PGCE Shopping List
So it's suddenly hit me just how much stuff I need to purchase ahead of the start of the PGCE and I wondered if anyone had any recommendations/ideas that I may have perhaps missed out?
Right now my main list consists of:
- A work bag that doesn't mind getting battered
- Some books off the preliminary reading list
- Work appropriate clothing
- A planner (if anyone has any recommendations of one I'd love to hear it!)
- Folders, notebooks, stationery etc.
...and my mind goes blank. I dread the thought of showing up in September and missing something key.
Right now my main list consists of:
- A work bag that doesn't mind getting battered
- Some books off the preliminary reading list
- Work appropriate clothing
- A planner (if anyone has any recommendations of one I'd love to hear it!)
- Folders, notebooks, stationery etc.
...and my mind goes blank. I dread the thought of showing up in September and missing something key.
Scroll to see replies
Lots of people suggest a memory stick? Although personally I would use Dropbox or Google Docs if that's accessible at the school - can't leave that on a train! 
I've also seen people suggest holding off on buying a lot of clothing as your placement school could have more formal or relaxed clothing than you expect so best to buy a couple of items and then buy more once you're in your placement school? Obviously, this could then be different for the second placement!
But I pretty much only have what you have on my shopping list.
I've also seen people suggest holding off on buying a lot of clothing as your placement school could have more formal or relaxed clothing than you expect so best to buy a couple of items and then buy more once you're in your placement school? Obviously, this could then be different for the second placement!
But I pretty much only have what you have on my shopping list.
Original post by PlannerHannah
So it's suddenly hit me just how much stuff I need to purchase ahead of the start of the PGCE and I wondered if anyone had any recommendations/ideas that I may have perhaps missed out?
Right now my main list consists of:
- A work bag that doesn't mind getting battered
- Some books off the preliminary reading list
- Work appropriate clothing
- A planner (if anyone has any recommendations of one I'd love to hear it!)
- Folders, notebooks, stationery etc.
...and my mind goes blank. I dread the thought of showing up in September and missing something key.
Right now my main list consists of:
- A work bag that doesn't mind getting battered
- Some books off the preliminary reading list
- Work appropriate clothing
- A planner (if anyone has any recommendations of one I'd love to hear it!)
- Folders, notebooks, stationery etc.
...and my mind goes blank. I dread the thought of showing up in September and missing something key.
Hold off on the planner until you start placement and then ask if they have a spare they'd be willing to part with. If not, these are the fairly standard ones that most schools tend to buy in and they're fairly good: http://www.pirongs.co.uk/ order a custom teacher planner with 7 lessons and you can't go wrong.
Folders, plastic wallets, pencils, pens (green, black, red), rulers, laser pointer thingy for powerpoint, revision guides for your own peace of mind (helps to photocopy work out of if kids are isolated and you don't want to send books down), 1TB hard drive (be careful, some schools don't allow them but don't get caught short either), laminator and laminating sheets, glue sticks (for you not the kids).
Consider how you'll carry everything around too. When I did my training, I got myself a tray similar to this
Couple of websites you can use to get resources from. YPO has a minimum order amount for private customers, but you'll be able to get pretty much everything you need stationary wise from hope. Don't bother with mini whiteboards etc. your school should have these.
https://www.ypo.co.uk/
https://www.hope-education.co.uk/
Can't go wrong with appropriate clothing but phone your placement school a few days before you start there to check their requirements on staff clothing. Some schools it's business attire and others don't mind as long as you're smart - they sometimes differentiate based on gender. The school I work in at the moment, men have to wear business wear but women, it's smart-casual.
(edited 5 years ago)
Posting to subscribe.
Also FAO @Professor Oak
Also FAO @Professor Oak
Original post by 04MR17
same!
You don't need a huge amount to be honest. Whatever you don't do, do not use a USB memory stick. Any school IT network worth its salt will not allow USB sticks to be plugged into their network and one of my PGCE peers lost all her work when her memory stick went pop. Google Docs / Office 365 or similar is excellent. Your Uni might give you an account that you can use and bear in mind that you can download apps on your PC / Laptop that allow you to sync files automatically to your Google Docs / Office 365.
Get a good bag and some comfy shoes. A good planner / diary is essential as is a pencil case with a variety of coloured pens / markers etc.
I also think having a laptop to hand will make life much easier. Schools may offer you computers to work on but they may be prioritised to teachers or you might have to share with other PGCE students so having your own place to plan and work just makes life easier.
