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School Direct Trainees 2015 *those who have accepted an offer* :)

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Original post by earthworm
Heard back today-they seem cool and sound like they will be supportive. Doubly excited now!


Woo hoo!!! Fantastic news xx

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Thanks :smile: looking forward to starting now. Sounds like a good structure. I hope mine is going to be similar
Original post by shanzy_91
Thanks :smile: looking forward to starting now. Sounds like a good structure. I hope mine is going to be similar


Interesting read for those of us with children.

http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2015/mar/25/work-life-balance-teacher-survival-guide

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Hi and congratulations to all! I've really enjoyed reading this thread, so I thought I ought to make my presence known.

I'm a mature (ish) applicant - I'll be 37 this August and finished my undergrad degree in 2000. I'm about to accept a conditional offer for a Secondary SD place in Computer Science in Exeter. My offer is conditional on boosting my subject knowledge, but they haven't stipulated a specific Subject Knowledge Enhancement course so I'm assuming they just want me to up my own knowledge myself. I've spent the last 4 and a bit years as the ICT Manager in a special school.

My SD place is unsalaried, but I have a 2:1 degree so I get a pretty generous bursary.
I've just read this now and it's got some really useful tips. I've not got any kids but it defo helps to address the course/work/personal life balance that I've been worried about.

I've got my student finance back but it doesn't tell me dates for when I'll receive loan payments (like when I did my undergrad degree). The letter says to look on my account online but there is nothing there.

Does anyone have any idea when we'll get SF payments? Trying to plan for the future & work out my budgets/saving etc
Hi I haven't heard from my teaching placement in a while and just wondered if people were in the same boat? So far I've accepted the offer and completed a health questionnaire but I've not heard much else.


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Original post by smorsgabord
Hi I haven't heard from my teaching placement in a while and just wondered if people were in the same boat? So far I've accepted the offer and completed a health questionnaire but I've not heard much else.

Hi, I spoke to my school just before Easter and apparently induction days will be arranged for July. Apparently, I will hear more on dates and contracts etc after the Easter break.
I'm in the same situation. I've done exactly the same but not heard anything else. I was recommended that if be given more details after Easter. If you're worried, contact your placement and they'll advise you what's what.

Original post by smorsgabord
Hi I haven't heard from my teaching placement in a while and just wondered if people were in the same boat? So far I've accepted the offer and completed a health questionnaire but I've not heard much else.


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Thanks @shanzy_91 and Sarah


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Hi all, hope everything is going well for everyone!

I now have been given my timetable for next year which details when my school days are, uni days (both at the uni, and locally - my uni is nearly 2.5 hours drive away so for our alliance they come to us to do most of the lectures - infact I only visit the uni itself 4 times in the whole year. The rest of the lectures are held in a conference room in my local town). The timetable also shows our (TBC) assignment dates, when we can expect to be observed (within a 2 week period), and exactly when our second placement will be.
It feels good t be so organised, but also scary as it makes it really real?!

When offered my school placement, I was also offered to move across to the school to begin working there this term in order to get a better feel for the school and get my head in with all the procedures and methods and what not that they use. I will be in a SEN school and will be salaried so will need to really hit the ground running when I come in in September!

I started there on Monday, which was an inset day, so was a bit daunting and a bit over my head, but yesterday I spent the day in a classroom with children aged 5-8, and today I was actually in a Year 9 only class - classes are often mixed year groups due to the needs of the children. It looks like I may spend a few weeks in Year 9 to temporarily cover for an experienced TA who is leaving. I also experienced my first 'incident' today. As the children all have a form of ASD, behaviour meltdowns/explosions can occur frequently. I am recieveing training in the half term of how to physically intervene!! Today one of the Y9 boys had an episode where he got frustrated and couldn't handle it and ended up pinning the teacher in her chair threatening her, threw numerous chairs across the class and tipped tables etc etc. Luckily the staff were amazing and dealt with it so well, and I picked up on so much and even played a valuable role in diffusing the situation. It was scary, but also realistic of whats to come and puts me in a good place knowing what to expect at times.


