Failed first PGCE placement

Sorry to hear that you failed your first placement. It very much depends on your fit with the school and how the school fits with you. Having had a bad placement recently with an unsupportive teacher, I know how difficult the PGCE can be.

With lesson planning, is there anyone you can talk to at the uni? We had a lesson on lesson planning and whilst, it isn't easy, it might help give you some guidance.

Try to put your experience behind you and learn what you can from it. A new school will bring new opportunities as well as challenges and just because you felt overwhelmed in this placement, doesn't mean you will in your new placement. Are you going into your placement soon? With the COVID-19, it's all rather uncertain at my university.

I'm sorry to hear that you've been through this- it does sound like a really difficult situation.

From your original post, it sounds like your uni discussed details of your seizure and anxiety with the school without your consent? This is very concerning to me, as in no way should they be sharing your medical details with anyone without your consent.

However, other than medical information, you do have to assume anything you share with your uni tutor will be shared with school. Your uni tutor is not really there as someone to offload to, they are someone who makes sure you are getting the right support in school, so if you tell them there is a problem, they are expected to act on it. If you just want to offload, then uni wellbeing services can be a better choice.

It does sound like you were very unsupported with lesson planning both before placement and in school- this must have made things difficult to deal with. No-one should be up until midnight planning, this is totally unsustainable, and there are ways to do it more quickly (partly by stealing everything you can).

It does sound like the school haven't treated you brilliantly, especially on the last day. However, I would just say as a word of advice- whilst on the PGCE or NQT, never call anyone out on their advice or how they are teaching. A lot of the time you will get contradictory advice and feedback, or people who give advice but don't follow it themselves. It's not great, but calling people out on it just gets their back up and makes life difficult for you. Just sit there, smile and nod, and then do the best you can next lesson!

The PGCE is a really tough process, and a lot of people really struggle at one placement but do fine at another. So much comes down to what your mentor and in-school support are like, unfortunately.

Good Luck going forwards, and I hope you're able to pass whenever you're able to resume placement.

ETA: At my uni, it was against policy to be failed on a standard if you weren't already aware you were failing it and given a chance to improve. Do check policies carefully and you may be able to appeal some/all of the judgement on your previous term.

Thanks, I realise now not to call them out on it, although I still think that's ridiculous. I was genuinely confused as to which way to go with the advice and why I was being criticised for what I saw the teacher doing. The uni could have given me a heads up this is what to expect!

Yeah it is really tough- the PGCE is such a weird situation to be in.

The reality is that no-one can be the perfect teacher all the time, and good mentors get this and explain this. Some mentors know the theory and expect you to be capable of it, whilst making excuses for themselves.

I think it's wrong that the quality of your mentor is so make or break on your PGCE, but it very often is, and unless they are absolutely terrible, the uni will often prioritise their relationship with schools over an individual student's wellbeing- but they obviously don't want to tell you that at the start of the course!

I'm not saying any of this is right, by the way, I just think there are some real problems with the PGCE system.

All I can say is if you get through it, it does get better!

I agree. The PGCE system really does need a rethink to support students more, rather than placement experiences being pot luck.

Thank you both of you, thanks to everyone replying! Taking all my willpower to believe the next one will be better.

I think it just needs more standardisation, and less relying on mentors who often have a full classload of their own to teach.

I do think that there should be tighter restrictions on who can be a mentor- a lot of people end up with someone who is NQT+2, and while some of these people are awesome, in general, I do think the less experienced the mentor, the more likely you are to have a poor experience (although this isn't always the case).

My PGCE was pretty crap throughout, if I am honest, but being an NQT is so much better!

I agree there should be tighter restrictions on who can be a mentor. Not just in experience but also in whether they are full/part time (I don't think a part time teacher should be a mentor unless there are two that job share and they are equally use to having students) and I think the mentor should have a choice with it. Mine didn't seem to want to have a student and I think it was the school who had informed that class teacher that they were having one.

I'm glad to hear it is much better as an NQT.