Good luck!
Get a good bag and some comfy shoes. A good planner / diary is essential as is a pencil case with a variety of coloured pens / markers etc.
I also think having a laptop to hand will make life much easier. Schools may offer you computers to work on but they may be prioritised to teachers or you might have to share with other PGCE students so having your own place to plan and work just makes life easier.
Good luck!
Original post by ByEeek
You don't need a huge amount to be honest. Whatever you don't do, do not use a USB memory stick. Any school IT network worth its salt will not allow USB sticks to be plugged into their network and one of my PGCE peers lost all her work when her memory stick went pop. Google Docs / Office 365 or similar is excellent. Your Uni might give you an account that you can use and bear in mind that you can download apps on your PC / Laptop that allow you to sync files automatically to your Google Docs / Office 365.
Get a good bag and some comfy shoes. A good planner / diary is essential as is a pencil case with a variety of coloured pens / markers etc.
I also think having a laptop to hand will make life much easier. Schools may offer you computers to work on but they may be prioritised to teachers or you might have to share with other PGCE students so having your own place to plan and work just makes life easier.
Good luck!
Get a good bag and some comfy shoes. A good planner / diary is essential as is a pencil case with a variety of coloured pens / markers etc.
I also think having a laptop to hand will make life much easier. Schools may offer you computers to work on but they may be prioritised to teachers or you might have to share with other PGCE students so having your own place to plan and work just makes life easier.
Good luck!
I'm guessing you haven't encountered any issues with schools blocking access to (personal) Google Drive accounts? I store everything on Drive as it is and plan to continue when I'm eventually doing my PGCE, but I've (hopefully unnecessarily) feared schools blocking it on their network and having to constantly email a million files to myself. If Google Drive is accepted and basically a norm that'd be a big relief!
Original post by doctorwhofan98
I'm guessing you haven't encountered any issues with schools blocking access to (personal) Google Drive accounts? I store everything on Drive as it is and plan to continue when I'm eventually doing my PGCE, but I've (hopefully unnecessarily) feared schools blocking it on their network and having to constantly email a million files to myself. If Google Drive is accepted and basically a norm that'd be a big relief!
Exactly this.
My school blocks access to cloud storage.
Original post by Purmerend
Exactly this.
My school blocks access to cloud storage.
My school blocks access to cloud storage.
Aaand there goes my optimistic hope! Useful to know that some schools do that and I guess I'll get used to emailing files to myself if necessary.
Original post by doctorwhofan98
I'm guessing you haven't encountered any issues with schools blocking access to (personal) Google Drive accounts? I store everything on Drive as it is and plan to continue when I'm eventually doing my PGCE, but I've (hopefully unnecessarily) feared schools blocking it on their network and having to constantly email a million files to myself. If Google Drive is accepted and basically a norm that'd be a big relief!
I've not been anywhere where it wasn't permitted. A lot of schools use Google Classroom which is part of the Google family of online apps.
Original post by doctorwhofan98
Aaand there goes my optimistic hope! Useful to know that some schools do that and I guess I'll get used to emailing files to myself if necessary.
My old school banned us from Google Drive and Dropbox, they said it was a breach of data protection.
Original post by rillette
My old school banned us from Google Drive and Dropbox, they said it was a breach of data protection.
This would be correct.
You’ll undoubtably upload student data, class lists etc to it. Whatever you store in cloud storage becomes the property of the company that runs it and they can do whatever they want with it (including google). The only exception to this is OneDrive for Business which your school may have if they use Office 365.
Yes, some schools do not permit USB drives, but as an experienced teacher, my advice would be to buy one just in case. The only cloud storage solution you should use is the one your school has bought into as the school then becomes liable for the data protection of the files rather than you.
Emailing yourself these files etc is also a breach of data protection as they may be intercepted. It is also an impractical method of transferring files in bulk, which you’ll be doing every day.
You’ll also be surprised at how many schools will permit using USB drives (when they usually don’t) when they have network problems.
(edited 5 years ago)
Original post by PlannerHannah
So it's suddenly hit me just how much stuff I need to purchase ahead of the start of the PGCE and I wondered if anyone had any recommendations/ideas that I may have perhaps missed out?
Right now my main list consists of:
- A work bag that doesn't mind getting battered
- Some books off the preliminary reading list
- Work appropriate clothing
- A planner (if anyone has any recommendations of one I'd love to hear it!)
