimes be daunting and we appreciate that on your first day, that you will not only be starting a new job but embarking on an exciting new career. At Wonder we want to ensure that you feel comfortable, confident, and positive when you start your new adventure, which is why we encourage you to join us before you start, for a Wonder Welcome Day. We are also committed to ensuring that you flourish in an environment rich in professional development and opportunities, but for this to happen, we need to prioritise your happiness, which is why we plan into your schedule several listen and learn meets with our Lead ECT co-ordinator. These meeting are safe spaces where you can share your ideas, concerns, and thoughts, with the assurance that we will be listening, learning, and where necessary acting, on everything you say.
C: Care and communication
You will have your own dedicated mentors, who are excellent teachers, but also outstanding and experienced mentors. They will meet with you every week to discuss your progress, to watch your lessons, to give constructive feedback, to deliver instructional coaching, to set targets and to support you in your educational journey. Your mentors will determine the speed of your progression, based on what they see and these discussions, helping to tailor your targets to your needs.
A: Aspirations
To assist you in your career as a teacher, we want you to know about the other roles within the school, so if there is a particular area you are interested in, then we will endeavour to set up a job shadowing experience for you, to help you build your holistic understanding of a particular position that you may wish to explore further in your future.
It may seem a little early to be thinking about career progression but at Wonder we know the years soon fly by. As you approach the end of your ECT period, we have myriad career pathways for you to choose. This means, whether you want to remain in the classroom and continue to hone your skills or whether leadership roles may be of interest, we have a career route for you!
R: Resources
Teachers need to have the right resources to help them to achieve their potential. When you join Wonder, you receive a school or personal teaching planner. Free access to TT Education and National College on demand courses, that provide a wide range of outstanding CPD opportunities.
E: Enrichment
All our ECTs are welcome to engage in our early years conferences that we run each year. This year these include our Literacy and Reading for Pleasure conference and our SEND conference.
WE CARE