Having transformed lives, led – and hopefully inspired in schools for almost 20 years, I now have the privilege to train the next generation of teachers with the i2i Teaching Partnership and Weydon School. 

We asked our current trainees about their thoughts on school experience and this is our summary of what they said.

What research did you do before embarking on your school experience? 

Most of our trainees used the internet as a starting point. They looked at official reports about the school, school websites, the teacher training website and some of them used their personal local friend networks to gather opinions about the school more generally and where possible, specifically about teaching from ‘teacher friends’. Some trainees sought out blog posts by other career changers, trainees and NQTs to get a ‘blunt’ introduction to the potential highs and lows of a training year and career in teaching. We send any potential SEP a link to a blog post written by myself for the get into Teaching Team on how to get the most out of school experience and many find this useful. One trainee did add the health warning that you have to try and look past any bias!

Several trainees utilised the Get into Teaching Helpline and attended national #Traintoteach events as well as local events organised by providers in the area. 

Our trainees said that having visited a number of schools based on this research, and made their mind up that teaching was for them, it was an easy decision to pick their training provider.

What was SEP like and what did you get from it?

Trainees talked about the fact that they were given a well organised timetable in advance of the experience and given information about what to wear, when to arrive and so on. They talked about being very much ‘welcomed in’ by the teams they were visiting, enabling them to gauge the broad culture of the school and training provider. They were looking for a culture of positivity, cohesiveness, close knit and yet outward looking to the students, collaboration, reflectiveness and passion for their subjects. Where they saw this, they knew they were on to something! 

Having a well organised timetable and information in advance (or not!), made the experience less daunting but also gave the opportunity to confirm what they had read on web pages: a professional, well organised and bespoke approach. If your provider is getting this right at the SEP stage, it is a good indication of what is to come! Having access to a broad range of ability groups, ages and teaching styles all adds depth to the experience. Our trainees also benefited from our team being able to organise experience days across our partnership of training schools, further broadening the experience and increasing the ease with which to organise this. 

Many trainees mentioned the teachers who kindly took time out to explain why they were teaching in a particular way or using a particular technique in the classroom and also found it helpful when teachers shared experiences from their own teacher training. This also reveals something about the culture of the school: if it is open and welcoming, you will be getting a great insight into how your mentor may be during your training year.

Number one for all our trainees however, and this has to be the most important for us all, is the interaction with young people. They describe these interactions as ‘revealing and motivating’ and the advice our trainees give is to first discuss with the teacher how they would like you to interact in the lesson, but wherever possible – get stuck in!

What would you do differently if you had those days again?

Overwhelmingly, the i2i trainees said they would seek ways to get even more involved, be this by joining in in extra-curricular clubs after school, asking to join a team meeting, attend a school professional development session or help with 1-1 or small group teaching. This is a great opportunity and you should really find every way to ‘squeeze the lemon’ and gain the absolute max out of it! 

What confirmed teaching was the right career path for you and that you had chosen the right training provider?

To quote one trainee, representative of all: ‘SEP without a doubt. You can't possibly have a clue what you are committing to do and if it’s right for you without getting in there and getting the experience with teachers and pupils’. Most trainees also organised additional SEP with other training providers to make sure any decisions weren't being skewed by the positive experiences at one or another, bearing in mind likely future career experiences. Many talked about ‘being able to picture themselves as the teacher’. 

 One trainee described their experience on SEP as being totally bespoke and accommodating, to the extent that they now live in an Air BnB for the week enabling access to that training provision. A provider that is willing to go the extra mile, answer questions and make the experience bespoke – even at this stage – is likely to do the same throughout training. Many trainees talked about the flexible approach of some schools and the friendliness they encountered, helping them firm up their decision. 

You may be lucky enough to find a provider who then seems unparalleled in the area, but if you are lucky enough to have several amazing providers:  look out for those features that you consider would really make an outstanding/world class school and provider and which fits your needs the most. Through your observations, discussions with teachers and students, the whole culture and approach will shine through. For some trainees, they had been looking for an absence of what they described as "old school" thinking and organisation – instead a purposefully mindful and driven, positive approach to education and opportunity for young people where the school vision is at the heart of everything. 

Our vision is that everyone believes in the potential of our students, that we create a sense of belonging and that we care for ourselves and for each other. As a potential teacher on our training programme, we would welcome you with open arms to see if the best profession in the world is right for you and to help us live up to this vision!

Mark Sharman

November 2018