- Folders, notebooks, stationery etc.
...and my mind goes blank. I dread the thought of showing up in September and missing something key.
Right now my main list consists of:
- A work bag that doesn't mind getting battered
- Some books off the preliminary reading list
- Work appropriate clothing
- A planner (if anyone has any recommendations of one I'd love to hear it!)
- Folders, notebooks, stationery etc.
...and my mind goes blank. I dread the thought of showing up in September and missing something key.
Original post by PlannerHannah
So it's suddenly hit me just how much stuff I need to purchase ahead of the start of the PGCE and I wondered if anyone had any recommendations/ideas that I may have perhaps missed out?
Right now my main list consists of:
- A work bag that doesn't mind getting battered
- Some books off the preliminary reading list
- Work appropriate clothing
- A planner (if anyone has any recommendations of one I'd love to hear it!)
- Folders, notebooks, stationery etc.
...and my mind goes blank. I dread the thought of showing up in September and missing something key.
Right now my main list consists of:
- A work bag that doesn't mind getting battered
- Some books off the preliminary reading list
- Work appropriate clothing
- A planner (if anyone has any recommendations of one I'd love to hear it!)
- Folders, notebooks, stationery etc.
...and my mind goes blank. I dread the thought of showing up in September and missing something key.
A work bag is a good idea, but you will most likely not be able to keep the same bag! Be prepared to go through lots of 'bags for life' from Tesco etc!
A book that I would highly recommend that you pick up is "Getting the Buggers to Behave" by Sue Cowley. This is a fantastic book full of tips and tricks that will help you control the class during lessons (behaviour management). It even has tips on how to lay out the classroom.
If you are female, you should wear casual clothing that you would wear in an office (you don't need to be wearing a blazer though). As a male, you wold normally be expected to wear something formal like a shirt and tie. On your first day, dress formally until you are informed of the dress code.
You can buy your own academic planner/diary if you like, but schools will usually treat you as a staff member, and as such, will provide you with a staff planner that you can use for your planning and for the term dates.
As for stationary - just buy a few star stickers, a stamp for books, WHITEBOARD PENS and red/green marking pens. That is all you really need until you find you need more things.
100% get a notebook! Actually get two, for the following reasons:
- Give one to the member of staff whose lesson you are teaching so that they can write down some informal feedback for you to reflect on.
- Use the other book to write down your observations of other staff. You can even provide them with feedback on their teaching!
You could invest in a USB (I recommend 32GB or higher), but you will most likely be given a university email address that comes with OneDrive or Google Drive storage that you can use to store your files online. Even better, you will get a school email address as well and you can most likely do the same thing, but be aware this email address will be deleted after your placement. However, using online storage is much easier to keep track of and it reduces the risk of theft.
If your course is going to use a folder system for keeping evidence of meeting the Teachers' Standards, invest in a cheap hole punch to make it easy and quick to file it in. Click here to see the one I used and it turned out to be very helpful as I could actually keep it inside the folder!
Exciting times! I used to have a set of 30 cheap black pens (up to you how you get them back - swap for planner etc), my own board markers and cloth to wipe the board as some classrooms have nothing (depending on whether you teach in one room or in every room in the school. I used to buy an A4 page a day diary from Rymans to keep track, I also second asking staff if anyone has a spare planner. Some people like trollies or a crate to stick in the boot - or even a cheap suitcase to transport sets of books around school/home.
Try and mark as you go around the room as far as you can.
All the very best to you!
Try and mark as you go around the room as far as you can.
All the very best to you!
Eek me too!! Exciting times! Although can't afford to buy anything until finance comes through.
Original post by Purmerend
Folders, plastic wallets, pencils, pens (green, black, red), rulers, laser pointer thingy for powerpoint, revision guides for your own peace of mind (helps to photocopy work out of if kids are isolated and you don't want to send books down), 1TB hard drive (be careful, some schools don't allow them but don't get caught short either), laminator and laminating sheets, glue sticks (for you not the kids).
Consider how you'll carry everything around too. When I did my training, I got myself a tray similar to this
Couple of websites you can use to get resources from. YPO has a minimum order amount for private customers, but you'll be able to get pretty much everything you need stationary wise from hope. Don't bother with mini whiteboards etc. your school should have these.
https://www.ypo.co.uk/
https://www.hope-education.co.uk/
Can't go wrong with appropriate clothing but phone your placement school a few days before you start there to check their requirements on staff clothing. Some schools it's business attire and others don't mind as long as you're smart - they sometimes differentiate based on gender. The school I work in at the moment, men have to wear business wear but women, it's smart-casual.
