2016 NQT Conference

The recent University of Brighton 2016 NQT Conference was incredibly well received with an attendance of nearly 200 Newly Qualified Teachers.

The annual event, which is free to University of Brighton alumni and all NQTs employed in partnership schools, offered an opportunity to take part in a range of workshops designed specifically to focus on challenges during the NQT year.

The workshops were arranged by age phase to provide practical advice and support, covering topic areas such as working with disadvantaged and looked after pupils, working with autistic and dyslexic learners, early career leadership development and lesson planning.

The highlight of the day came from keynote speaker, Helen Day, whose inspirational presentation was titled ‘Teaching in the Spotlight’. It focused on how to create an outstanding first five minutes from when the pupils step through the door establishing culture of a classroom.

The event allowed NQTs to get together and network and it was also a great opportunity for University of Brighton tutors to catch up with alumni and hear about the experiences gained in their new careers.

Throughout the day there was a lot of positive feedback.  Also, we have set up a series of focus groups, where NQTs can help shape our Initial Teacher Education delivery. The first is focussed on inclusion and takes place in March.

NQTs feedback about the conference:

“It was useful to hear from a range of speakers as they all offered different viewpoints and important messages which can sometimes be forgotten in the chaos of school life.  It was useful to have time out of school to be able to reflect on our current practice and how far we have come since last year at Uni.”

“I thought that the workshops presented a great time to share ideas and practice.   The key note speaker was very inspiring and made me reflect on my practice and the way I do things around school”.

“It was great sharing experiences with other NQTs, revisiting the university, remembering where we’ve come from and the strategies learned during the PGCE year”.

“Really good confidence boost, it put things back in perspective. Brilliant ideas plus the opportunity to network.”

The University of Brighton is committed to supporting Newly Qualified Teachers and our annual conference is just one of the ways in which we do this. We have a dedicated NQT team here to provide guidance in the early stages of a teaching career who can be contacted via NQT@brighton.ac.uk

We also offer a range of CPD opportunities including Primary Maths Short Courses, which are currently open for bookings.