Teaching Uncovered

Induction Complete

2010-07-25T07:24:00.000-07:00

My first full time year of teaching has come to an end.

After 960 lessons, some of them I'd rather forget, my induction paperwork has been signed off and forwarded to the Appropriate Body. Better still I was also able to send off my Golden Hello paperwork, so there should be an extra £3500 (after tax) lurking in my September pay packet. After negotiation I should also be progressing to point 4 on the Main Pay Scale, so I will be able to live quite comfortably come the new school year.

It's been a hard year, although not as hard as my PGCE. I take some consolation from the fact that a lot of work I've prepared this year can be used to lighten the load next year. There have been days when I've thought "why am I doing this?", which have thankfully been outweighed by the days where I've delivered good lessons and been surrounded by brilliant kids and supportive colleagues.

For now I'm going to enjoy my summer holidays. I don't plan to go into school too often, but I will be working at home in the last couple of weeks.

Staffroom Politics

2010-03-06T04:41:00.000-08:00

As an NQT I vowed that I'd steer well clear of the inevitable staffroom politics that blights most schools.

My school is no different. We have those who work hard and comply with management instructions and we have those who do their own thing and couldn't care less. As much as I try to focus on doing my own job effectively I am distracted by senior colleagues who are quite happy to drift along in the slow lane, putting in the bare minimum of effort. Their blase attitude is doing our children a disservice.

You'll probably know the sort of people I mean - those who give their lessons completely off the cuff because the previous night they were in that much of a hurry to escape they couldn't be bothered to prepare anything.

I'm also noticing how rude some of my colleagues can be. I would never dream of turning up late to a meeting or playing with my phone, laptop or pile of marking when I got there but that is endemic behaviour in some people who should really know better.

I would never dream of yawning in the face of or talking back to a member of the SMT, but a culture has developed where some people see that as acceptable.

I would never dream of berrating or talking down the Head or Deputy (both of whom I have the utmost time and respect for) to my colleagues, but internal (and Hard Federation) power struggles make subversive conversations an everyday event.

To me these examples show poor manners and a serious lack of professionalism, yet as the new teacher I'm not really in a position to do anything other than sit frustratedly in the background.

What needs to happen is the subversive and workshy few are gripped firmly by the bollocks and hauled back into line or shown the door.

Hard Federations

2010-02-10T12:06:00.000-08:00

For those of you unfamiliar with the concept of a Hard Federation the Government, in its infinite wisdom, produced legislation allowing a single Governing Body (GB) to look after several schools. The idea was that expertise could be pooled into a single GB and redistributed around all those in the partnership, thereby producing a streamlined, efficient and more cohesive form of school governance.

There's only one snag. In the words of Captain Edmund Blackadder "it's bollocks".

Instead of interfering in the smooth running of only one school overzealous Governors are now able to wreak havoc in several. Judging by the nauseating frequency of their visits to school they are clearly trying to compensate for their own inadequate employment status.

You'll also find that Governors formerly on the GB of a secondary school pack more punch than those formerly of a primary school. The aforementioned secondary schools are also under the impression that they're able to dictate routine policy to their primary counterparts, who are expected to fall into line like timid church mice.

Another New Labour policy dreamt up in the public toilets of Hampstead Heath.

Citizenship... Urgh!

2009-12-02T11:28:00.000-08:00

One of my pastoral responsibilities is to teach Citizenship to my form group, which is interesting to say the least.

Picture the scene: It's last lesson on a Friday afternoon, the scent of weekend hangs heavy in the air, all the children want to do is escape and I'm there telling them about elections and democracy. Bear in mind they won't be voting, in the unlikely event they actually choose to, for at least another four years. This combined with the fact we drift aimlessly from one week to the next make it all a bit of a joke, as I'd come to expect from this school.

The one consolation is that I'm only trapped there for an hour, but there's a limit to how much "informed discussion" you can coax from a bunch of hormonal teens in that hour. They're at that age where they answer everything with a grunt, akin to some primitive creature lurking in a Star Warsian swamp. This, combined with the distraction of imminent escape, make constructive dialogue virtually impossible.

I suppose our aim is to manufacture a generation of informed thinkers, with awareness of their civil responsibilities and who challenge wrongdoing. But any effort we make in the classroom is far outweighed by the prejudiced conditioning they often receive at home. During a recent discussion about racial equality I had a girl tell me that black people were to be treated with suspicion because they were all potential terrorists.

Citizenship is another of these trendy left ideas that serves more to infuriate teachers then inform pupils. It is no exaggeration to say that every week colleagues are queuing up to express their anguish at having to teach such tripe. The Government push this indoctrination of what's right and wrong to the schools because adult society is already broken.

Still, I haven't got much longer to put up with this embuggerance.

Who Wants to Be a Teacher?

2009-11-30T11:59:00.000-08:00

I was watching the box earlier and there was a Tonight special on ITV called "Who Wants to Be a Teacher?"

Former teacher Chris Tarrant hosted this fly on the wall documentary, which focused on some of the negative behaviour plaguing classrooms up and down the land. The main question posed was should pupils with extreme behavioural problems by kept in mainstream schooling?

The liberal left argument is that excluding dangerous and disruptive pupils catalyses a downward spiral that costs more to resolve in the long term. Far better to endure a few tantrums now than have them end up in prison later. The counter argument is that the criminal actions of some pupils are so severe that they pose a danger to themselves and those around them.

The show highlighted the real life cases of Connor and Reggie.

Connor, a primary school child who assaults other children and members of staff, is being educated in a special unit on Teesside. The unit, part of a mainstream school, gathers together the rough diamonds and tries to educate them about the error of their ways away from the other children. The footage shows one instance of Connor hitting and spitting at his teacher, who battles to restrain and calm him.

Conversely Reggie is educated in a trendy-left mainstream school which, to the extreme detriment of the well behaved majority, doesn't believe in segregating their wayward peers. The school in Luton receives financial incentive not to exclude pupils so it keen to keep them in the classroom at all costs. The usual rules of society are put to one side as the staff endure the constant grind of Reggie's challenging behaviour. The footage shows two learning support assistants guarding Reggie on a break time detention, where he's kicking out at the furniture and fittings of the room.

Should either of these children be entertained by the mainstream state education system?

An Inspector Calls

2009-11-21T06:44:00.000-08:00

If you were to question one hundred teachers about what they dreaded most about the job I reckon Ofsted would be one of the most popular answers.

As a trainee I'd managed to dodge the school inspection regime by rotating between placements. I knew that the school where I got my first full time teaching job had received a mediocre Ofsted report and were expecting a follow up visit in the not-too-distant future.

No more than six weeks into my first year of teaching and the Head got the phone call we'd all been expecting - Ofsted were coming to conduct their monitoring visit some time in the next 20 days. An emergency staff meeting was called and everyone huddled in the staffroom to await our orders from on high.

Ofsted had requested a copy of the School Improvement Plan, which would take at least a couple of days to reach them and a couple more for them to digest. This meant we had about a week's breathing space before they could potentially turn up on our doorstep. Cue frantic dash to get everything ship shape and Bristol fashion.

One of the first instructions was to get our classrooms tidied and displays up to speed. The school had walls that had been damp, crumbling and bare for years. These needed to be spruced up with colourful backing paper and eye-catching work. This was a challenge for me because with only six weeks under my belt eye-catching work was pretty thin on the ground. Next step was to make sure all our assessment data and planning was spot on, with particular emphasis on differentiation for SEN and gifted and talented youngsters.

In the office the secretarial staff were feverishly working away to ensure that everyone's personal file was updated. The caretaking staff were replacing pieces of non-slip flooring, PAT testing all electrical appliances and making sure the fencing and doors around the site were safe and secure.

