School experience - Education

School experience provides students with an opportunity to enhance the taught sessions they have within the university.

The school experience (Early Years)

School experience provides students with an opportunity to enhance the taught sessions they have within the university. Early Years' settings are carefully selected and their staff work as mentors in partnership with students and university tutors to enable student teachers' learning to develop in both Key Stage 1 and the Foundation Stage . Year 1 students are placed in schools and early years' settings throughout the year for a total period of just under eight weeks. Students need to work in Key Stage 1 and the Foundation Stage. It is important that the general nature of the course with its 3-7 age-range is not overlooked. For this reason students undertake two placements in their first year, one in the autumn term and the remainder of the year students are allocated to a class within the Foundation Stage (usually in Reception). Experience is divided between serial placements, where students are in school on a regular one day a week basis, and block placements.

The school experience (Primary)

School experience provides students with an opportunity to enhance the taught sessions they have within the university. Year 1 students are placed in school throughout the year for a total period of just under eight weeks. Although students usually embark on the course having identified a preference for either Key Stage 1 or Key Stage 2 pupils, it is important that the general primary nature of the course with its 5-11 age-range is not overlooked. For this reason students undertake two placements in their first year, one in the autumn term and the remainder of the year students are allocated to a class within what at that stage they have identified as their preferred key stage. Experience is divided between serial placements, where students are in school on a regular one day a week basis, and block placements.

A typical school experience in the first year

• Autumn term introductory placement - one week, then five serial days (10 days)
• Spring term main placement - introductory phase (4 days)
• Summer term main placement - block attachment (24 days)

Total School based days: 38

In the autumn and spring terms these block placements are of a week's duration and four days respectively, while in the summer term placement extends to four weeks. This first year is critical in promoting students from the status of inexperienced apprentices to autonomous practitioners assuming the responsibilities of the class teacher for much of the day. All students will be given the opportunity during this placement to observe teaching and learning in a culturally and linguistically diverse context.

In terms of student development and professional competence, the focus of Year 1 school-based work is lesson planning and preparation for diversity, relationships with children and professional commitment. University core subjects and knowledge of young children and their impact in the classroom application will be developed in parallel with these professional skills.

The pattern of school experience has been planned to ensure that students will be in contact with schools throughout the year. Teaching is a highly complex activity in which the required knowledge, understanding and skills are most appropriately acquired cumulatively. The structure of School Experience in Year 1 enables students to familiarise themselves quickly with the organisational routines, resources and curriculum delivery associated with both Key Stages. At the start of both placements students will be collecting information about the context in which they are working through observation and enquiry. They will supervise groups of children who are working under the teacher's planning. As they progress through the year they will undertake directed tasks that will, particularly in the core areas, involve the planning and teaching of lessons. From the outset students can establish their professional status with the whole class by reading stories and taking the register. By the summer term block practice it is anticipated that students will be assuming more class management responsibility so that for the final three weeks they assume their class teacher's responsibility for approximately 70% of the day.