"Training with The Solent SCITT has been the best decision for me. I have been fully supported throughout the course from both my school mentors and my SCITT mentor. I have gained so much confidence in my teaching ability and I am leaving the course confident and excited to have my own class."
I have always worked within the childcare profession. I started working in pre-schools and went on to work for a government scheme, supporting children with SEND in mainstream schools. I studied a foundation degree in Early Years Education, met my husband and moved to Cyprus. There, I worked in an international school teaching Reception year and had two children of my own. I moved back to England and got a job as an LSA in an infant school. When my youngest started school, I did a top up to my foundation degree to gain a BA honours in Childhood Studies, with the intention of doing my teacher training.
I had always thought about teaching, but initially, I didn’t have the confidence to do a degree. When I worked in a school in Cyprus, I knew that school was where I belonged! When I returned to England, I wanted to gain experience as an LSA, and doing this confirmed that teaching was the job for me! I waited until my own children were settled at school before I went back to university and on to do teacher training.
I looked at all the different routes into teaching, but I felt excited about the SCITT route because it was hands on experience from the start. The training started at the end of August and it eased us in with a week’s induction, with lots of opportunities to get to know all the other students and settle in. I have a school mentor and a SCITT mentor who are both extremely supportive. Choosing the Solent SCITT route into teaching was absolutely the best decision for me.
I am so excited to get my own class and I feel confident that I am leaving the course as a great teacher. I have gained so much confidence in my teaching ability throughout the course and now I can’t wait to get started.
"From the smooth communication with both SCITT staff and tutors, to the high standard lecture and workshop days to the SCITT’s special attention to the trainee’s wellbeing, and well-matched placement schools, The Solent SCITT has definitely been the right choice for me."
I studied Art when I first went to University of Tallinn in Estonia with a view of becoming an art teacher. As life followed its own trajectory at the time, I moved to UK. Within a few years, I became a mum to two precious boys. I put all my career aspirations aside but as the boys grew, I began looking into becoming a teacher again. I started an Open University course (Sports Psychology route) alongside working in a local secondary school to gain school experience whilst studying. I enjoyed the school environment so much! The buzz of the playground, the corridors and witnessing pupils and staff generating amazing pieces of work was awe-inspiring. So, once the last few months of study were underway, I applied for the primary teacher training course with The Solent SCITT.
Teaching was always my chosen career route throughout childhood. I was very lucky to have superb teachers when growing up – the type that would never give up on you, and never let you underachieve. Now it is my turn to do the same. I would like to support children in finding their feet in this big world and improve their chances of fulfilling that enormous potential that all of them possess.
There were a few reasons I chose The Solent SCITT as my Initial Teacher Training provider. I was lucky enough to be able to choose from three, however The Solent SCITT stood out for me from the moment I got invited to the interview. From the smooth communication with both SCITT staff and tutors, to the high standard lecture and workshop days to the SCITT’s special attention to the trainee’s wellbeing, and well-matched placement schools, The Solent SCITT has definitely been the right choice for me.
The Solent SCITT offers PGCE degree through Portsmouth University, likewise, it also awards me with points towards my future master’s degree. Once I have successfully established myself as a confident practitioner, I will embark on my master’s degree journey and hopefully continue my career from there. But for now, I am looking forward to having my own classroom and sharing all the fun facts I have in my head with the children. I can’t wait!
"The Solent SCITT is a fantastic route for anyone who wants to be immersed in the teaching role from day one. I have found it perfect for the way I learn, giving me the opportunity to apply and reflect every day, accelerating my progress and confidence."
My degree is in Graphic Design and my previous careers involved creativity and teaching children. Training to be a qualified Primary teacher enables me to overlap and fuse these and develop my own teaching style.
After feeling unsatisfied in other jobs, I wanted a career which gave me a real purpose every day. Children are fantastic critics; they keep you on your toes, and the role is constantly evolving.
I know that SCITT training was definitely the right approach for me; being able to apply your training to see its impact, and then reflect and adjust your planning accordingly on a day to day basis is just invaluable. Having such instant feedback really maximises your progression and boosts your skills and confidence.
I am about to start applying for jobs, which will be an exciting journey. Longer term I am interested in how I can adapt my practice to use my creative skills for maximum benefit to the children.
"Training at The Solent SCITT has been a breath of fresh air. I have met many other like- minded people who share the same passion for teaching as I do. I have met lots of professionals who are currently working in education who have provided some priceless guidance and information that has helped me through my training journey. I have never been surer of wanting to teach and that is through the support and help of all the team at The Solent SCITT and the cohort I have been lucky enough to share the training with."
I have a degree in Contemporary Dance from Chichester University. I graduated and moved to London to pursue a career in dance, however, I found that I wanted more from life than standing in a queue waiting to audition every day. So, I came back home and saw an advert for a learning support assistant at a local SEN provision. I had some experience from my dance background teaching children with SEN but didn't think they would choose me for the role. Much to my surprise, I got the job and loved every single moment of it during my four years there. I loved it so much and wanted to give back to the community that had taught me so much, so I investigated teacher training and ended up here at The Solent SCITT.
I have taught dance to many young people for years now and always found it therapeutic, but after experiencing the world through an SEN lens, I knew that teaching was exactly what I was meant to be doing and should have been doing a long time ago. I want to be able to inspire and motivate young people, I want them to always see that there is someone fighting their corner, for them to be the best version of themselves they can be because that is what they have taught me!
Training at The SCITT has been a breath of fresh air. I have met many other like-minded people who share the same passion for teaching as I do. I have met lots of professionals who are currently working in education who have provided some priceless guidance and information that has helped me through my training journey. I have never been surer of wanting to teach and that is through the support and help of all the team at The Solent SCITT and the cohort I have been lucky enough to share the training with.