Consider how you'll carry everything around too. When I did my training, I got myself a tray similar to this
Couple of websites you can use to get resources from. YPO has a minimum order amount for private customers, but you'll be able to get pretty much everything you need stationary wise from hope. Don't bother with mini whiteboards etc. your school should have these.
https://www.ypo.co.uk/
https://www.hope-education.co.uk/
Can't go wrong with appropriate clothing but phone your placement school a few days before you start there to check their requirements on staff clothing. Some schools it's business attire and others don't mind as long as you're smart - they sometimes differentiate based on gender. The school I work in at the moment, men have to wear business wear but women, it's smart-casual.
I would not expect trainees to have a laminator or buy so many resources! Don't buy too much; you are a student. We would supply a teacher planner and lots of texts to borrow ..
Original post by computed
A book that I would highly recommend that you pick up is "Getting the Buggers to Behave" by Sue Cowley. This is a fantastic book full of tips and tricks that will help you control the class during lessons (behaviour management).
A book that I would highly recommend that you pick up is "Getting the Buggers to Behave" by Sue Cowley. This is a fantastic book full of tips and tricks that will help you control the class during lessons (behaviour management).
From Andrew Old: "A well known but unhelpful book is “Getting the Buggers to Behave” by Sue Cowley. Avoid it, as it would be better named “Letting the Buggers Misbehave”. It makes suggestions such as letting older children swear, chew gum and keep their coats on. It even suggests pretending to eat dog food as a way to win the students over, which is, quite frankly, as demeaning a suggestion as you are ever likely to hear."
https://teachingbattleground.wordpress.com/2008/02/23/reloaded-faqs-for-nqts/
Original post by Muttley79
I would not expect trainees to have a laminator or buy so many resources! Don't buy too much; you are a student. We would supply a teacher planner and lots of texts to borrow ..
Each to their own.
As a trainee, I was expected to. The school I was work at has a SCITT that recommends this to trainees and the university I work with on their PGCE programme also recommends this. It’s a way of taking responsibility of your students and the classrooms you’re teaching in.
Laminator is personal preference. They can be scarce around schools or hogged like theyre gold dust. I don’t speak for other subjects but in science you can save a bunch of printing credits by laminating and using over and over (class set of periodic tables, group working activities etc). Even as a trainee.
Not all schools will be willing to supply a teacher planner and texts either. I had to beg admin to give me a planner for my trainee this year.
(edited 5 years ago)
Original post by Purmerend
Each to their own.
As a trainee, I was expected to. The school I was work at has a SCITT that recommends this to trainees and the university I work with on their PGCE programme also recommends this. It’s a way of taking responsibility of your students and the classrooms you’re teaching in.
Laminator is personal preference. They can be scarce around schools or hogged like their gold dust. I don’t speak for other subjects but in science you can save a bunch of printing credits by laminating and using over and over (class set of periodic tables, group working activities etc). Even as a trainee.
Not all schools will be willing to supply a teacher planner and texts either. I had to beg admin to give me a planner for my trainee this year.
As a trainee, I was expected to. The school I was work at has a SCITT that recommends this to trainees and the university I work with on their PGCE programme also recommends this. It’s a way of taking responsibility of your students and the classrooms you’re teaching in.
Laminator is personal preference. They can be scarce around schools or hogged like their gold dust. I don’t speak for other subjects but in science you can save a bunch of printing credits by laminating and using over and over (class set of periodic tables, group working activities etc). Even as a trainee.
Not all schools will be willing to supply a teacher planner and texts either. I had to beg admin to give me a planner for my trainee this year.
A SCITT, that explains it! I'd avoid this route like the plague - trainees are precious and should be looked after! I might want them to join my school if they show promise
What are printer credits?
(edited 5 years ago)
Original post by Muttley79
A SCITT, that explains it! I'd avoid this route like the plague - trainees are precious and should be looked after! I might want them to join my school if they show promise
Not just the SCITT though but also a University led programme which I work with. I don’t take students from my schools SCITT.
I agree, trainees should be looked after, but I’m not going to hand them everything on a plate either. These guys are pulling in £26k bursaries, plus £8k in student finance. They can afford to buy their own resources. Especially when a lot of schools in my region have budget freezes at the moment. We can’t afford to give trainees everything.
(edited 5 years ago)
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