From the Teacher Support Network, www.teachersupport.info.

SOME NQTS STILL FEELING BULLIED

Some Scottish Newly Qualified Teachers are still feeling bullied while they train to become primary teachers it has been revealed, with some NQTs describing their experiences as anything from "not too good" to "horrendous".

One NQT said she had been bullied and victimised by her university lecturer and that quite a few of her fellow pupils had left the course because of their experiences. Speaking anonymously to a representative of Teacher Support Scotland at a recent NASUWT training seminar in Edinburgh, another said:

"I really wish I had known about Teacher Support Scotland while I was studying at university. I feel it would have made my course much more manageable. I was at my wits end a lot of the time and felt I had no support mechanism in place to help me through it."

Others attending the event, which included a session on 'Positive Behavioural Management', had had more positive experiences, although agreed that training had been hard work.

Teacher Support Scotland has a dedicated website, full of practical information and advice for new teachers: go to www.newteachers.info

If you need more support and want to talk in confidence, call our Support Line on 0800 564 2270.