Rating

9.6/10
  • 1. Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
  • I took part in a placement at a local high school during sixth form. I was a volunteer teaching assistant working with children with learning and/or behavioural difficulties. I was expected to work 1:1 with children or with small groups, either during the class or during interventions. I would report to my mentor at the start of each day, before going off to the tutor groups I was assigned too. I would spend time with assigned children during tutor time, who had all been raised as potentially having difficulties with the transition to high school. I would then be based in the science department during lessons. At breaktime and lunchtime, I would be around for the first five minutes for the pupils in year 7 to come and see me (and my mentor) with any issues, before going into the canteen and interacting with the children. At the end of the day I'd help with tidying, planning and whatever else needed doing within the labs. I also worked on two award winning science weeks with the school.

    10/10

  • 2. Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
  • I improved my communication and confidence whilst at the school. Before this I had no confidence in myself, however having to deal with children with behavioural difficulties means that you have to have a lot of confidence in your abilities to be able to tell them off for misbehaving etc. I also improved my basic science knowledge, some of which I had forgotten since being at school. I also had amanuensis training so that I could be an official helper during tests.

    10/10

  • 3. To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
  • I enjoyed it very much. I had an excellent mentor who I am still in contact with. The teams I worked within were both helpful, and always around if I had any questions. The children were fab to work with, even those who spent time being cheeky to try and get out of work. The school was great to work at and offered a lot of support. If a job came up that I liked, I would probably return to the school as it was a great atmosphere and lots of fun.

    10/10

  • 4. How valued do you feel by Secondary School?
  • My mentor was very helpful. I was always recognised by staff members for my achievements, and the whole school put in for amazing presents when I left to thank me for all my hard work. I still get regular emails and messages from the staff to ask how I'm getting on, and still see some of the children around who also say hi. It has also helped with gaining future experience. The experience is great to talk about, as I learned so much, and the staff are always happy to give me a recommendation if I need it.

    10/10

  • 5. How well organised/structured is your programme?
  • I didn't have a structured programme to follow on my experience. The staff worked with me to ensure that I got out of the experience what I wanted, as well as helping them out. I sat down with my mentor at the start of the programme, and we sat down on a regular basis to make sure I was still happy with how the programme was progressing. I could always ask if I wanted to try something different, for example I spent a few months working with some high ability pupils in a different department to experience students who were not statemented. They understood if I needed to spend time on my college courses, and also let me use the experience to gain an extra qualification through college by carrying out surveys. I was able to approach my mentor whenever, but was also based with other class teachers at times. All staff were approachable and happy to deal with any issues I was having. Overall, I'd say the programme was well organised and I got a lot out of it.

    10/10

  • 6a. How much support do you receive from your training provider?
  • Not much. The experience was sorted outside of the college, and I only had to fill in forms to allow me to take part during the school week. They also assessed that the experience was suitable and met all the health and safety criteria. I didn't have any issues with the placement to approach them about but they did ask how it was going. I also had to ring in to the office each day to tell them I was there and the other staff (who I knew well as they were the neighbour of my best friend) would always ask how it was going and if there were any problems to sort out.

    10/10

  • 6b. How much support do you receive from your employer?
  • I was always able to approach any of the staff within the school if I had an issue. They would have regular meetings with me to make sure I was getting everything out of the placement. They also invited me onto a residential trip with them to extend my skills and experience. I didn't have any problems whilst I was there, but they were always there to answers any questions if I wasn't sure.

    10/10

  • 7. How well does your salary/package meet your costs?
  • This wasn't applicable as I wasn't paid for the placement. I was picked up and dropped off at home each day by my mentor, as she went through my village on the way to work and wanted to save me bus fare. I was given lunch as a thank you for my work, and had drinks bought for me at the weekly trip to the pub by staff I had helped that week.

    8/10

  • 8. Are there many opportunities outside of work?
  • There was a weekly trip to the pub on a Friday afternoon that all the teachers went to. This was a good opportunity for staff to relax and socialise. The senior leadership team would by drinks for staff if the school had had a particularly stressful/good week such as OFSTED, testing, or big events. There was also a termly party to celebrate achievements. I was also invited to attend a residential abroad, and bonded with the staff during this time.

    8/10

  • 9. Would you recommend Secondary School to a friend?
  • Yes


  • 9b. Why?
  • I gained so much experience from the school. I gained lots of skills including teamwork, communication, confidence, independence, and leadership to name a few. It was a very supportive placement who were willing to give me whatever opportunities they could to further my training. I was given the chance to take on responsibilities during both years, and worked closely with the children who needed the most help. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and for any of my friends who wanted to work with children, would recommend they gain some experience with this school.


  • 10. What tips or advice would you give to others applying to Secondary School?
  • The application process for myself was just a letter covering why I wanted to gain experience there and what past experience I had, but this was because I was an ex-student. I would say give your all to the process and show them how passionate you are. Make sure you tell them from the start exactly what you want to get from your time there. Whilst I was there I witnessed several students come in for 1 or 2 weeks. At the end they said they didn't really get much but it turns out they hadn't really told anyone what they wanted, and as brilliant as the staff are they can't read minds. If you show passion for working with children, and communicate with the staff, you will get so much out of the experience no matter how long you are there for.


Details

Work Experience

East Midlands

May 2017


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