24 July, 2023
OAT has been mentoring the next generation of teachers with “rewarding” summer placement opportunities. The programme invited 30 undergraduate interns across the UK who were interested in a career in education to gain hands-on experience in the classroom and learn from the experts through training, shadowing, and practical exercises.
Across the summer term, students have had crucial opportunities to spend time learning from specific-subject departments, leading their own lessons, and supporting students in homework clubs or through extracurricular activities.
The programme ran at schools across the country, including Ormiston Victory Academy and City of Norwich School in Norfolk, Ormiston Forge Academy, George Salter Academy, and Ormiston Sandwell Community Academy in the West Midlands, Stoke High School in Ipswich, and Ormiston Sir Stanley Matthews Academy, Ormiston Horizon Academy, and Ormiston Meridian Academy in Stoke-on-Trent.
Those who took part in the internship have left confident and excited about their future in teaching, with one intern from George Salter Academy saying that “this internship has solidified to me that teaching is a career I definitely want to pursue and I am so grateful for the three weeks I have had.” Students from across the programme have said they are “definitely going to apply to teaching training” as a result of the rewarding and interesting placement opportunity.
Alongside this, another student from the Ormiston Meridian Academy said the “internship has made me realise that I am a very capable teacher” and that they “had an amazing experience working with the staff and the students!” Undergraduates from the academies spoke about how much they enjoyed bonding with the children and helping them develop a love for learning.
The opportunity was open to students undertaking a degree in STEM-related subjects including maths, chemistry, physics, computing, and MFL (Modern Foreign Languages), who wanted to discover what a teaching career looks like.
Throughout the experience, students followed a structure of activities to gain a broad experience of teaching, including:
“This internship has solidified to me that teaching is a career I definitely want to pursue and I am so grateful for the three weeks I have had.”
Summer intern at George Salter Academy
The trust secured the significant opportunity to deliver the Teaching Internships Programme as part of the UK Government’s Get into Teaching service, which encourages and supports prospective students through their journey into the profession.
Following this summer’s outstanding success, OAT is hoping to continue the programme next summer and support another amazing cohort of future teachers.
Nick Hudson, CEO said: “Our Teaching Internships Programme has been an amazing success, and both our interns and staff have learnt so much from the experience. It is great to have received such positive feedback from everyone who took part, and to see how much the programme has helped young people across the country in their career.
“At OAT, we know that teaching is an incredibly rewarding profession, and we are delighted to provide the opportunity for more passionate young people to learn about the difference they can make through education.”
Find out more: https://www.ormistonacademiestrust.co.uk/careers-and-training/teaching-internships-programme/
Category: News
Tags: Internships, ITT, OAT Interns, OAT Internship Programme 2023, Summer interns 2023, Teaching careers
