This programme has thoroughly prepared me for becoming a teacher - it is hard work but if you are prepared to put the effort in the year will fly past and you will be qualified in no time! I particularly enjoyed my placement at The Boulevard Academy as it gave me an insight into a different type of school with a different demographic of students. This enabled me to gain a well-rounded experience of working in different schools - the focus of the course on practical classroom experience has been invaluable.

After university I was not sure what the correct career path was for me. However, I could see myself fostering interest amongst the younger generations in my subject. This year has been extremely enjoyable and pushed me to develop not only my skills inside the classroom, but has also given me important qualities that I will take with me for the rest of my life. I now realise after completing my training that no day is ever the same and this is going to be a thoroughly enjoyable and rewarding career. I have made some fantastic friends on this course and this has been such an important support network for me over the course of the year.

This has been one of the best experiences of my life and career, I wouldn't change my training for anything, and I have had one of the greatest times with a team that has made me feel loved, welcomed, supported, cared for, and I know I have formed incredible friendships and working relationships with multiple colleagues.

At first you may feel a little overwhelmed when you begin to plan and deliver your own lessons, but you soon grow into it. If you’re stuck or you need help, ASK! At both of my host schools I had an incredibly supportive staff base to fall back onto should I ever need anything, and there were times where I did. I feel my teaching ability has grown beyond where I could have imagined during a seemingly very short academic year.

It has been a fantastic opportunity to be completely immersed in the school, making it much easier to build relationships with students and staff, and feel confident to ask for support to improve my teaching. Feedback has been so useful throughout and I have had so many opportunities to observe brilliant teaching and develop my teaching style. I now feel confident and excited to start my ECT years.

Having previously visited St Mary’s College on a School Experience Open Day, the opportunity to train onsite and gain real school experience through a school-based placement was a clear choice for me, enabling me to integrate fully with the staff and children from day one. 

I was given ample opportunity to develop my skills through high quality training and professional development sessions and numerous interactions with staff. No question was too stupid to ask and no staff member too busy to help.

My second school placement afforded me the opportunity to apply my skills and techniques in a new setting and despite presenting new challenges, this molded me into a fully rounded practitioner, able to adapt to changing circumstances and surroundings. It really was a fantastic and thoroughly beneficial experience.

The benefits of this route include real school experience, high quality training, forming a rapport with the pupils due to working full time in school, providing consistency for you as a trainee, and working as part of a team where the environment is friendly, vibrant, fast-paced and comfortable.

Professional development sessions are run every Wednesday to aid professional studies and the support provided here is enormous. I feel I have progressed very well and can only put this down to the support and training St Mary’s have offered.

My advice for someone considering embarking on this ITT programme would be to grasp it with both hands. I can completely empathise with those that may be feeling unsure or worried. However, I am confident that this programme will only strengthen your desire to teach. I feel very privileged to have done it.