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Confidence or confusion: how well are today’s Newly Qualified Teachers in England prepared to meet the additional needs of children in schools?

Faced with growing numbers of pupils with special needs, as well as those whose first language is not English, head teachers are increasingly faced with the challenge of employing Newly Qualified Teachers who require not only a different type of skills and knowledge base but the necessary personal qualities to effectively respond to the ‘Every Child Matters’ and ‘Extended Schools’ agendas. In more recent years, teaching has come under intense scrutiny, with suggestions being made in some quarters that many teachers entering the profession are ill-prepared and that following expensive appointment processes many are leaving the profession after only a short period of employment. This article explores the perceived confidence levels of student teachers in their final year, prior to entering the profession in regard to meeting the needs of children with a range of complex needs. The research forms part of a three-year project supported by ESCalate.