About two weeks later I arrived at work to find "Ofsted here" scrawled on the staff noticeboard. My heart sank. I had my three lessons well planned and thankfully had two hours of PPA time. The inspector had a lot of documents to check and meetings to attend, so the chances of him coming to observe one of my lessons was pretty low. My first two lessons went smoothly with no sign of the inspector. During my first PPA hour I visited the staff computer room to find senior colleagues frantically bashing out lesson plans and comparing notes on their inspection experience so far.

It was now the last lesson of the day and my final chance to be observed. The bush telegraph told me that the inspector was having a meeting with the Governors for the last hour of the school day. To my great relief I had again managed to avoid Ofsted. Amazingly it turned out that lessons in my core subject had not been observed at all.

I won't be at the school the next time they inspect it.

Back to the Chalkface

2009-09-08T09:50:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my summer holidays have gone already.

But it wasn't all sun, sea and sangria during August - I made the sensible decision to get my first few weeks of work planned. In the final week of the holidays I made a couple of visits into school to re orientate myself with the classroom layout and deliver some of my personal belongings.

The first week of term started with a training day, which allowed me time to double check all my resources before having to confront a live audience.

Understandably they were quite a lively audience too, with lots of chattering about how well the holidays went and how much (or not) they were looking forward to embarking on the new school year.

The first couple of weeks the school was in the process of introducing new behaviour and pupil tracking systems. This meant a lot of confusion and unanswered questions for my established colleagues and an absolute nightmare of uncertainty for me.

Some of the pupils, no doubt sensing my uncertainty at the new arrangements, attempted to test the boundaries by baiting the new teacher. This is a problem many NQTs face during their first couple of months in the classroom. I regret to say that one class in particular are getting the better of me and really wearing me down.

When I accepted the job little did I realise how disorganised and poorly equipped the school was. Things that should be routine are an absolute ball ache of unnecessary petty bureaucracy. For example, if I want to photocopy something I have to take my own paper to the machine. Last week I had to buy my own paper for the copier because the school (unbelievably) ran out. What sort of school runs out of paper?

I'm not enjoying it one bit at the moment.

This term could break me.

Tips for Getting Your First Teaching Job

2009-07-24T06:18:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned earlier I've been in the fortunate position of being successful with my first job application. That's the exception rather than the rule - most NQTs have to apply for at least a few jobs before they get one.

I was lucky that a job I was interested in came up locally, but I also put a lot of effort into getting things just right and making a good impression.

Here I outline some of the key considerations, based on my own successful experience, for securing your first teaching post.

Timing is crucial:
Most student teachers start looking for a job during their second placement from January onwards. This early there is competition from qualified and experienced teachers, who want to move from one to school to another for whatever reason. The later you leave it the fewer qualified teachers you will be competing with.

In a state school a teacher has to hand in their notice by 31st May if they want to escape to a new school that September. This means a lot of jobs come up in June at about the same time a student teacher qualifies.

Do not be disheartened if you haven't secured employment until late in your teacher training.

Most people will have jobs by the end of June so if you see something advertised in July, just before the summer holidays, you know the school is pretty desperate to fill the vacancy. In these circumstances it's not uncommon for vacancies to be filled after an informal chat with the Head.

Do your research:
You need to find out as much as you can about the role and the school. The school will send you an application pack with loads of information about what they're looking for and aspire to. Read it cover to cover. You should also download the school's prospectus and Ofsted report. Read these documents cover to cover, taking the time to highlight and understand important recurrent points. Find out the names of key personalities at the school.

You must also show awareness of current subject-specific and whole school issues. Read up on the latest educational buzz words and big ideas.

Tailor your application:
Look at the job description and make sure your letter of application (or whatever it's called) covers all of the essential and desirable characteristics. You can drop in a few words or statements directly from the job description, just to reinforce the point that you have actually read it. Relate your past experiences to what the school is looking for - these offer crucial evidence to support what you're saying. Be sure to drop the school's name into appropriate sentences.

Do not use a generic letter of application. The personal touch is recognised and appreciated by whoever reads it.

Seek a second opinion:
Once you've written your tailored letter of application ask someone to pass a critical eye over it. This could be your subject mentor or university tutor.

Get noticed:
Contact the school and make yourself known before you send your application in. This really does pay dividends. In my own case I visited the school for a tour and chat with the Head. That chat allowed me to gather information about the values and ethos of the school, facilities and organisation and what they wanted in the job applicant. It also meant I was recognised as one of the keen ones when I was invited for interview.

On the day I was interviewed only two of us had made the effort to visit the school in advance.

Be adaptable:
Everyone applying for a teaching job can teach. You wouldn't be eligible to apply if you couldn't, because you wouldn't have achieved Qualified Teacher Status.

Schools want someone prepared to give something extra outside the classroom. Think carefully about what you can offer the school in addition to your teaching responsibilities. You'll almost certainly be asked about it at interview.

Be prepared:
Chances are you'll have to teach a lesson or give a presentation if you're invited for interview. This is without doubt one of the most important lessons you will ever teach, so make sure you understand what is required. You should enquire about the class size, ability, lesson location and available resources - the school will expect a diligent professional to ask these questions.

Once you know all the variables you need to work on your lesson plan. Ideally you want a few short and snappy lesson chunks, which will stretch the higher ability children and are achievable by the lower ability children. Think carefully about how you differentiate your tasks. Consider how you can use a range of learning styles to make things interactive and interesting.

Leave plenty of time to gather/prepare your lesson resources. It sets a good impression at interview if you turn up with a few homemade activities for the children to complete.

If you have a chance rehearse your lesson a couple of times. You may be able to borrow some children from your placement school to do this!

Hand over your lesson plan to those observing you at interview.

On the day I was interviewed one of my fellow candidates failed to produce a lesson plan. His card was marked from then on.

Confident, firm and focused:
Once you're on stage in front of the children you need to blank out (as best you can) the thought of being interviewed. The people observing you will want to see a confident, firm and purposeful lesson. Better still if it runs to plan, although they'll understand you're in unfamiliar surroundings and working with children you don't really know. I had problems with the interactive whiteboard on the day of my interview, but I just cracked a joke and plodded on regardless.

The children are yours for the lesson and you need to establish your dominance in the classroom. As soon as any of the children are distracted you should whip them into line firmly. The people observing you will no doubt be impressed by your ability and confidence to take control in an alien environment.

Keep up the pace and don't allow the children to sit idly. Of course you'll have practiced this so there won't be a problem!

Job Interview

2009-07-23T16:22:00.000-07:00

Invitation to interview:
It was a week past the closing date before I heard anything about the job I'd applied for. Sure enough they had liked my application and invited me for interview.

The letter gave detailed information about what to expect on the day. For the sake of anonymity I shan't go into exact detail, but the day was broken into two parts - a formal interview and the delivery of a short lesson. The letter also revealed that only four applicants were being interviewed for the post.

Preparation for interview:
I had two weeks before interview to get my lesson in order. I spent a couple of days devising a rough outline of what I wanted to achieve. I took my outline plan into my placement school for my subject mentor to double check. He thought I'd knocked together a good lesson, so I put the wheels in motion and prepared my resources. It was my intention to practice the lesson on a live audience at my placement school, but I never got the opportunity. Once my lesson was sorted I spent the last few days brushing up on the latest science education and whole school issues, with particular emphasis on Every Child Matters (ECM) and Assessing Pupils' Progress (APP).

I got an early night the night before my interview, sound in the knowledge I had checked and double checked the contents of my case for the following day.

