Will a reference from a Top 100 school be better than one not in Top 100?

Hey Guys;

Tomorrow, I am going to make a phone call to Bristol Grammar School in hopes of them accepting me as a once or maybe twice a week TA in the Science dept. Anyway, the reason I am going to ask BGS is because it is in the top 100 and am hoping at the end of it sometime early in the next academic year I can get a GOOD reference to put with my PGCE application.

Now, the thing is BGS is about an hour to an hour and a half travel from me by public transport (can't drive) and so, would it be worth it IF (thing is I don't know myself) it will be worth the same as a lower ranked school?

Things I am also doing to strengthen my application currently alongside my Biomedical Science degree;

I am a Green Ambassador which involves getting into a group and going into schools educating them about the importance of the environment through seminars organised between us and the school (volunteer work).
I am doing a First Aid course this month
I have done a couple of years worth of TA at Sixth Form
I have asked my Tutor to write me a reference as well as a lecturer of mine.
Next Year, I will also plan to do one or two more bits of volunteer work too plus continue working as a volunteer TA up until Christmas next year at BGS.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 1

Jantaculum

10

Experience from a top 100 school would be no better (or no worse) from experience in any other school - it's how you use your time to find out about the education system, and how you use this knowledge to support your application that counts.

It' looks like you're building up a good portfolio already (for secondary I presume?) - how would BGS fit into that? If the sixth form is high-achieving and academic, it would be worth looking for experience in a more challenging environment. If you are planning on teaching across the 11-18 range, you'd be better off looking for a school where you could work as a TA with the younger end of that range. If the sixth form is Outstanding, find out what it's like working in a RI school and how they are moving to improve their category.

Try to get a range of experiences (which you are already doing, and that's great) rather than purely aim for top 100

Reply 2

Scienceisgood

OP

21

Original post by Jantaculum

Experience from a top 100 school would be no better (or no worse) from experience in any other school - it's how you use your time to find out about the education system, and how you use this knowledge to support your application that counts.

It' looks like you're building up a good portfolio already (for secondary I presume?) - how would BGS fit into that? If the sixth form is high-achieving and academic, it would be worth looking for experience in a more challenging environment. If you are planning on teaching across the 11-18 range, you'd be better off looking for a school where you could work as a TA with the younger end of that range. If the sixth form is Outstanding, find out what it's like working in a RI school and how they are moving to improve their category.

Try to get a range of experiences (which you are already doing, and that's great) rather than purely aim for top 100

Yeah, I want to teach in a secondary school as a career (preferably 14-18 range but I don't think I would be able to avoid the 11-14 range either).
What do you mean in a more "challenging" environment?
Need to ask as well, why would I work in a younger school (I assume you mean middle school or younger) but I don't see how this would be relevant in teaching kids this young?

Reply 3

Jantaculum

10

Original post by Scienceisgood

What do you mean in a more "challenging" environment?

Rephrase: somewhere with different challenges. I don't know what the challenges are at the sixth form where you have experience - but if it's high achieving and academic, gaining experience in a setting where the challenges involve attendance or behaviour would give you contrasting knowledge of expectations on schools and how they deal with the challenge. This gives you a wider range of experiences to draw upon in your PGCE application.

Original post by Scienceisgood

Need to ask as well, why would I work in a younger school (I assume you mean middle school or younger) but I don't see how this would be relevant in teaching kids this young?

Younger end of the11-18 range to contrast with your experience in sixth form

Reply 4

Scienceisgood

OP

21

Original post by Jantaculum

Younger end of the11-18 range to contrast with your experience in sixth form

Not what I meant, I meant when I MYSELF was at Sixth Form, I was a TA to one of the science teachers and aided in teaching a year 8 class.

Reply 5

Jantaculum

10

Original post by Scienceisgood

Not what I meant, I meant when I MYSELF was at Sixth Form, I was a TA to one of the science teachers and aided in teaching a year 8 class.

OK - well then, it's not worth travelling for a top 100 school

Original post by Scienceisgood

Now, the thing is BGS is about an hour to an hour and a half travel from me by public transport (can't drive) and so, would it be worth it IF (thing is I don't know myself) it will be worth the same as a lower ranked school?

It isn't worth it. No-one would know or care that BGS is a high achieving institution. If anything, you would be disadvantaged by not obtaining experience in a non-selective school.

Reply 7

Carnationlilyrose

18

Original post by Jantaculum

OK - well then, it's not worth travelling for a top 100 school

Original post by Mr M

It isn't worth it. No-one would know or care that BGS is a high achieving institution. If anything, you would be disadvantaged by not obtaining experience in a non-selective school.

This.

Doubt it.

Absolutely agree with everything on here. Top 100 means absolutely nothing, you would be wasting your time. Find any school closer to you that will let you in, and try and get experience in more than 1 school so you can see a variety of methods that teachers use for teaching/behavioural management/etc.

Reply 10

Doones

21

Original post by Scienceisgood

Now, the thing is BGS is about an hour to an hour and a half travel from me by public transport (can't drive)
...
I am a Green Ambassador which involves getting into a group and going into schools educating them about the importance of the environment

As per the others, but also you're a Green Ambassador and feel the need to travel for 3 hours round trip for a part-time job....

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Will a reference from a Top 100 school be better than one not in Top 100?

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