Prestigious award for college’s work in training new teachers

Abbey College, in Ramsey, is celebrating after achieving the Early Career Development Quality Mark (ECDQM).

The award, which is valid for three years, recognises the college’s effectiveness in supporting and developing teachers in the early stages of their career.

The assessor who made the award, Dr Simone Whitehouse commented that Abbey College demonstrated ‘good practice at helping to develop newly qualified teachers.’ She added: ‘NQTs appreciated and valued the joint observations’ and that ‘feedback is in depth, precise, analytical and areas for development are mutually agreed.’

In a letter to the college Dr Whitehouse said: “Your provision for teachers in the early stages of their career shows excellent practice and is broader than the duties outlined in the national guidance for NQT induction. It is organised, rigorous and enables new teachers to have a voice in their induction programme and to feel valued.”

To achieve the award, the college completed a self-evaluation on the support, processes and provision in place at the college for new teachers. The assessor then visited the college to confirm the judgements made.

Andy Christoforou, headteacher at Abbey College was extremely proud of this achievement, saying that it will help raise the profile of the college as an employer and promote the “outstanding” mentoring taking place in the college.

He said: “We believe in ensuring all staff are challenged to the best of their ability, while supporting their wellbeing and future progression. We are looking forward to continuing to build on this provision even further in the future.”

Abbey College will benefit from a certification recognising its effective provision for new teachers, as well as a wall plaque to display.