Story of a trainee teacher

I've had a fantastic experience as a teacher apprentice in 2023/24. I have been very well supported by the network of people around me, from my class teacher mentor and school based mentor at VGP, to DET staff, to Roehampton University staff. This network of touch points has enabled me to thrive and take in all of the expertise around me. This route into teaching has given me huge amounts of in class experience: I have been at school four days a week, which enabled me to develop a strong relationship with my class of learners, as well as with my class teacher mentor and TA.

It also enabled me to fully embed myself within the school community and take on the ethos and principles of VGP, for example the nurturing approach to teaching and learning. Alongside this, I went to Roehampton every Friday for academic learning, and was able to immediately apply this theory to practice as I returned to school the next working day. My mentors and I checked in very regularly, including a weekly review meeting where we reflected on my practice and set targets for continued development.

I have been able to grow significantly as a teacher this year because of the excellent support I have received. I feel both excited and nervous to take on my own class for the first time in September 2024, but I know that I am going into it with the best possible starting point after a great year as an apprentice. I would highly recommend this route into teaching!

Billy Kwong