My Contrasting School Experience - visiting another Year 1

This is different...

As part of my teacher training, I had to spend a week (four or five days) at another primary school. This was called my Contrasting School Experience (CSE) and was part of my broader school experience. It was another part of my learning and development, and I would be teaching another year 1 class in a totally new setting.

My CSE placement had to be done before Easter, and I was keen to do it in January or February, before half term. I thought that would be a good time of year, as my first term would be under my belt, and I'd also be able to write about it in my second termly review. There was an outstanding London primary school that I was keen to visit, and I emailed the headteacher. Headteachers are always super busy, and it was great to get a positive response after my follow-up call. The head connected me with a year 1 teacher, who would be my host teacher and mentor. She kindly worked on a timetable for me that included observing, teaching, and team teaching. I had to teach 50% of the time, and my host teacher would formally observe me twice. After managing to get the week all booked in, COVID, unfortunately, got in the way and the placement had to be moved to early March.

Ahead of my CSE, my mentor and I had to agree on some objectives for my placement. We decided that the focus would be on learning the school's routines, building relationships with pupils and establishing a teacher presence from the start. I would also observe how misconceptions were addressed and use assessment for learning to address them. Some of the objectives included targets that I was already working on, and I recorded them all on my CSE Form 1. My mentor also added her comments to the form, against each objective.  

I always knew that all schools were different, and I was able to identify numerous differences between my employment school and my CSE school. My contrasting school was in a more affluent area than my employment school, but many of the pupils lived on a neighbouring estate. My CSE school used the same phonics and writing programmes as my school, but they used a different maths programme. I was used to Maths No Problem! and my CSE school used White Rose Maths.  

Teachers used some of the same silent signals as my employment school, but it wasn't a silent school. Pupils were allowed to talk quietly as they transitioned around the school and were encouraged to self-regulate. Wall displays showcased work from all attainment levels, which my host teacher said was really important. She said it ensured that all pupils felt included, valued and praised. The school's behaviour policy focused on restorative conversations, and there was a class reward system. There was a big emphasis on staff well-being in the school, with posters in staff areas and a well-being corner in the staff room. I'm not usually enthralled by school dinners, but I was very impressed with the school's huge salad bar and lunch menu. My CSE school didn't have a playing field, but it did have a running track and a small garden.

My employment school and contrast school had roughly the same number of pupils, but my CSE school seemed much bigger. My employment school was all on the ground floor, but my contrast school had multiple floors. Pupils had to trawl up and down stairs to get to lessons, assemblies, the dining hall and the playground, which was a very different experience for me. It was tricky to monitor behaviour on the stairwell, and it can be an easy place for conflicts to occur. My CSE classroom was on the first floor of a Victorian building, with high windows and a high ceiling. It was strange not being able to see out the windows, and I had to work on my voice projection. I was used to a classroom with a low ceiling and windows that looked out onto a lush green field.

I felt that my employment school had a huge advantage by being on one floor. Pupils didn't have to navigate stairs, and it was easier to manage behaviour and prevent conflicts. Staff were able to monitor pupils as they moved around the school, and there were fewer blind spots. The classrooms in my employment school also had direct access to outside space, and pupils were able to go for run breaks during lessons. In my contrast school, the teacher played a fun exercise video for pupils to have a stretch and learning break.

Before starting my CSE, the school's headteacher told me that it was a very challenging year group, and I observed this for myself. The class had lots of children with autism, and I learned about their specific needs and behaviour patterns. There were also a number of pupils with severe behavioural issues. Some of them were waiting for a diagnosis, and others were showing signs of ADHD. Some of the behaviour was quite disruptive in lessons, and I hadn't experienced this in my employment school. One pupil regularly shouted out, while another struggled to sit on the carpet. I spent the first day of my placement observing lessons and getting to know the pupils, which was one of my objectives. I wanted to learn their names quickly, as that was really important to me.  

Team teaching with my host teacher was a really good way to begin teaching. She divided lessons into different sections for us to teach sequentially. She was super supportive throughout the week and gave me some really helpful feedback. Ahead of my observations, I was able to adapt her planned lessons, and I used her slides and classroom resources. I reflected on the activities I did to meet my objectives and recorded them on CSE Form 2.

On the final day of my placement, my host teacher and CSE mentor added a comment to my second form. She confirmed that I'd completed the placement and addressed my objectives. I got along really well with her, and she told me to keep in touch, which was really nice. Following the placement, my last task was to record the learning from my CSE, which I was going to embed into my practice. I noted this down on my CSE Form 3, which was the final form.

On reflection, I can honestly say that my CSE was a fantastic part of my training. The week was a key learning experience for me, and it was a real privilege to explore a completely different setting. I identified key differences between both schools, and my host teacher helped me to understand her school's philosophy. I was encouraged to think about my own philosophy of education, and I began to challenge what I thought I believed and valued. I knew that my philosophy of education could change and evolve throughout my training, and my CSE definitely made me reflect on my beliefs. It was an honour to teach another class in another school, and the week opened my eyes to a whole new world of teaching and learning.