A significant element of your professional development as a primary teacher is the time you will spend across the three years of the course within a range of schools. During this time, you will work with a variety of mentors, who will support and guide you as you build upon the practice and theory introduced during your work at the university. As you move into your various placements, you will be fully supported by your academic mentor and the wider tutor team.
At Level 4, your first year, you will spend a minimum of 40 days in school initially working with individual children, then groups and by the end of the year taking the whole class for 10-20% of the time.
Level 5 builds on the experience gained during the first year, as you move into a different school and age group, working with a new mentor. During this year, you start to plan in more detail, ultimately delivering 50-60% of the whole-class lessons during the minimum of 45 days placement.
As you progress into your final year of training, you will lead the class for the majority of the time (80%). This will involve you continuing to work closely with your school-based mentor to plan and deliver effective learning opportunities for your class. You will be able to draw from the insight you have gained from your university-based sessions to ensure that you are confident in meeting the needs of all children, whilst fully engaging them in their learning. At Level 6 you will complete a minimum of 48 days in placement and by the end of your course, you will have completed a minimum of 133 days on placement.
Working within various schools will enable you to gain an understanding of the complexities of teaching. Whilst this is a challenging element of the course, it is also highly rewarding, where you see your impact, as a teacher, really start to show and your professional practice and confidence develop, in preparation for your first full-time post.