Early career teacher support

“Having an exclusively physics mentor with such enthusiasm and so many ideas, it just helps bring the whole idea of teaching to life.”
Angela

Physics teachers can join this new two-year professional development coaching programme in their first three years as a qualified teacher. Within a supportive community of practice, teachers will:

• develop subject knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge for physics teaching.
• develop skills and approaches that encourage greater autonomy and self-efficacy.

As part of the programme, participating teachers will work with an experienced physics coach taking part in half-termly individual coaching and termly sessions with a peer group. Participants will attend a fully funded summer conference at an exciting physics destination and will receive have access to additional teaching resources through Physics online.

Why support early career physics teachers?

Recruitment and retention of physics teachers is a longstanding challenge; teachers with a physics specialism can find themselves isolated and overwhelmed early in their careers. This two-year early career programme, available for teachers to start in their first three years of teaching, offers a range of support to help teachers feel secure and confident as they start their career, strengthening foundations that will help them to grow and develop, and making connections within a community of practice to enhance their teaching journey.

Applications are currently closed. They will re-open for a new cohort in March 2027.
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Spaces are limited. If the programme is oversubscribed, priority will be given to applications that meet one or more of the following criteria*:

• applicant school’s free school meals % above national average (27%)
• applicant teacher is lone physics specialist

*criteria for applications may be updated.

“As the sole physics teacher in a large comprehensive secondary school, the early career programme has been a lifeline. The programme has played a crucial role in building my confidence and resilience and has undoubtedly helped keep me in the profession. My mentor has been consistently positive, empathetic, and encouraging, especially with resolving issues. Beyond personal growth, the impact has been tangible in the classroom: two of my triple science classes showed the most improvement in physics GCSE outcomes on the school’s SPI (schedule performance index) in our school’s history.” 
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