Ready, Set, Teach! National ECT Conference
CONFERENCE AIMS
Starting a career in teaching is both exciting and challenging. However, recent data indicates that close to a third of teachers leave the profession within their first five years (The Institute for Fiscal Studies, June 2023). The demands of the role, coupled with the steep learning curve, can feel overwhelming without the right guidance and support. This new and innovative conference is designed to arm Early Career Teachers (ECTs) with practical tools, strategies, and insights to navigate the challenges of their first years in the profession confidently, addressing the standards included in the Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF) from September 2025.For headteachers and senior leaders, investing in the development of ECTs is an investment in the future of your school. This conference directly addresses key issues that impact retention and long-term teacher effectiveness. Delegates will gain essential skills in building routines, managing challenging behaviour, and handling workload effectively, ensuring they start the year strong and remain resilient throughout their careers. Moreover, sessions on using data effectively and preparing for career progression equip new teachers with the mindset and tools to contribute positively to school improvement from day one.
Supporting your ECTs through this conference is more than professional development; it’s a strategic step toward strengthening your teaching staff, improving student outcomes, and fostering a culture of growth and sustainability within your school. By empowering new teachers to succeed, you not only reduce attrition but also cultivate a motivated, skilled, and committed workforce that will shape the future of education.
BENEFITS OF ATTENDING
- Gain practical strategies to navigate the first term in teaching with confidence, establishing routines, building positive relationships and setting high expectations that set the tone for success
- Discover practical time-management techniques to balance professional responsibilities and personal well-being, reducing the risk of burnout while maintaining high standards
- Develop effective modelling, scaffolding, and questioning methods to support and deepen pupil learning
- Equip yourself with tools to handle challenging behaviour, foster a positive classroom culture, and build meaningful relationships with students, parents, and carers to enhance student engagement and learning
- Demystify the complexities of school data and learn how to use assessment effectively to track progress, identify needs, inform teaching, deliver high-quality feedback and drive student achievement with confidence
- Reflect on your professional identity, build a supportive network, and explore opportunities for career progression. Leave with a clear plan for growth and the skills to thrive in your teaching career
- Gain the knowledge and resilience needed to stay in the profession long-term, contributing to your school’s success while building a rewarding and sustainable career
Programme
10.00am
Steve Smith Director of Professional Development, Keynote Educational
10.05AM
- Strategies for promoting challenge and aspiration in all pupils
- Building a supportive culture of trust, mutual respect, and high expectations
- What it means to be a teacher: practical tips on maintaining professionalism
- Establishing clear expectations and positive relationships with students and colleagues • Setting up effective routines to support learning and well-being
Jonathan Mumford, Educational Consultant & Professional Tutor, Liverpool Hope University
11.00am
11.20am
- Proactive planning for wellbeing to embed a designed-in approach across daily teaching practice
- Creating achievable routines through practical strategies which prioritise impact on pupils alongside sustainable working patterns
- Effective engagement in peer-support, mentoring and networking to foster a sense of belonging
- Sharing of best practice in workload management and the promotion of wellbeing
Shanti Chahal, Strategic Subject Lead, Wellbeing, Reasonable Adjustments and EDI Lead, eQualitas
12.10pm
- Effective modelling and scaffolding to support pupil learning
- Using high-quality questioning to assess understanding and deepen learning
- Encouraging independence through metacognitive strategies
- Sequencing lessons to prevent misconceptions and promote retention
- Effective use of retrieval practice and purposeful repetition
- Adaptive Teaching: strategies for adapting lessons without lowering expectations
Alex Howard Trust, ITT and ECT Lead, Assistant Principal Teaching & Learning, Orion Eden Park Academy
1.00pm
2pm
- Creating a positive and organised classroom environment
- Understanding and addressing the root causes of challenging behaviour
- Using long term rewards to create an engaging classroom culture
- Strategies for encouraging participation and how to handle difficult behaviour
- Working collaboratively with parents, carers, and colleagues in a constructive partnership to support student success
Jonathan Mumford, Educational Consultant & Professional Tutor, Liverpool Hope University
2.00pm
2.55pm
- Reflecting on personal values, strengths, and professional goals •
- Understanding school culture and building a support network
- Exploring pathways for career progression and leadership opportunities
- Setting long-term aspirations and actionable steps to achieve them
- Evidence-based tips for building resilience and thriving as an ECT
Helen Webb, Accredited Executive Coach
Conference - Code: C0010
Ready, Set, Teach! National ECT Conference
London | Friday 10 October 2025
SPEAKERS
Jonathan Mumford is a teacher trainer and Professional Tutor in education who works at Liverpool Hope University delivering ITT training. A current examiner, he has taught French and Spanish for 16 years in a mixed comprehensive school in Merseyside with 8 of those years as Head of Languages. He has worked for several years as a curriculum mentor to ECT students, providing CPD and support to help newly qualified teachers best navigate the initial stages of their career. With a Master’s degree in Leadership, Pedagogy and Curriculum and over 12 years in an Ofsted rated Outstanding school, Jonathan has extensive knowledge and experience of what is required to make a positive, dynamic and confident start to a career in teaching.
Shanti Chahal is Strategic Subject Lead at e-Qualitas. As part of her current role, she leads on Wellbeing, Reasonable Adjustments and EDI across the Primary, Secondary, Early Years and Assessment Only programmes. In her previous experience as a senior leader in schools and as a chair of governors, she has been passionate about empowering educators around wellbeing through evidence-informed and purposeful professional development. She is committed in her mission to prepare trainees and ECTs for sustainability within the teaching profession.
Alex Howard is a school leader and trust lead for trainees and ECTs with 14 years’ teaching experience in London, Kent and Essex secondary schools. He leads the SCITT programme for a multi-academy trust in Bromley, Kent (Orion Education) and is a passionate Assistant Principal and teacher of Maths at one of their schools (Orion Eden Park). He thrives on coaching and mentoring colleagues in schools, and he made a route into senior leadership through roles as lead practitioner for maths and professional mentor for trainees and ECTs. He is currently growing the cohort of trainees, ECTs and mentors he works with and embedding deliberate practice and instructional coaching in the SCITT programme to ensure that his work has a positive impact on staff and students in the schools he works with.
Helen Webb is an accredited Executive Coach based in Leicester. She works in schools empowering staff to overcome their individual wellbeing, workload, leadership and career challenges so they can avoid burnout, drive successful school improvement, and get the best out of their team and themselves. She has over 20 years of experience in education working previously as a science teacher, Lead Practitioner, PGCE & ECT mentor, ECF Lead & ECT Induction Tutor. She is also currently a Lead Mentor for the Leicester & Leicestershire SCITT. She is a regular contributor to the online secondary education magazine, Sec Ed, where she writes and speaks on themes related to teaching, learning, and coaching.
Course Brochure
