For newly qualified and early career teachers
For NQTs & ECTs
Everything that would have been useful in your first two years — the honest articles, practical resources, and tools that experienced teachers wish they'd had from day one.
Start here — articles
Written by a qualified primary teacher. No platitudes. What actually matters in your first two years.
The ECT Induction: What Actually Matters in Your First Two Years
A guide for early career teachers navigating the formal induction process — and what to actually prioritise
Five Mistakes I Made as a New Elementary Teacher
And what I'd tell my first-year self if I could
The Most Important Week of the Year
Why the first week of school is worth treating like an emergency
Why September Feels So Hard (And Why That's Normal)
The annual cycle no one warns new teachers about — and what to do about it
The First Two Weeks: The Behavior Foundation You Can't Build Later
Why September is when the year is decided — and what to actually do with those 14 days
Why Your Routines Matter More Than Your Lesson Plans
The invisible architecture of a good classroom
How to Write a Learning Objective That Actually Works
WALT and WILF don't need to rhyme — they need to be true
Talking to Parents About Difficult Things
How to deliver hard news with care and clarity
The Sunday Scaries — and What to Do About Them
The weekly dread that almost every teacher knows, and the practical steps that actually help
Supply Teaching: How to Walk Into an Unknown Classroom and Have a Good Day
From the perspective of teachers who've done it well — and those who haven't
How to Actually Leave Work at Work
The challenge isn't discipline — it's a job that doesn't have an obvious stopping point
The one thing that matters most in your first year
Routines. Not planning, not marking, not displays. If the children know what to do, when to do it, and what happens if they don't — everything else becomes possible. If they don't know those things, nothing else works. Invest September in routines. Everything else can wait.
The most important week of the year →