The day of the interview:
I arrived at school 10 minutes early and was shown to the staffroom. A couple of the other candidates had arrived before me. After a few introductions it quickly became apparent that one of the others was actually on my course. All of us were applying as NQTs.

The Head came into the room and introduced himself. He recognised me from our earlier encounter when he showed me around the school. He explained that we were going to be split into two pairs. One pair would be shown the school while the other pair had their interview and short lesson. The pairs would swap over later that day. The interview/lesson running order had been determined alphabetically by surname, which meant I was third to perform. The interview panel was made up of the Head, Deputy Head and a Governor.

During the tour I managed to ask a few semi-intelligent questions about the school catchment area, use of support staff and homework policy.

I was given five minutes to set up for my lesson, which seemed to pass very quickly. The lesson was to be observed by the Deputy Head and Governor, who offered a few reassuring words before I wheeled the children in. I sat the children at the starter activities where I wanted them. Apart from pausing to briefly scold some chatty children the lesson flowed to plan. To my surprise it lasted 20 minutes exactly as it should have.

My turn for interview came around quickly. Understandably the candidates before me didn't give much away about the type of questions to expect. The interview lasted about 20 minutes and consisted of a series of questions ping-ponged between the three interviewers. One question was about ECM, which allowed me to recite a near perfect answer. I was also asked about what contribution I could make to the school's extra-curricular programme and some child welfare issues. I was able to reflect on practice at my placement school, which was a very similar environment to the school I'd applied to. From the signals I'd received, particularly from the Deputy Head, I was reassured that I'd put in a reasonable performance.

I returned to the staffroom and briefly chatted to last remaining candidate waiting for interview before he was taken by the Deputy into the Head's office. As she walked by me she quickly said under her breath to expect to hear from them later - I didn't realise at the time but she was dropping me a friendly hint on the outcome.

At the end of the last interview we were gathered in the staffroom and told to expect a decision later that day.

The decision:
After the interview I went for a bite of lunch and walk around town. My mobile rang and I answered to find myself speaking to the Deputy Head.

"We'd love to offer you the job," she said.

"I'd love to accept," I replied.

The deal was done and my first teaching job was secured.

My first job application and I got the job - that's a pretty good success rate!

Job Application

2009-07-23T15:56:00.000-07:00

In the last few weeks before qualification I started looking around for my first teaching job.

I was adamant that I wanted a school just like my second placement and, as chance would have it, a promising looking job was advertised only a few miles away. I emailed them for an application pack, which I received a couple of days later. The job description was just what I wanted.

Sensing an opportunity like this was too good to miss I set about researching the school. I headed straight for their website and downloaded the prospectus, which I read cover to cover several times. I also downloaded their Ofsted inspection report, which pointed me towards the school's strengths and areas for development.

Most important of all I telephoned the school and arranged to be shown around by the Head.

I arrived for my tour after school the next day, having taken an early afternoon from my placement. The Head greeted me enthusiastically, beckoning me into his office for a chat about the school and role. He explained that the job had arisen due to restructuring within the school. We discussed his visions for the future, most of which I had already gleaned from my prior research. After 20 minutes chat the Head showed me to the lab that the successful applicant would inherit.

My visit confirmed that I wanted the job, so I feverishly set about completing the application form.

My subject mentor at my placement school double checked what I'd written. He declared how well written it was and that he'd be amazed if I didn't get an interview.

I approached the Head of my placement school and university tutor for references.

I submitted my application and waited.

PGCE Complete

2009-07-23T15:35:00.000-07:00

Well, I've finally arrived here at the end of my PGCE year. I can honestly say it's been the hardest year of my life so far. Being under the spotlight every moment of every working day really can take it out of you. I so nearly fell by the wayside in my first placement.

It's a bit of an anticlimax really. Even though the positive experiences of my second school placement greatly outweighed the negative experiences of the first, the last few weeks have been the hardest of all. These last few weeks we all knew that we'd done enough to get to the end. With the finishing point in sight my motivation was flagging, but I managed to drag myself into school for the remaining few days.

The course finished with a week back at university to catch up with old friends, hand in our portfolios and complete our Career Entry Development Profiles.

A few people on the course were still in school because they hadn't gathered sufficient evidence. Some of my more disorganised peers spent the last week chasing around completing their QTS Skills Tests, but I didn't have that worry.

Of the 50 of us that started only 35 remain.

A sociable cup of coffee and cheery wave goodbye and that was it.

PGCE year complete.

School Discipline and the Law

2009-06-21T02:33:00.000-07:00

One of the main concerns of new teachers is how to control unruly pupils in the classroom.

The Education and Inspections Act 2006 added a whole range of disciplinary powers to the teachers' arsenal.

The provisions of the Act apply at any time when pupils are under the control of a teacher, whether in official school time or not. The powers given by the Act also apply to other staff with responsibility for controlling pupils, such as teaching assistants, cover supervisors and lunchtime supervisors.

The Act allows the following:

Power to discipline pupils for misbehaviour outside the school gates: Schools' discipline and behaviour policies may allow teachers to regulate pupil behaviour when they are off school premises and not under the direct control of school staff. Such instances might include when the pupils are causing a nuisance on their journey to and from school or when off school premises at lunchtime. The teacher could then discipline the pupils concerned on their return to school.
Punishing poor behaviour: Teachers have power to encourage good and punish bad behaviour. Every school should have an agreed behaviour policy, which sets out a clear framework for managing pupil behaviour.
Detention: Any pupil under the age of 18 can be put on detention, assuming it is a clearly publicised part of the school's behaviour policy. Parents need to be given 24 hours written notice if the detention occurs outside normal school hours. Parents can let you know if this causes particular inconvenience, but they cannot over-rule your decision.
Confiscation: There is now a specific legal defence for confiscating an inappropriate item from a pupil where the item is confiscated lawfully. This includes a defence for confiscation, holding onto and disposing of the item provided the actions taken are reasonable. If confiscation is used it must be mentioned in the school's behaviour policy.
Exclusion: The head teacher has the power to exclude pupils if necessary. This can either be permanently or for a fixed term.
Searching pupils and their possessions: The head teacher may authorise a search of pupils and their possessions if there is reasonable grounds to do so. At present this law only applies to searches for weapons, but from September 2010 will be extended to searches for alcohol, controlled drugs and stolen property. Reasonable force may be used to execute the search. Pupil searches can be undertaken by school staff apart from teachers, including those employed specifically for the role. Teachers cannot be required to search pupils. Teachers may demand that a pupil turns out their pockets and punish them if they refuse to do so.
Screening pupils for weapons: School staff can scan pupils for weapons using portable wands or screening arches. Teachers cannot be required to screen pupils.
Use of force to control or restrain a pupil: Teachers can use reasonable force to control or restrain a pupil if this proves necessary to prevent a pupil from committing a criminal offence, causing injury or damage to property, or prejudicing good order and discipline. This would include physically guiding a pupil from the classroom if they had failed to leave when ordered to. Legislation requires schools to record all "significant" instances where a teacher has used force to control or restrain a pupil.

Previously, teachers had been allowed to restrain pupils under common law, with the same authority as parents.

But the Education and Inspections Act 2006 explicitly states that teachers have the right to physically restrain and remove unruly pupils, and impose detention, including sessions outside school hours and on Saturdays.

Welcome news at a time when anti-social behaviour at school and in the wider community is on the rise.

Observations

2009-05-23T02:04:00.000-07:00

As a trainee teacher you're going to be under much closer scrutiny than you care to imagine. It's reasonable to say that anything you say or do, whether in or out of the classroom, could be used by the school to form a judgement about you.

