Andrew's Story

Having had an informal discussion with a CTSN tutor, it was clear that they were keen to personalise my experience by allocating me placement schools that were close to home.  The different experiences have allowed me to look through different lenses at different approaches to education and curriculum styles.

I am fortunate that I have developed good relationships with both of my mentors.  The mentor plays a key part in supporting my development as a teacher throughout both placements whilst understanding the challenges of being a trainee teacher.  Additionally, there are a number of different people who are involved with personally supporting trainees through the program including the professional tutor, senior tutor, subject specialist links and the PGCE tutor.  Each have played a key part in supporting me with my classroom development, professional development and subject knowledge.  

Core training on a Friday forms the basis for the training theme for the following week.  Each Friday we have received excellent training on all of the curriculum strands, which are CTSN’s adaptation of The Teaching Standards.  This will ensure that I have the best possible chance of gaining QTS at the end of the year.  Each week we are set personalised tasks, to develop both our subject knowledge and curriculum knowledge.  There is also a themed piece of reading for the week, which helps to inform our practice in the classroom.

What has been clear from the outset is that we would all receive a bespoke experience, depending on our rate of progress, confidence and personal circumstances.  This has certainly been the case for me, and I feel as though the tailored tasks have helped me to develop as a classroom practitioner.  CTSN also provide a time-sheet which has helped to manage my workload and well-being.  Well-being is discussed every week at our weekly mentor meeting. Additionally, we have received training on this in terms of our own well-being and the students’.  A well-being tutor is also available if required. It is important to look after your well-being in what is a full-on but very rewarding year.

As my subject (Computing) is different to what my degree is in (Sports Science), I was hesitant as to whether I was making the right choice and what support would be in place to strengthen my subject knowledge.  I needn’t have worried about this as we receive training once a month with a subject specialist link.  This has been very useful in helping me apply the weekly theme specifically to Computing.  We also share ideas and resources with each other to help support one another.

In terms of assessment, I feel assured that the process is rigorous and fair.  Through evidence bundles, reports, Senior Tutor visits, observations and discussions, no stone is left unturned.  The feedback after each of my reports and evidence bundles has helped me to focus on areas of improvement and re-assured me that I am progressing well in all aspects of my training.

The PGCE course goes alongside the training year and in Term 1 helped me to develop my skills as a reflective practitioner.  This was assessed through four small essays (500 words). In term 2, we were given more flexibility to undertake an enquiry on a topic of our choice. This has helped me to improve or adapt one area of my teaching practice.

The whole experience has convinced me that I made the right choice to train through CTSN.  While things can seem quite overwhelming to begin with, they soon fall into place and I have been able to develop a regular routine which has helped me to manage my workload.