Council welcomes new Rochdale teachers

Reporter: Katie Hill
Date online: 14/09/2007

Newly qualified teachers who are working at Rochdale’s schools were welcomed by the council at the Town Hall.

During their initial year, newly qualified teachers are provided with a comprehensive training programme and network of support by Rochdale Council.

Over 90 teachers attended the event which is held every year to welcome the Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs) and introduce them to some of the organisations that can assist them in their teaching careers.

The teachers were addressed on their arrival by Terry Piggott, Rochdale Council’s Executive Director for children, schools and families.

Mr Piggott was full of praise for the NQTs in his speech commenting: "Just in being here you have already made two very good and important decisions; firstly to become a teacher, and secondly, to work as a teacher in Rochdale. Here in Rochdale we have the highest retention rate in the region; teachers who start their careers here tend to stay here. This could be because of the fact that our induction programme is first class, and we promise to look after you every step of the way in your first year."

Tony Lasan, Principal School Improvement Officer added: "You have chosen the right time to start your careers as teachers, it is such an exciting time in Rochdale. The town is going under a lot of change and regeneration; and indeed so is the education sector itself. The bottom line is that we want you to be as good as you can be."

After the initial speeches the teachers were encouraged to visit a range of stalls to get details about the latest developments in schools services and the extra resources they can tap into such as the School Improvement Service, the Children, Schools and Families Service and the Rochdale Additional Needs Service.
 
There were also stalls from local organisations such as Touchstones, who were discussing with NQTs the valuable resources that they have at the museum and how it can be of use to them as teachers.

Other stands included that of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL). Mark Baker, who is the local secretary for ATL, commented: "Every year it is nice to come to such an event as this, it is a fantastic opportunity for all education partners in Rochdale to meet the new teachers and welcome them."

Barbara Lloyd attended the event to represent Link4Life, who represent sports, art and heritage in the borough. She commented: "This is such a good opportunity to show the teachers what we do, especially those that are not originally from Rochdale. We work very closely with schools in terms of trying to improve the quality of pupils’ lives; especially in terms of encouraging them to be more active and lead a healthy lifestyle."

All of the NQTs in attendance seemed to find the event very useful and informative.

As afternoon tea began to be served Terry Piggott added: "We find that the event is so valuable because the NQT year is a formative part of the teachers’ career. We want the NQTs to realise that there is lots of support out there for them and how we plan to help them."

Councillor Irene Davidson, Rochdale Council's Cabinet Member for Children, Schools and Families, said: "Rochdale Council is committed to supporting newly qualified teachers in its schools. I am delighted these talented new teachers have chosen to start their careers in our schools and I wish them all the best for a long, happy and successful career."