One of the biggest stresses of my training was having lessons officially observed. In my first placement this happened virtually every lesson, with no discernible benefit to me because they couldn't be bothered to give me any written feedback. I literally had to fight for every observation report and piece of evidence for my standards book.

Thankfully my second school took its teacher training responsibilities seriously and only observed me twice a week and at a mutually agreed time. In any scheme of work there are lessons that don't lend themselves to being observed - the lessons where you sit the pupils down to a half hour test, have them tidy up their exercise books/folders or set them a revision task.

Observations will vary from school to school but the good practice in my second school involved the following:

The generic mentor would come to me on a Friday afternoon and we'd negotiate the following week's observations. I always plan a couple of lessons ahead, so I'd know which lessons were best to observe. Two observations would be planned. The generic mentor would conduct one of the observations and the subject mentor the other.
By this stage I would have already booked the equipment for the following week and the technician would check everything for me.
I'd spend the weekend preparing my lessons for the following week (certainly Monday and Tuesday's lessons anyway). I'd make sure all the lesson plans were written and run through the sequence in my mind a few times. I would also prepare any presentations and worksheets that I needed.
On the morning of the observation I'd make doubly sure that all of the equipment was in working order and where I wanted it. I'd also ensure I had two copies of my lesson plan and all the paper resources I needed (worksheet, textbooks etc).
On arrival at the observed lesson I would hand the teacher observing me a copy of the lesson plan and paper resources. They'd scrutinise the plan at the same time as my lesson was in progress. They'd make notes throughout the lesson, which they'd usually write up neatly later on.
I'd try my best to work to the plan, but you've got to accept that lessons don't always go to plan. I sometimes have to change things as I work because it takes the pupils longer to do something than anticipated. When you're new to a class you occasionally pitch the work at too high a level, so it takes you longer to explain things. If you have a good mentor they will appreciate the reasons why you've deviated from the plan and they won't hold it against you.
At the end of the observed lesson the teacher observing me would disappear to their own lesson. They would find the time to write up their observation report and come and see me later that day. Sometimes they would discuss aspects of the lesson with me before writing up the observation.
Your school should be giving you regular written feedback. If they think you're in danger of failing the placement they need to recognise it early and produce evidence to support their opinion. If they never gave you a written observation report and then decided to fail you late in the placement then you'd have genuine cause for complaint.

That's the way observed lessons should be.

A Typical Day

2009-05-23T01:36:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd run through one of my typical days in school:

0810: Arrive at school.

0815: Photocopying: I would make sure I had all my masters with me when I arrived so I could hit the photocopier immediately. I'd then head to the classroom and lay them out in the correct order for the day's lessons.

0830: Admin time: Depending on the day of the week I would check the equipment for lesson 1, do any odd jobs I had or attend a staff briefing.

0850: I'm back at the classroom by now ready for my form group to arrive for registration.

0855: Registration: Much to the annoyance of some of the rogues in my form group I am a stickler for punctuality. I always begin reading the register at 0855 on the dot.

0858: Assembly or form time: Depending on the day of the week I either lead my form group to assembly or we'd have some form time. During form time I would complete any admin tasks, have the children read quietly or we might discuss something topical.

0920: Lesson 1.

1020: Break: I quickly check everything is ready for lessons 2 and 3. I'd then head for the kettle and have a quick cuppa and some biscuits. If I had any outstanding photocopying I'd try and finish that. Once a week I would be on duty on the yard.

1035: Lesson 2.

1135: Lesson 3.

1235: Lunch: The first thing I would do is check everything was ready for lessons 4 and 5. I'd then have another cuppa and bite to eat. If I had a backlog of marking I would spend most of lunchtime finishing that. It's not uncommon to eat and work at the same time. I'm fortunate that I don't have any lunchtime duties.

1335: Registration: Again, I always begin promptly so that my form group get to their next lesson on time.

1340: Lesson 4.

1435: Lesson 5.

1530: End of school: The children go home, but I don't just yet.

1530: Admin time: If there was nothing pressing I could go home shortly after the children, although I am normally busy doing something. I would make sure that the equipment was ready for the following morning. I might also try and do some planning or marking. I'm often doing this until about 1700 hrs unless there's directed time/departmental meeting.

1600: Directed time/departmental meetings: A couple of nights a week there will be directed time (meetings/training the teachers are contractually obliged to attend) or departmental meetings. These finish at about 1700 hrs.

1700: Go home: I finally get to go home for the evening. Hopefully I can relax when I get there.

Classroom Management

2009-03-28T05:43:00.001-07:00

Classroom management is the art of getting the pupils settled down, on task and working productively with the minimum distraction and fuss. This means planning structured work, where pupils of all abilities can achieve something. It also means managing classroom behaviour when it falls below expectation.

I know from my own experience that classroom management is a difficult skill to develop. It takes a lot of time, effort and practice to get it right. Trainees are at a distinct disadvantage because they don't have the same time to build a rapport with the pupils that their full time colleagues do. Trainees are also seen as 'fresh meat' to the pupils, who will invariably test them out by pushing the limits of acceptable behaviour. Another factor against the trainee is that the pupils know they're just a trainee teacher who will be gone within a couple of months.

It's a sad reflection of British society today that a significant minority of pupils are rude and disrespectful to adults in general. Their attitude and behaviour towards teachers is no exception to this downward social trend. Even in allegedly well-behaved schools, of which I've experienced a few, some pupils' reluctance to learn and willingness to cause disruption is of serious concern.

Of course the overwhelming majority of pupils are receptive, compliant and eager to learn. Sadly their learning suffers if the disruptive minority aren't kept in check.

Even though I'm very new to teaching, I've spotted a few golden rules towards better classroom management.

Before the lesson:
You must be an effective planner, thinking not only about the next lesson but also about what's happening in 2 or 3 lessons time.

Before I start a new topic I always prepare a brief scheme of work outlining the learning objectives, possible activities (lesson chunks) and equipment needed for each lesson I'm going to teach.

Plan your work to fit the ability of the pupils and always have a couple of spare activities in case you make faster progress than expected.

If the pupils are kept busy in a pacey lesson then there's less chance they'll become distracted, chatty or attempt to wander around.

If it's a practical lesson always make sure the resources are set out correctly and positioned around the classroom. This will ensure that you're not short of anything and the pupils don't all stampede for the same thing at the same time.

At the start of every lesson it is good practice to have the pupils line up and settle down outside the room. Ask them to be quiet, line up smartly and wait. You may need to ask a couple of times but eventually the pupils will become quiet and wonder why you're stood there staring and waiting for them.

Remind them to keep silent as they enter the room and find their seats. Let them in either girls or boys first then the other sex. If they're a particular disruptive class you may wish to reinforce your control by walking noisy pupils back outside to repeat the process quietly.

Another trick I use is to position worksheets/exercise books along a bench. As the pupils enter the room they walk along the bench in single file and pick up the correct items. This saves time at the start of the lesson and gets them settled more quickly.

Rules:
Children are like puppies - they need to know the rules and as soon as they break the rules they need to be held to account.

Whenever you meet a new class you need to exert your personality on them and inform them, in no uncertain terms, what your expectations of their work and behaviour are. Keep your rules short and snappy so there's no confusion.

I make my classes write the following rules in the back of their exercise books:

Do not talk when the teacher, or anyone else invited by the teacher, is talking to the class. Listen and pay attention.
Be polite when speaking to the teacher or each other.
When the teacher asks you to do something do it immediately.
If you're unsure of anything don't be afraid to ask the teacher for help.
Give every piece of work your best effort.

