The NEST project (Novice Educator Support and Training) was developed in response to the specific challenges faced by novice teachers in disadvantaged schools, where they receive little to no school-based support.  

Drawing on research into the needs of these teachers, NEST aimed to support novice teachers through effective mentoring to develop their skillsbut also to improve teacher retention in challenging school environments. Mentoring has been identified as a critical factor in improving teacher engagement, teaching practice and pupil achievement. 

Funded by the Erasmus+ programme, NEST examined the impact of two main interventions across five countries (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Romania and Spain):  

• Mentor training programme: to teach mentors how to implement adaptive mentoring strategies. Mentors underwent a two-year training programme, including studying techniques, observation and feedback cycles, follow-up meetings and metacognitive sessions to stimulate reflective practices.  
• Adaptive mentoring for novice teachers: to put mentoring skills learned during the training programme into practice. Designed to address the unique needs of less-experienced educators and the unique difficulties associated with working in underprivileged schools.  

NEST mentors and two groups of novice teachers took part in surveys to track their progress over two school years; a control group was also surveyed for comparison.  

The key findings show a positive impact of the project on mentors’ ability to adapt their approach to novice teachers’ needs. The mentors also showed greater enthusiasm and (self-assessed) competence compared to control group mentors. In return, novice teachers with NEST mentors reported better focus and fit of mentoring, and higher mentor competence. Furthermore, some participant teachers demonstrated increased teaching competence, professional resilience and willingness to stay in the profession. 

The NEST Toolbox brings together the project’s mentoring strategies and ready-to-use resources. It includes: 

• tools for mentors, to be used during interactions with novice teachers  
• examples of training materials, to develop their own trainings and support mentors. 

NEST is more than a training programme. It has enabled us to build a community of empathetic, professional and supportive educators who continue to spread the word long after a project ends. 

— Neli Koleva, NEST project coordinator, Teach for Bulgaria