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What Our Trainees Say

I previously worked in outdoor education and loved teaching children the skills of shelter building, archery, building fires etc. Through this experience, I realised I wanted to become a primary teacher through on-the-job training, to live the life of a teacher as I had 2 years experience in outdoor education.
I chose to train within the Ouseburn Learning Trust because I loved the idea of a trust of schools who worked collaboratively to inspire and improve teaching. I was impressed at the range of schools, varying from small inner city schools to large 3 form entry schools. Every school felt different but they were working towards a common goal and I was lucky enough to visit all seven primary schools during my training year.

Being able to observe outstanding teachers before my placements was very rewarding. I was then able to ask questions and unpick exactly what the teachers were aiming to achieve during every lesson. Through regular feedback I felt as though I was constantly evolving my teaching ability and always got instant and very thorough answers to problems I encountered.

I was placed with a job share in Year 1 and always felt welcome and very much part of their teaching team. I was always included in their planning discussions and my contributions were always treated with respect. I had weekly meetings with my mentors where I could ask questions and we came up with targets together, targeted at specific aspects of teaching.

The year was definitely a challenge but one I was ready for. There were assignments to complete for University, along with lots of reading around the various strategies and theories about teaching. Being school based during my training meant I had lots of planning to do while at school, preparing to deliver high quality teaching alongside completing assignments linked to what I was delivering at school. It did mean I worked when I went home after a day of teaching but I still managed a good work-life balance by being organised.