Anyone who breaks the rules must face the consequences. It can be difficult to do this because you'll find that some perfectly pleasant and hardworking pupils inadvertently break the rules. Conversely, you mustn't be overly critical of troublesome pupils just because you've had a bad experience of them in the past.

You must be seen to apply the rules fairly and equally to everyone.

Managing the lesson:
Good preparation, as mentioned above, can save a lot of hassle during the lesson. The use of praise and encouragement can also prove much more effective than being too heavy handed.

In the first 5 minutes you must get the class settled. Nominate some responsible pupils to give out the exercise books. Try and have a short task or puzzle on the board or pupils' desks to keep them busy while their books are being distributed.

There will be times when you want to bring the class to order. In a clear voice tell them to stop talking and wait. Keep waiting and staring and they should stop talking. If this process is taking too long you can single out a couple of the most persistent talkers and make an example of them. If you hit them hard, clearly announcing your displeasure and warning them of the consequences of non-compliance, then it should reign in the others. Avoid shouting because it gives the pupils the impression that you aren't in full control, which some of them will find humorous to your further annoyance.

For persistently disruptive pupils, of which every class has at least a couple, you have to warn them of the consequences before applying a sanction.

Sanctions:
As I said above, anyone whose behaviour falls short of the teacher's expectations must face the consequences.

Your first port of call should be the school's rewards and sanctions or behaviour policy. That will give you guidance as to what is acceptable practice in your school.

It's good practice to clearly warn pupils about their behaviour before you apply a sanction. That way they'll have less opportunity to claim "you're picking on me" or any such nonsense. It's another sad reflection of society that the same pupils who blatantly choose to ignore the rules of the classroom are the barrack room lawyers who try to stir up trouble for naive teachers.

After issuing a warning your next step is to move and isolate the disruptive pupils. In a large classroom you can put them somewhere out of way, ideally out of the line of sight of their mates. Lots of teachers have reciprocal arrangements with their colleagues, where they exchange troublesome pupils between their classrooms. In some schools it is acceptable to send the pupil outside the room, but that isn't ideal because you can't be sure what they're doing out there. A period of isolation should be followed by stern words of displeasure at the end of the lesson and a word with their form teacher.

Detention is a more serious sanction for persistent offenders. Most schools have a system of unofficial and official detentions. Unofficial detention often involves keeping the pupils in for 15-minutes at break or lunchtime. Official detention is usually after school and requires that the parents'/guardians' are informed at least 24-hours in advance. The law doesn't require the parents'/guardians' consent for the detention to take place - it just requires that reasonable effort is made to inform them of the fact it has been applied. In practice most schools are loathe to upset even the most argumentative of parents, so prefer to have their permission for official after school detentions.

Most schools also allow teachers to contact parents about any concerns they have about pupil progress or discipline. The vast majority of parents are supportive and will help the school tackle the problems raised.

The ultimate sanction in school is exclusion. In theory there are two types of exclusion - fixed period and permanent. In practice some schools send troublesome pupils home to cool off without making it an official exclusion. Exclusion is a rare decision that can only be made by the Head or Deputy/Acting Head in his/her absence.

For all but the most trivial of incidents it's important that records are kept so that trends in pupil behaviour are noticed and the correct action taken.

Duplicitous Schools

2009-03-28T04:50:00.000-07:00

I've just been speaking to a fellow PGCE student on my course. She has just had the misfortune of having her second placement terminated by the school.

Again, according to her, the school reported their concerns to university behind her back. She was getting some positive signals from the school, but they were actually stringing her along and waiting for her to fall.

One morning she was told that a university tutor was visiting to make a routine observation. Only after the lesson did the tutor tell her that the school called him in because they were concerned about her performance. A few days later she was summoned to see the Deputy Head and had her placement terminated.

Without going into too many details my friend is exceptionally well qualified - far more so than the people at the school who have stuck the boot in. Could it be yet another case of a mediocre mentor causing a student grief just to cast their own dubious performance into a slightly more positive light? I think it probably is.

It disappoints me that some supposedly professional teachers are so dishonest in their mentoring duties. Instead of plotting behind a student's back they should have the moral backbone to voice their concerns openly and honestly so that remedial action can be taken.

Duplicitous schools and mentors are obviously more common than I originally thought.

TDA ICT Skills Test

2009-03-22T11:47:00.001-07:00

All trainee teachers in England have to complete three Skills Tests in order to gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). Previously we have discussed the literacy and numeracy tests, so that only leaves the ICT test outstanding.

The ICT test involves the completion of 5 tasks in 35 minutes. The pass mark for the test is 60%.

The test interface is slightly different to Microsoft Office, so it's worthwhile getting familiarised with the practice tests before attempting the real thing. The real test fills the entire screen, so you'll not have to frantically scroll up and down the page like you do in the practice test.

The test will involve the following sorts of tasks:

Email task:
You'll probably have to compose, locate, forward and print some school-related emails. You'll also have to work with email attachments.

Presentation task:
In this task you'll have to complete/amend a slide presentation. You will probably have to search for details in your emails and using the web browser.

Text editor task:
In this task you have to complete/amend a piece of school-related text. Again, this will probably involve you searching for details in your emails and using the web browser.

Spreadsheet task:
In this task you have to input some data and basic formulae into a spreadsheet.

Web browser task:
In this task you'll have to use the web browser to navigate, bookmark and favourite some pages.

Unlike the other tests the ICT test involves a lot of work in not much time. It really would be beneficial to practice beforehand.

TDA Numeracy Skills Test

2009-03-21T11:08:00.000-07:00

Of the three Skills Tests that budding new teachers have to complete the numeracy test is the most feared. Statistics show that the numeracy test is failed more than any other, with one-in-three trainee teachers requiring at least a second attempt.

Knowing that the numeracy test was the only one likely to give me any problems I took the other two tests first, allowing me to focus my efforts on this one.

The test is in two parts: mental arithmetic and on-screen questions. The entire test has a time limit of 48 minutes. The pass mark is 60%.

Mental arithmetic questions:
The mental arithmetic section involves 12 questions being read to you through headphones. Each question is read twice and you have 18 seconds to input your answer after the second reading.

A few example mental arithmetic questions:

Out of three classes of 28 pupils, 56 pupils took the higher level science paper. What percentage of pupils took the higher level science paper? Give your answer to one decimal place.
For a school play, 120 tickets were sold at £1.50 each and a further 100 child tickets were sold at 75p each. What was the total amount raised by ticket sales?
What is 6.03 multiplied by 100?
What is 352 multiplied by 0.1?
In a class of 28 pupils, 3/7 were boys. How many boys were in the class?
In a test a pupil scored 18 out of 25. What was the pupil's percentage score?
One hundred and thirty pupils paid £1.50 to attend the school disco. The DJ cost £120 and refreshments a further £40. How much profit did the disco make?
A teacher completed an 18km sponsored walk for charity. All 30 pupils in the class sponsored the teacher 5p per kilometre. How much did the teacher raise for charity?
A teacher has 18 parents to see at parents evening. The evening begins at 4pm and each parent's appointment lasts 5 minutes. The teacher also has a 15 minute break halfway through the evening. What is the earliest time the teacher will finish their appointments? Give your answer in 24 hour clock format.

On-screen questions:
After the mental arithmetic is completed you have 16 on-screen questions to attempt in the remaining 36 minutes of the test. A calculator is built into the programme for you to use as necessary. These questions mainly involve the analysis of graphical/tabulated data. It would be helpful to brush up on the following:

Mean, mode and median averages.
Interpretation of box and whisker diagrams.
Interpretation of line, bar and pie charts.
Fractions and percentages.

