Student Teaching Assistant Review

I do not feel that I was given enough opportunities to gain experience during my placement as I was often left to do tasks that did not relate to my courses required tasks such as sticking work in the children's books and having to redo this if they didn't look perfect.

Whilst the supply teachers and lunchtime staff seemed to appreciate me being there and the help that I gave them during my time there, I felt like I was in the way in the classroom and was actually moved to another class in the first week without explanation but things did not improve.

I did not come into contact with the head teacher much despite asking for this contact. I feel like this was unfair as whilst she will have been busy I have never been in a similar placement before in which I did not have the opportunity to regularly see the head teacher.

Other than being in charge of the outdoor play on a regular basis I do not feel as though I was kept busy for the majority of my time there and was often left out of the classroom to do other tasks unrelated to my university course and the tasks required to complete it.

I was given the responsibility of supervising 40-50 children during their outdoor playtimes and leading on p.e. lesson with a small group of children but other than this I was not given much responsibility, however despite this I feel like I also received minimal instruction and/or advice on what I should be doing.

I was able to experience what it was like to be in a KS1 classroom however I do not feel as though I was given adequate opportunities and experiences to practice my teaching skills. However, I was able to gain experience with children who were of an older age range than what I was used to which was helpful in understanding my abilities and considering my choices for my future career.

The teachers didn't seem as enthusiastic as I expected them to be and staffroom chatter was not always positive. Worries were clear about upcoming inspections and many looked forward to the holidays. Despite this, teaching assistants and lunchtime staff seemed to have a much more positive attitude which could be a reflection of the pressures put onto teachers.

The teacher did not have time to look through my tasks due to being busy with her own tasks and classroom plans so a lot of my work had to be left until the last minute which caused me anxiety and concern that I would not have everything done in time.

As I mentioned above, there was not enough time to discuss and go over my tasks so things were left until the last minute which did not give me much confidence that I would succeed in my written work for university which was dissapointing as placement aspect of the course was the main reason I chose it.

This is not relevant to me as I do not live near the school where I completed the placement.

I was placed in this placement by myself so I did not have the opportunity to meet other students during my time on placement.

I did not live in the town where my placement was so this question is not relevant to me. There was only one shop near to my placement which did not sell much other than snacks and drinks so I do not believe it would be a very social place to live.

As I did not live in the town where my placement was I cannot comment on this however there was nothing around other than one corner shop so I assume that the opportunities for nightlife in this area would be very minimal.

I was not offered any other opportunities at this placement.