Support for non-specialists in shortage subjects: a guide for heads of department

If you’re a head of department in a shortage subject, first of all, well done - we see you, and you’re doing an incredible job! Second, one of the biggest plates you’re probably trying to keep spinning is the support of non-specialist teachers in your department. It’s not news to say that teaching is struggling in the recruitment department, meaning shortage subjects are calling on non-specialists to fill in the gaps where they can.

Everyone involved in this is a hero in our eyes: if you’re a non-specialist, there can be a lot of discomfort teaching a subject you didn’t train in, and if you’re a head of department, it probably involves a larger workload in order to support in the best ways possible.

This blog contains reminders, tips and practical actions to take if you're a head of department supporting non-specialist teachers. We’ve gathered them from experienced heads of departments in maths and science.

Ways to support non-specialist teachers in your department

We asked heads of shortage subjects how they support non-specialists. Here are their recommendations.

1. Provide more than a scheme of learning

A scheme of learning is, of course, a great place to start. But knowing what to teach is one thing. Knowing the best way to teach something comes with experience. Providing non-specialists and ECTs someone or somewhere they can go to seek support in how to teach something can make all the difference.

2. Depth, time and pace

A non-specialist is probably only a few steps ahead of the students themselves, meaning they are unlikely to understand how long and how far to push students on any given topic. Again, this comes with experience. A scheme of learning could help with this, but allowing non-specialists the space to ask questions and observe colleagues will help with this.

3. Professional development

Everyone in your department will always benefit from professional development, but if budget constraints mean prioritisation, consider your non-specialists. Identify their specific needs - asking them is a good place to start! Then provide targeted professional development opportunities. It could be that someone on your team can provide the perfect training - utilise the skills within your department and ensure they are recognised for providing CPD.

Related content:

Effective maths homework made easier: tips for teachers

7 tips for teaching students how to revise for required practicals

Prepping year 11 for the maths GCSE: my best tips and tricks from Nicola Whiston

4. Resource sharing

This might seem obvious, but the key here is making it easy to share resources and encouraging a sharing culture. Is there a central place for sharing resources? And don’t forget your ECTs and trainees here - they bring with them a wealth of new/recent ideas and resources from a handful of schools. They could be sitting on a goldmine! Sharing these resources with non–specialists could help save them valuable time.

5. Mentorship and collaborative planning

You probably already have a mentorship program for ECTs, but what about non-specialists? Unlike the ECT mentorship, it makes sense to keep your non-specialist programme within your department. Match up your experienced teachers with non-specialist teachers and encourage them to provide guidance and support. This might look like regular check-ins, collaborative planning and observations - from both sides!

6. Support beyond your department/school

Connect non-specialist teachers with broader support networks. If you use Twitter to connect with other specialist teachers, encourage your non-specialists to do the same. Know of a good, supportive Facebook group? Get them in there. It allows non-specialists to seek advice, share experiences and learn from others facing similar challenges without fear of judgement.

7. Staying informed

How do you stay informed about educational developments in your subject? Share the wealth. Share anything you see that could be of interest to your non-specialists (and your whole department, for that matter!) by emailing links, or photocopying useful information. You could also encourage your department to set up Google Alerts to help them monitor any major changes they may need to know.

8. Co-teaching

We know, the whole article is about using non-specialist teachers in shortage subjects - you don’t have the timetable to enjoy the privilege of co-teaching! But there are times in the year where this might be possible - during the Summer Term where there might be a little extra time, for example.

Co-teaching can be a real confidence booster for non-specialist teachers - it’s an excellent opportunity to share good practice in a low-stakes way - unlike observations. It’s also a great way to future-proof your non-specialists. Yes, it’s person-power you might not want to afford, but could be just the encouragement your non-specialist teacher needs to commit to your subject for future years.

9. Regular meetings

This is an obvious one and you’re probably already doing it. But just in case, we definitely thought it was worth a mention! Curate an environment where all teachers can share their successes, challenges and suggestions, helping non-specialists feel comfortable to share too.

The argument for non-specialists

It might not be the ideal situation having non-specialists in your department, but to contradict this statement completely, there are some fantastic benefits that come from having non-specialists:

• Diversity of thought - having teachers from other subjects means they will look at your subject, and potentially teaching as a whole, in a completely different way. It could be revolutionary for your department in a great way!

• They will be looking for resources and teaching methods, not relying on old material. A bit like ECTs, non-specialists could be a wealth of new resources and approaches, so it’s worth encouraging them to share.

• Your non-specialists will be a bit like superheroes - it’s an incredible skill to have oversight of more than one subject at a time. Utilise their newly acquired skills and knowledge to create bridges into different subjects, creating new relationships and seeking cross-curricular opportunities.

Supporting non-specialists with Learning by Questions

Learning by Questions does a lot to help non-specialists, and their heads of department by:

Helping with consistency, no matter what the experience

Our questions are teacher-written, sorted into topics and organised into handy schemes of work. Everyone can be working on the same topic, with the same excellent quality of resources.

Assistance with the added workload

Non-specialists really have their work cut out for them - staying only slightly ahead of students, learning and teaching systematically to ensure students get the best quality education. It’s really tough.

Learning by Questions helps with the heavy workload by taking care of the majority of planning, resource creating, feedback and marking.

Quality feedback for every answer, for every student

Knowing the common misconceptions for a topic or particular question takes experience. It takes knowing the topic in depth and the students in your class.

Learning by Questions is pre-loaded with feedback that addresses the most common misconceptions - meaning non-specialists can learn the common misconceptions, and they are freed up to help those who most need it.

Obviously, all these benefits also help your specialist teachers too - it’s a win-win!

Trial LbQ for free for six weeks.

Maths trial Science trial