Even if you fluff a couple of the mental arithmetic questions you have ample time to compensate for it on the on-screen questions. Just read the question, think carefully and don't panic.

TDA Literacy Skills Test

2009-02-19T03:39:00.000-08:00

All trainee teachers in England have to pass Skills Tests in literacy, numeracy and ICT in order to meet the standards for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). These tests are free of charge have to be passed in the final year before QTS is awarded. Tests can be taken at centres around the country, which are often co located with ITT providers.

I decided to take the literacy test first because I knew I'd have no trouble at all passing it. The test is in four parts: spelling, punctuation, grammar and comprehension. There is a time limit of 45 minutes and the pass mark is 60%.

Spelling:
In this section you are confronted by ten sentences, which each have an important word missing. The words are read out through the headphones and you have to type them into the corresponding spaces in each sentence.

Punctuation:
In this section a short passage is displayed. Most of the original punctuation has been removed. You have to read the passage and correct the punctuation.

Grammar:
This section contains three tasks, all of which are very similar in nature. Each task requires you to complete three incomplete passages. You have to choose the most appropriate string of words to complete each passage.

Comprehension:
This section contains three tasks, all of which are very similar in nature. Each task requires you to read a lengthy piece of writing on an education-related theme. You then have to answer questions about the content.

First PGCE Placement

2008-12-21T03:15:00.000-08:00

To my delight I was placed in a secondary school just up the road from my home town. I arrived on the first day to be greeted by my mentor, who happened to be a graduate from the same university as I was. The omens looked good, but within a few weeks things would take a turn for the worse.

My first inkling that something might be wrong was within the first couple of days when I presented my CV to my mentor. Gazing at my qualifications he commented how I'd obviously "done some work" at university and come out with a much better degree than he had. It seemed an unusual comment at the time, but it didn't dawn on me until a few weeks later that he was jealous of my academic standing.

In my first solo lessons I hit the ground at a thousand miles an hour. It was such a steep learning curve, having to plan each lesson in almost word for word detail and prepare all my resources from scratch. I really tried my best to respond to feedback and improve my performance in the classroom, but I was getting concerned at the lack of written feedback I was receiving. Despite my concerns most people in the school acknowledged the fact my performance was improving, so I was quite satisfied that I was heading in the right direction.

A few weeks in and I had a visit from a university tutor. We discussed my performance and he said that he'd heard I was "definitely getting better", apparently confirming what I'd been told earlier. I told him my concerns about my lack of written feedback and how the school were delaying (or simply couldn't be bothered) to sign my standards book when I kept on asking them. I asked him to discuss my concerns with my mentor, which he obviously did given the fact I was castigated from then on.

Within the space of a few days I had gone from "definitely getting better" to public enemy number one, who wouldn't listen to a word I was told and who couldn't be trusted to work safely with children. My mentor called university expressing his concern and demanding they come and review my progress. Of course I was blissfully unaware of these background rumblings until the day my university tutor turned up and confronted me with my mentor's concerns. I was belittled and humiliated in front of my university tutor, facing a barrage of criticism from my mentor that I had never heard before.

Thankfully the university could tell something wasn't quite right, given my mentor's dramatic change of tune when he was confronted about my lack of feedback. I told them my concerns - that my mentor decided to stick the boot in because he didn't like the fact that I'd complained about his lack of support. I can only assume this was put to him because he underwent another change of heart in the final couple of weeks of my placement.

Reading around the TES forums I see that my experience of a petty, vindictive and arrogant mentor are far from an isolated case. It's a sad fact that some mentors see it as their role to undermine and pick fault with trainees, simply to cast their own mediocre performance in a more positive light. Students are fearful of the disproportionate power their mentor has, so the path of least resistance is to grit their teeth, keep their heads down and endure the belittlement and snide comments.

It's totally unacceptable for your mentor to behave like this and you must tell your training provider so something can be done about it.

I'm hopeful my second placement will prove more enjoyable.

TDA Skills Tests

2008-11-07T11:11:00.000-08:00

Every trainee teacher in England has to pass the three TDA Skills Tests in part fulfillment of their QTS Standards.

The three tests are:

Literacy
Numeracy
ICT

The tests are all computer-based and each lasts between 35 and 45 minutes.

Trainee teachers are currently allowed to resit the test as many times as they need to in order to pass. The tests must all be completed by the end of July in the year in which you qualify. There are about 50 test centres around England.

Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish trainees do not need to complete the tests to work as a teacher in England once they're qualified. However, English trainees must pass the tests in order to obtain QTS and teach in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

I shall be writing more about the format of each skills test later on.

More details on the TDA Skills Test website.

PGCE Induction Week

2008-10-05T10:56:00.000-07:00

Due to a lack of communication I had to ring up the university to find out exactly where I was meant to be on day 1. That amateurish first impression made me slightly apprehensive because I come from a traditional, well-established university where the admin was always first class.

The first session was all of my subject PGCEs together for a talk about the professional year and general get to know everyone. The scene was set for the remainder of the week, which would involve registration and our first couple of lectures. Staff illness meant that a couple of sessions were cancelled, meaning we actually had a relaxing three day week.

Work Experience

2008-09-19T06:59:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned previously in the Preparing for Teacher Training post it's a good idea to get some work experience in a classroom environment. This post will detail some of my work experience. For privacy reasons I shall not be disclosing any details that may identify the individuals or schools concerned.

A week in primary education:

In preparation for my PGCE I was given the task of spending a week in primary education (National Curriculum Key Stages 1 and 2, school years 1 to 6).

As chance would have it I was able to return to the same middle school where I did my previous work experience.

Middle schools in my locality have pupils aged between 9 and 13, who are in years 5 to 8 of their compulsory school education. The plan was to spend as much time as possible with KS2 (year 5 and 6) pupils, although I also ended up working with KS3 (year 7 and 8) pupils on numerous occasions.

The university gave me instructions to complete my primary observation during the first week of the new school year in September. This wasn't ideal because many of the lessons were dedicated to admin tasks like the distribution of new exercise books and welcome talks. The new school year also meant that each of the classes within a year group were evenly paced, meaning most of my time was spent observing repeated lessons.

I naturally headed towards the science department to see what was in store for the pupils, who were fresh back from their long summer break. Pupils in years 6, 7 and 8 all had previous experience of the school and working in science laboratories. Their first lessons were dedicated to safety rules in the lab and completing a hazard perception worksheet.

Year 5 pupils, who had just entered the school and were unfamiliar with science labs, were also given a talk on safety rules and hazard perception. These younger pupils also had part of their lesson dedicated to explaining the different items of lab equipment and where they were kept.

Year 6 pupils were a bit wiser, having already spent the previous year at the school. They were familiar with what the different pieces of equipment were, although they still spent their first lessons going over the lab safety rules. These pupils also completed a baseline science test to establish their level of attainment prior to SAT exams next year.

Year 7 pupils also went through the lab safety rules at the beginning of the week. Next lesson they had a quick recap on the characteristics of life before moving onto classification of organs, tissues and cells. This work was complimented by a worksheet where they had to match pictures of various human organs with their names and write a little explanation of each. Some lesson time was also dedicated to use of the microscope, in preparation for viewing some onion skin cells the following week.

Year 8 pupils, in common with their younger peers, also had a refresher of the lab safety rules. These pupils moved onto a unit of work about microbes, which involved watching an educational video all about the topic. Their video observations were complimented by text book material.

During the week I was also able to observe two year 8 ICT lessons, which involved the pupils tidying up their network disk space by organising files into folders. The pupils also used basic drawing software to produce new labels for their ICT folders.

Another worthwhile week in a very friendly school. It's the sort of place I can see myself ending up in a few years time.

