For an Early Career Teacher (ECT), the first year or two in the classroom is an extremely rewarding and very busy learning journey. As you face new challenges and accomplish your goals, your teaching ability and experience will develop tenfold.
Although it may take a little time to learn to juggle lesson planning, marking and everything else encompassed within the role, to help you along the way, we have put together a selection of useful resources for ECTs that will give you some support and guidance during your first years of teaching.
Twinkl
With one of the most extensive collections of useful resources for ECTs, Twinkl is a first port of call for a number of teachers, across all key stages.
Looking for inspirational lesson plans, schemes of work, interactive activities, PowerPoints, and teaching aids? Then Twinkl is the website for you and we recommend taking a look at their 179 Top ‘ECT’ Teaching Resources
Whilst a number of the resources are completely free, it may be worth upgrading to the paid membership in order to access the full library, but check with your school first, as they may already have access.
BBC Teach
BBC Teach offers classroom resources to schools throughout the UK and has a number of great resources for ECTs. The website hosts thousands of free curriculum-mapped videos, all arranged by age-group and subject, and also offers a support and wellbeing space to help teachers through the stress and pressures of the school year.
Whether you are teaching the EYFS, Primary or Secondary curriculum, BBC Teach is sure to have a number of useful resources for you.
Teachit
From workbooks, revision guides, lesson plans, teaching packs, topical resources, and so much more, Teachit has a number of exam-board-endorsed resources to help you free up limited preparation time with confidence.
Teachit produces high quality teaching and learning resources to support teachers across the primary and secondary curriculum. Their resources are written by teachers, for teachers, and aim to improve curriculum planning and delivery with engaging schemes of learning, lesson plans and classroom activities.
Times Education Supplement (TES)
TES is another website home to an extensive array of teaching resources, developed and used by a number of education professionals across the UK.
With over 1 million resources available for EYFS, Primary, Secondary and SEND teachers, and a set of supportive resources for ECTs, visiting the TES website is a must for any teacher.
Gov.uk
The official government website features an array of advice and guidance on induction, training and support for ECTs. Here you can also find the Teachers’ Standards, which you must adhere to throughout your teaching career, and the statutory guidance for Keeping Children Safe in Education.
If you are looking for a supportive school to start your ECT journey within, contact your justteachers branch to discuss opportunities in your local area.