Anyway, I am waffling on! Hope you are all having a lovely evening x
Reply 71
Hi everyone!

I accepted my non - salaried schools direct offer for Secondary English back in January and am very excited and can't wait to begin :biggrin:

I have an induction day at the beginning of July and we are allowed to gain the PGCE qualification also (but have to pass a further interview first for this part).

I was just wondering if anyone else is starting a secondary schools direct course for English in September?

Congratulations to all those who have received and accepted offers :biggrin:
Reply 72
Hi everyone,

Is there anybody out there that has accepted an offer for the Poole SCITT 2015/16 entry? I accepted my offer back in March and am yet to find anybody else who is also going to be on the course...
Hi All, congratulations on the offers. I have an offer for school direct through Derby, i am super excited for September and to start.
I have an induction day on 24th June where i will find out my main school, cant wait. I however failed numeracy today by 1 mark , gutted. Now to re book and swot up some more
So excited! As well as an induction day at the lead school on June 22nd, I am going to meet the headteacher and other staff at my main placement school this Wednesday!!! I can't wait to see the school and discuss which year groups I'll be working in - it's a very small school, so the classes are combined age groups instead of the typical structure. Could be really interesting :smile:
Original post by beanbrain
So excited! As well as an induction day at the lead school on June 22nd, I am going to meet the headteacher and other staff at my main placement school this Wednesday!!! I can't wait to see the school and discuss which year groups I'll be working in - it's a very small school, so the classes are combined age groups instead of the typical structure. Could be really interesting :smile:


How did it go? Sounds interesting. How many age groups are you working with? What did you learn? All the nitty gritty please!!

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Original post by Pineapple pie
How did it go? Sounds interesting. How many age groups are you working with? What did you learn? All the nitty gritty please!!

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Haha, nitty gritty coming up!

I went on a tour of the school with the headmistress, and met the teacher who will be mentoring me, as well as getting the documents for my DBS check photocopied.

It was really informal and friendly, and the school is nice and big with lots of outside space and an interesting take on behaviour management, which I can really get behind!

The classes are combined age groups because it hasn't got a huge amount of pupils and so it means they don't have to employ a lot of teachers for not a lot of children. Apart from years 5 and 6, who are always together, they split the children into classes based on ability and the support they need, friendship groups, and as a method to prevent siblings being in the same class!

I don't know for certain which ages groups I'll get to work with yet, because they have to check with the lead school that the ones I work with won't conflict with my second placement. But the headteacher would like to put me in with the year 2/3 class for one term, and the year 5/6 class for the other term. I'd love to do that, because then theoretically my middle placement will be about year 4, and I'll have experience of teaching almost the entire primary syllabus!

I suppose what I really learned, and what made me feel that I've absolutely made the right choice to do SD instead of a uni-based course, is that we were talking about staff handbooks and computer login details and who I'd get on well with in the staffroom, and already I felt like I was being welcomed into the school as a member of staff, not treated like an unknown quantity. The headteacher had barely known me for half an hour at that point, and she was so welcoming and friendly, and I knew that I had made the right decision for me. I really hope everyone else on SD finds this too, that their main placement schools are just as friendly.
Reply 77
I have a School Direct induction day at UCL on the 23rd of June then induction day with the other SDs and NQTs at my new school on July 1st. Has anyone else accepted an offer for a Harrow Collegiate school?
Hi everyone! Another SD Salaried applicant here. I applied for Primary, with a concentration in SEN. I've already been to both my institution and the school I'll be training with. I just have my induction day at my Uni in about two weeks. Hopefully then I'll receive more information about my schedule.

Original post by *Tanji*
I have a School Direct induction day at UCL on the 23rd of June then induction day with the other SDs and NQTs at my new school on July 1st. Has anyone else accepted an offer for a Harrow Collegiate school?


Oh Tanji I'll be at induction on the 23rd as well. Are you secondary or primary?
After months of waiting I have finally found where my main placement school is for my SCITT ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜ just waiting for info on start date now. Any one else still waiting or is it just me? I'm starting to feel a bit worried now ๐Ÿ˜”

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