Pre-Course Paperwork

2008-06-01T15:06:00.000-07:00

General:
Once you've accepted an unconditional offer via UCAS/GTTR then you're committed to that particular course and institution. Expect to receive lots of paperwork to complete prior to the course.

A couple of pieces of paperwork must be completed before you set foot in a classroom:

Enhanced Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) Disclosure.
General Teaching Council (GTC) Suitability declaration.

Furthermore, from 1st September 2008 all new trainee teachers will need provisional registration with the GTC. As this process hasn't yet started I can't comment further on what is required.

Your course provider is also likely to ask you to complete a personal record form and medical declaration form.

CRB Disclosure:
For obvious child protection reasons every trainee teacher has to undergo a criminal record check before working unsupervised with children. This is achieved by completing a CRB Disclosure form. There are two levels of Disclosure - Standard and Enhanced. Trainee teachers have an Enhanced Disclosure.

Teaching appears in the Exceptions Order to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. This means that all previous convictions - even those considered as 'spent' under the 1974 Act - will be revealed during the Disclosure process. The Disclosure checks information held on the Police National Computer (PNC) and Protection of Children Act List. It will also check information held by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) under Section 142 of the Education Act 2002 (formerly known as List 99).

The CRB form is accompanied by comprehensive guidance notes that tell you what sections to complete and how to do it. It is computer read so it's important to use black pen, block capital letters and keep your characters within the boxes. The only slight complication is that post codes are entered onto the form without their usual gap in the middle.

Your identity documents will need to be verified. This is done by either taking them in person to your course provider or, much more conveniently, by using the Veri-fy service at your local Post Office.

Offers and Rejections

2008-06-01T14:35:00.000-07:00

After attending interview you'll be keen to get some feedback on your performance and the outcome of your application. Some institutions will indicate their decision there and then, but it will always be confirmed by a follow up letter from UCAS or the GTTR.

They have three options:

Make an unconditional offer: This will usually happen if they are satisfied with your qualifications, application form and interview performance.
Make a conditional offer: This will usually happen if they are generally satisfied with your qualifications, application form and interview performance, but have a few minor points they wish you to address.
Reject your application: This would only happen if you performed poorly in interview or some other factor was discovered, which would preclude you from teaching.

You are not obliged to make a decision about your offers until you have received decisions from all of your choices. That said, the longer you leave it the greater the chance that places will be filled behind your back and you could, in exceptional circumstances, lose your place at your preferred institution. My advice would be to accept an offer from your preferred institution straight away and decline choices where the decision is still outstanding.

You reply to your offers using the UCAS/GTTR online Track system.

If you accept a conditional offer you will have to fulfil the conditions specified by the institution concerned. Once you have satisfied them that you have met the conditions they will make your offer unconditional, guaranteeing your place on their course.

UCAS/GTTR's involvement ceases once you have accepted an unconditional offer or rejected all of your choices.

Work Experience

2008-05-12T08:35:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned previously in the Preparing for Teacher Training post it's a good idea to get some work experience in a classroom environment. This post will detail some of my work experience. For privacy reasons I shall not be disclosing any details that may identify the individuals or schools concerned.

A day in middle school:

I decided it would be beneficial to spend the day shadowing a secondary science teacher so I rang one of the local schools. It was a middle school catering for children between the ages of 9 (school year 5) and 13 (school year 8). I ended up speaking to the head teacher on the phone and explained that I was due to begin a PGCE secondary science course shortly and would like to spend the day with one of the science teachers. He took my details and passed them on to one of his science colleagues who rang me back at the end of the school day. The science teacher, also one of the assistant heads, agreed that I could visit the following week. I'll refer to this senior teacher as my mentor for the day.

The day arrived and I turned up at the school reception at about 8.45 am. I introduced myself to the head teacher who happened to be in reception at the time. After a short wait my mentor arrived and I introduced myself. We walked and talked on our way to the yard to let the children in for their first lesson of the day. Being a school close to my home I was aware of some issues affecting the system of education in the area. At the yard I was introduced to a few more teachers and engaged in general chit chat.

The morning session began with registration. I sat at the back of the class as my mentor took the register. Within a few minutes children were queuing outside the lab for the first lesson of the day. I can't remember the exact order of the lessons that day, but I remember that I observed the teaching of pupils in years 6, 7 and 8. During the day I observed my mentor delivering lessons about forces and motion, classification of animals and food chains.

The lesson about classification of animals was quite animated, with my mentor seizing the opportunity afforded by the good weather to disappear outside on a bug hunt. The children had key sheets, which allowed them to classify any insects that they found in the foliage of the school grounds. I gave a hand identifying some of the more unfamiliar insects that the children encountered.

Some of the older (Key Stage 3) children were given the task of designing rockets for Science Week and had a chance to test them on the yard. There was a wide selection of different rocket sizes and shapes - some were doomed to failure by virtue of their sheer bulk whereas others, made with smaller bodies, did temporarily get off the ground.

At lunchtime I took up the offer of a meal in the school dining room. As we walked towards lunch my mentor joked at the quality of the food. The actual meal was very much as I remember school dinners when I was a pupil - stodgy and filling. It didn't actually taste too bad.

The afternoon session arrived and the first activity was assembly. Assembly was different to usual in that it was dedicated to pre-exam administration - giving the children their timetables for their imminent Key Stage 2 SATs.

The lessons in the afternoon were with pupils from the same year groups as earlier in the day. They were also working slightly off-timetable and making rockets for Science Week.

I left at the end of the school day a little wiser about how a science teacher balances their work, deals with behavioural issues and copes with mixed ability groups. A worthwhile day.

Interview Time

2008-05-04T03:35:00.000-07:00

If your application form is up to standard and is supported by a positive reference then the chances are you'll be invited for interview. In fact, due to the nature of the role, no institution will offer you a teacher training place without interviewing you beforehand.

If you're unfamiliar with the interview venue make sure you thoroughly research the directions before you set out. I always use Google Maps to print a route card so I can easily find the venue on the day. Additionally, if the interview venue is local to me, I always make a preliminary visit in the days leading up. This allows me to check out the parking facilities, local public transport and that sort of thing.

Remember to take any supporting documents with you to interview. This includes things like exam certificates and, very importantly, some official photographic proof of identity.

You only get one chance to make a first impression so make sure you are of clean, smart and practical appearance. Also remember to speak clearly and look at the interviewers when you are engaged in conversation.

Most interviews are conducted by at least two, possibly three interviewers. They will usually have read your UCAS/GTTR form in detail beforehand and are likely to question you about your qualifications, personal statement (especially) and reference. I can not emphasise enough that you must know your UCAS/GTTR form word for word and be prepared to answer questions on it. Most interviews begin with a few pleasantries like introductions, shaking of hands and asking about your journey etc.

The questions in the interview are likely to revolve around the following issues:

Your previous experiences, which you must be able to reflect on, and how these better equip you for a career in teaching.
Your understanding of the National Curriculum for your chosen age range: What it is, the general structure and how it works.
Ethical questions: What would you do in the situation put to you by the interviewers?
Current educational issues: Be aware of the big issues affecting teaching at the moment. Read the Times Educational Supplement and the education sections of the news websites.
Why you want to become a teacher: Be prepared to explain your motivation to teach. It's fine to say you like working with children, but you should have a more substantial answer practiced. Something along the lines of enjoying your subject, wishing to share your knowledge with children and inspire them to pursue the subject further.
What skills should a teacher have: Good teachers have the ability to break down complicated concepts into smaller and more manageable chunks. They can also relate what they are teaching in the classroom to the wider world outside.
Why you want to study at [institution name]: Know a little bit about the structure of the course and what makes it different from other ITT courses.

