AS a postgraduate student with only a year’s training before she took on her first class, Anna Gill feels the time she had out of lessons in her induction year was “very important”.
The reduced timetable gave her space to attend courses and “get her head around” issues that had only been touched on during her training, such as special needs.
But some of her friends were not so fortunate, and found the supply teacher supposed to cover for their time off was instead filling in for sick colleagues.
Mrs Gill, 24, now in her second year of teaching at Kingsway primary school, Leicester, said her school-based mentor and tutor provided good personal and professional support. They also tried to make sure she had a life outside school and enjoyed her job. “I was lucky. I did get the time and courses. If you don’t, you are going to struggle,” she said.
