This week Eltham College welcomed four young prospective teachers who have taken part in our inaugural Teacher Insight Programme.
The Programme is designed for undergraduate students from historically under-represented backgrounds who may be considering a career in teaching. It comprises a three-day placement at the school and features a range of activities aimed to give participants a taste of the many and different opportunities a career in teaching can offer.
Anisha, Stephanie, Rachel and Emily had a full timetable for their three-days here at Eltham College and took part in classroom teaching in subjects related to their degree, including Year 5 Maths, Year 10 Art, Year 8 Chemistry and co-curricular activities where they worked alongside the school’s teachers in both the Senior and Junior Schools.
Here is what the participants had to say about their experience;”
“I am impressed by the enthusiastic teachers who constantly reviewed their teaching strategies. I am empowered to be one of them and continue to inspire learners of all ages at different times.”
“Eltham Colleges passion to diversify their school even more so, and constantly work to improve the experience for both students and staff has left a mark on me. It is arguably rare to see a school so enthusiastic about creating the best environment.”
Mark Chesterton, Head of Teacher Training and Development at Eltham College, said: “We launched the Teaching Insight Programme in conjunction with other initiatives we are implementing to achieve greater diversity & inclusion with regards to Race, Ethnicity and Cultural Heritage. It was great to welcome Anisha, Rachel, Stephanie and Emily to Eltham College and let them learn from all the expertise in both the Junior and Senior schools. Colleagues were incredibly welcoming and generous with their time and the participants benefited hugely from this. We hope that this programme will grow even further in subsequent years and help the school play its part in encouraging people from all backgrounds into such a rewarding profession.”
It was a successful week showing Eltham College as a pioneer in running this kind of initiative where our aim is to attract more young teachers into the profession who are from under-represented backgrounds, so that the teaching community is more representative of the pupils we teach.
