With our trainees preparing for their block practice and having just completed their first assessments, we thought it would be a good time to reflect on what has been a positive half term. Our Primary trainees have recently submitted their first PGCE assignment and this reading and reflection will now support them in preparing for their second assessment point when they consider how adaptive teaching can help them to meet the needs of the children in their classes. Our schools report back that our trainees are making good progress and are supporting their mentors and children in so many ways.  Check out this video where our two trainees at Abbotskerswell have been using video to teach sign language across the school. This is what Headteacher Kevin Martin  had to say about them: 

"Our two trainees from Exeter Consortium, Mrs Rachel Hawkins and Miss Danielle Searle, came up with their own way that our bubbles can continue to communicate with each other while having to be kept apart.  Each week, Danielle and Rachel make and send videos of themselves teaching a ‘Sign of the Week’ to each of the teachers in our school.  Children in each class then watch these in their class with their teachers.  
 
The signs have been a great way for our pupils to continue to be able to communicate with those in different classes who they are not getting an opportunity to see at the moment.  
We have had very good feedback from parents about this, with parents commenting how their children have been coming home and show the different signs to them.  It has also been a good example of how teachers are thinking of creative ways of engaging the children and bringing out some positives during these challenging times.  
 
It has been great that even at an early stage in their placements, our trainees were able to think creatively and offer something that has impacted positively on our whole school community."

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The year has started with a bang for our Primary trainees and we are thrilled to have 33 engaged and knowledgeable students join the programme. We have a great mix of people from a range of backgrounds, many of whom have considerable school experience and others who have useful skills from other careers. All have shown a great enthusiasm and engagement with our induction days prior to the start of their school placements this week. We have shared our origin stories in a snowball fight which broke the ice (pun intended), and in doing so have learned what gave each trainee the bug to teach. We have unpicked what we mean by ‘deliberate practice’ and applied it to learning the latest playground craze ‘The Triangle Dance’. Well, we need to send the trainees into school able to impress in the playground as well as the classroom… Friendships and connections have been forged which we believe are key to having a productive year.

Alongside the team building and laughter, we have also faced some important and sometimes challenging subjects in order to prepare these new trainee teachers for their time in school. At the heart of all we do is the wellbeing and safety of pupils. We were fortunate to have excellent Safeguarding training delivered by one of our partner headteachers, Alice Purcell from Ide School, who covered all the key elements of safeguarding and child protection clearly and sensitively. We also enjoyed a classroom safari, looking at how the school make a small village site and a Victorian building work for their pupils. We were blown away by the creativity at the school and especially the Take One project which they are hoping might be displayed at the National Gallery.
The trainees are now settling into their schools for a full week immersed within the school setting and are carrying out a task designed to support them when they are NQTs in their own classes next year. They’re on the start of an incredible journey, and we are thrilled to be supporting them through it. Best of luck, Class of 2020!