I would like to become a headteacher one day but in the short term I want to be able to be the best teaching practitioner I can be and give something back to all the wonderful children who inspired me to start this journey.
"The SCITT tutors offer so much support and are always on hand with advice - nothing is ever too much trouble. I am so grateful to the SCITT for everything they have done in helping me achieve my dream job."
I have taken a slightly unconventional path into teaching science. When I was at school, I had two passions – science and dance. This led me to follow both subjects through at college before applying to study Biomedical Science at university and also musical theatre at a specialist performing arts centre. I was lucky enough to receive a scholarship to a performing arts college and I have since achieved a first class honours degree in Music and Musical Theatre. I spent time working as a dancer and performing in shows, however, I couldn’t deny my love of teaching.
I wanted to teach to inspire the young minds of the future, I remember teachers from school who made subjects interesting and exciting and made me feel that anything is achievable, and I hope to impart that feeling among students I teach.
My experience with The Solent SCITT has been fantastic. Being in school from day one has really helped to build my confidence, whilst training sessions gave me the opportunity to develop my teaching strategies. The SCITT tutors offer so much support and are always on hand with advice - nothing is ever too much trouble. I am so grateful to the SCITT for everything they have done in helping me achieve my dream job.
The training I have received has enlightened me to the ways to support students with special educational needs in mainstream education. I have been constantly inspired by the resilience of these students and also how much they gain from being in a mainstream setting. This has sparked a curiosity for me to explore SEN in more detail and therefore I hope to pursue a master's in this area. But first, I want to ensure I am constantly developing and growing into a better teacher.
"Training at the Solent SCITT has provided me with the confidence to truly believe I can be a good teacher. The support from all of the team has been unwavering, with members of the SCITT team going above and beyond to ensure that everyone on the course has the guidance they need. I couldn’t recommend the Solent SCITT highly enough for anyone looking to become a teacher."
I have an undergraduate degree in International Wildlife Biology and a master’s degree in Global Wildlife Health and Conservation. I have previously worked as an ecological surveyor, surveying for invasive species in and around London. As part of this role I worked closely with members of the public, educating them on the species being surveyed – this was my favourite part of the job. It broke up the days and I loved encouraging the curiosity of young people and answering all the weird and wonderful questions the children came up with! This is when I started thinking about teaching.
Before I started teacher training, I worked for a large retail outlet. The job kept me busy, but I didn’t feel passionate about what I was doing or have any sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. I wanted a job which I knew, with confidence, was having some form of positive impact. In teaching you can see the positive contributions you’re making to children’s lives in real time. I knew that choosing this career would mean that no matter how hard the day, I could always leave work knowing that what I had done that day was worthwhile.
I am a very academically minded person, so before any interviews for teacher training, I was convinced I would be choosing a university-led course. But my interview at The Solent SCITT completely changed my mind. My interview process was friendly, welcoming and above all my mind at ease that I would always get the support I would need when completing the course. This has been proven over and over again since September, with my mentor routinely checking to ensure I am ok and always willing to provide help, from lesson planning to taking the time on her days off to provide guidance with important decisions such as accepting a job offer for my NQT year. Everyone on the team goes out of their way to ensure that training is as smooth as it can be, and trainee welfare is always a priority.
At the moment, my future aspirations are simply to be the best teacher I can be. I know I still have a lot learn, so I plan to focus on enhancing my teaching practice and ensuring that I am helping the students in the best way I possibly can over the coming years.
"SCITT training was an amazing experience. It was an equal amount of theory and practical to ensure that I was well rounded and had the skills to succeed in the classroom. The practical element allowed me to learn from the students to progress my skills in teaching."
I have a BA Hons degree in Accounting and previously worked for 6 years as a financial sales representative for a global I.T infrastructure firm in London. Alongside that I am a Qualified Management accountant with a CIMA qualification. I chose to go travelling for 10 months during which time I qualified to teach English as a foreign language and have taught in 16 countries around the world.
I wanted to be able to help students improve their quality of life and open up opportunities for their futures.
SCITT training was an amazing experience. It was an equal amount of theory and practical to ensure that I was well rounded and had the skills to succeed in the classroom. The practical element allowed me to learn from the students to progress my skills in teaching.
I am currently teaching Maths and completing a Masters in Teaching and Learning. In the future I hope to progress my teaching skills to be able to implement changes that will impact students learning and school experience. I would also like to combine my knowledge of business with my teaching career.
"With students from a plethora of backgrounds, The Solent SCITT provides the ideal opportunity to train in different school placements, with taught aspects of the course provided in small, close-knit groups."
I’ve spent the last 20 years in the Royal Air Force. During this time, I have been deployed on operational duty into military field hospitals as a Biomedical Scientist, focusing on blood transfusion and clinical microbiology. I obtained a BSc and MSc in Biomedical Science over this period. I chose to leave in order to remain with my family in East Hampshire
Seeing the look in a student’s eye when they understand, especially in Science, is an immensely gratifying feeling.
Being able to train in a safe and personal environment is really good - as one of only 30 student teachers there are many opportunities for 1-to-1 if and when required. There is an excellent mix of practical and theoretical training within the course. One of the best parts is the ability to start within the school environment before the students return. This helps the process, ensuring I felt part of the teaching staff.
Whilst still undertaking the SCITT course, I have accepted an NQT job at The Petersfield School starting in September 2019. This will provide me ample opportunity to progress my teaching skills and knowledge in order to provide the very best for the students.
Being able to undertake Teacher Training with The Solent SCITT offers a unique and safe environment to learn on the job. With students from a plethora of backgrounds, The Solent SCITT provides the ideal opportunity to train in different school placements, with taught aspects of the course provided in small, close-knit groups.