At the end of the interview there is usually an opportunity for you to ask any questions you have about the course. If you have no questions then don't feel obliged to ask something silly - just explain that you have looked at the course brochure and have already found most of the answers.

Most institutions also require you to complete a short English and Mathematics test, just to confirm that you have a satisfactory level of literacy and numeracy. A few institutions also ask you to give a small presentation to a group of people. You will be informed in advance if you need to prepare anything for the day.

The entire interview/testing process will be over within about an hour. Once the interview/testing is over it is over - there's no point dwelling on it and torturing yourself with a detailed post mortem.

All being well you should hear their decision within a few weeks.

Applying for Teacher Training

2008-05-03T14:33:00.000-07:00

Having checked the university prospectuses and web pages and being confident that you meet the academic criteria it's now time to complete your application for Initial Teacher Training.

There are two possible routes depending on whether you're applying for undergraduate or graduate teacher training.

Applying to undergraduate teacher training:
Application to these courses, just like all other UK undergraduate courses, is handled by the University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).

In days gone by this used to be done using a paper form but now it's all done electronically using the Apply system. This has the big advantage of allowing you to fill in your details online, save them on the UCAS server and then return to adjust them later on - there's negligible chance of losing your data since it's stored at their end.

The online application form, just like the previous paper version, has five main sections:

1. Personal Details
2. Choices
3. Education and Qualifications
4. Personal Statement
5. Reference

The personal details section asks for your name, date of birth, address and that sort of thing. It also asks for you to provide details of all your academic qualifications (type, date, awarding body) and employment history.

The personal statement is an opportunity for the applicant to write a few paragraphs of prose in an attempt to sell them self to their university choices. Here you would include your reasons for applying, details of any relevant work experience, alternative qualifications and personal skills.

The reference section is an academic type reference provided by your school, college, employer or someone else neutral - preferably of some standing - who knows you well.

You can follow the progress of your application online using UCAS's Track system. You will receive email updates when changes occur with the status of your application. Your university choices will also keep you informed about the progress of your application by post.

When all of the universities have made a decision you have to choose which offer to accept. If you are rejected by all of your choices or choose to withdraw you will have the opportunity to enter the UCAS Clearing process. Clearing is a collection of unpopular courses that are under subscribed so desperate to fill their places.

Applying to graduate teacher training:
Applications for these courses are handled by the Graduate Teacher Training Registry (GTTR), which is also a part of UCAS.

All applications are made electronically using the Apply system. Unsurprisingly the online application form is very similar to the UCAS version and has the same five main sections:

1. Personal Details
2. Choices
3. Education and Qualifications
4. Personal Statement
5. Reference

Again, the form can be completed in multiple sessions and is saved on the GTTR server for convenience.

One slight difference is that the GTTR require two referees. Once you have completed and approved all other sections of the form you send an electronic reference request to your principal referee. The form can not be modified subsequent this request so it's important to double check everything is correct beforehand. The application will not be processed any further (e.g. sent to your choices) until the principal referee has provided a reference - this being the case it's important to stress the urgency of the task when you initially approach the referee.

The GTTR website also offers a Track facility where applicants can monitor the progress of their application.

You will receive email updates when changes occur with the status of your application. Your university choices will also keep you informed about the progress of your application by post.

Preparing for Teacher Training

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If you're committed to becoming a teacher you'll want to do everything you can to increase your chances of being accepted onto an Initial Teacher Training course. Some prior work experience in an educational environment is a must.

If you're applying to primary ITT the try and get involved with one of your local primary schools. You could volunteer to help the children read, help as a classroom assistant or maybe become a lunchtime supervisor. Ideally you want to be able observe teachers at work and get a feel for what the job entails.

If you're applying to secondary ITT then try and get involved with one of your local secondary schools or colleges of further education. Again, you might be able to volunteer as a classroom assistant or simply ask to spend a few days shadowing a teacher of your chosen specialism.

Don't forget that work experience gained outside the classroom can also feature in your application. Perhaps you've helped with a local youth organisation in your spare time?

It's very important that you're able to reflect on what you learnt during your work experience.

Teacher Training Explained

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So you've decided you want to become a teacher? One of the first things you'll need to check is whether or not you possess the relevant entry requirements for Initial Teacher Training (ITT). You'll also have to decide which ITT course best suits your needs.

There are two main routes into teaching - either as an undergraduate or as a graduate. Obviously you will be guided in one of these directions depending on your past experience and qualifications.

To teach in English and Welsh state schools you require a Government recognised qualification called Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). This is awarded by an organisation called the Training and Development Agency (TDA). The courses offered by all the ITT providers in England and Wales are recognised by the TDA and obtaining QTS is a straightforward matter once you have finished your teacher training.

QTS is not required to teach in Scottish state schools although General Teaching Council registration, as mentioned in the paragraph below, is necessary.

To work in UK state schools a teacher must also be registered with the relevant General Teaching Council in England, Scotland or Wales.

It is important to recognise that even when you have obtained your academic qualification to teach that doesn't give you the right to do so. You must also have General Teaching Council registration and, where appropriate, QTS.

Undergraduate teacher training:
As the name suggests this is aimed at people who wish to train as a teacher and do not already possess a degree level qualification. This would typically be school leavers or people seeking a career change later in life.

Successful completion of one of these ITT courses usually results in the conferment of a Bachelor of Education (BEd) degree.

Graduate teacher training:
This is for graduates who wish to retrain as teachers in their chosen specialism.

The majority of graduate trainee teachers complete a one-year qualification called the Post Graduate Certificate of Education (PGCE). Some ITT providers also offer a qualification called the Professional Graduate Certificate of Education (also PGCE).

The difference between the Post Graduate and Professional Graduate courses is that the Post Graduate courses include credits towards a Master of Education (MEd) degree whereas the Professional Graduate courses do not. Both qualifications lead to QTS.

The Government has recently announced plans that all teachers will have to be qualified up to Masters level. Masters credits obtained during ITT can be counted towards the full MEd qualification at a later time.

School-Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) courses, where a school provides the training, are a popular alternative to the conventional PGCE. Some SCITT courses are accredited by Higher Education Institutions, meaning they can conclude with the the award of an academic qualification (like a PGCE). All SCITT courses lead to QTS.

There is also something called the Graduate Teacher Programme (GTP), where budding new teachers are catapulted straight into a salaried teaching apprenticeship in a school. Again, some GTPs lead to the award of an academic qualification (PGCE for example). All GTPs lead to QTS.

Featured Articles

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Links to some of our more popular and informative articles collected in one place for your convenience.

Teacher Training:

Welcome to Teaching Uncovered

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Welcome to Teaching Uncovered.

About Teaching Uncovered:
Teaching Uncovered is the story of my journey as a teacher in the UK secondary education system. The journey begins with me applying to initial teacher training courses and follows me right through training, to the classroom and hopefully up the leadership scale to headship.

That's all a long way off at the moment but in the meantime I can promise you an honest account of my experiences, a detailed and realistic insight into classroom life and a few laughs along the way.

They say there is no better way to learn your subject than to teach it.

Confidentiality:
As much as I'm happy to share my experiences with you, some of my colleagues and pupils might not be. For that reason I shall not be disclosing the real names of any individuals or schools.

For the sake of anonymity I will occasionally make minor changes, without compromising the essence of the story.

If you think you recognise any of the details published here at Teaching Uncovered you are probably mistaken.

Copyright:
If you find any of the information on this site useful you are free to reproduce and republish it elsewhere on condition that you acknowledge and provide a back link to Teaching Uncovered.