University of Nottingham PGCE
Flexible Fortnight
Moving beyond the Teachers’ Standards
‘Thank you for the amazing experience! I know
other universities don't offer this. I feel like this
experience has allowed me to develop my practice
as a teacher and will influence everything I do in
the future.’
This period of the PGCE course is a flexible period of time in May developed to
meet the specific needs of the student teacher and might provide the following
opportunities:

where a student teacher still needs to securely meet the Teachers’
Standards, their teaching commitments will continue as before and they
will have a clear action plan for further development (in this case it will
have been agreed to delay the completion of the Final Profile);

where a student teacher is securely meeting the Teachers’ Standards, the
focus might involve a modified timetable to incorporate experiences that
will extend the student teacher’s professional development;

where a student is securely meeting the Teachers’ Standards and they
have a particular area of professional interest (for example, SEN), they
might be based in a different educational setting for some of this period.
For student teachers who are securely meeting the Teachers’ Standards, the
important element of this two week block is to provide some space for them to
develop beyond the Teachers’ Standards. We encourage our students to be
proactive about thinking about what they might do in this period of time and
discuss any ideas they have with their mentor and tutor.
What follows is an insight into some of the activities our students have engaged
with in the past and their thoughts on what they learnt from these experiences.
With thanks to all past students who have contributed to the creation of this
booklet.
‘My Flexible Fortnight was such a brilliant time, packed with
experiences that I never knew existed, never mind ever
expected to see first hand’
Alternative placements
We have a growing range of alternative placements that we can offer our
student teachers.
In recent years students have had 3-5 day placements at:

Oakfield School and Sports College - a City co-educational day school for
children aged 3-19 years with special educational needs, in particular
severe and profound learning difficulties and/or physical difficulties.

Wilds Lodge – a residential therapeutic school for boys

Home and Health Education Centre – provisions for young people who
have medical and/or mental health difficulties which make attending
mainstream school a challenge
o
Queens Medical Centre
o
Thorneywood Adolescent Unit

Beckhampton - a Pupil Referral Unit for girls of school age who are
Pregnant or Young mothers in Nottingham City and the surrounding area

Derby Pride Academy - led by Derby Moor Community Sports College in
partnership with Derby County Football Club the academy aims to provide
good examination outcomes and redirection work for high need students
in an alternative provision settings

Schools in challenging circumstances

Alternative provision units within mainstream schools

Attenborough Nature Reserve

Twycross Zoo

London Zoo
‘This was an amazing experience, as it made me realise
these students need more than subject specialists to
encourage them to become successful. You have to
teach students in a holistic fashion so that you can cater
for all their needs. This experience has been invaluable.’
Oakfield School and Sports College
‘It made me realise that
disability isn’t something to be
nervous about and that it is
very easy for teachers to adapt
to; i.e. on the Monday I pushed
a wheelchair for the first time,
on Tuesday I was ice-skating
with one!’
‘I have never really been around children with
severe/profound learning difficulties or physical difficulties,
so this experience gave me a real insight into the level of
support that is required. It was also great fun, and wonderful
to see a place where pupils’ needs are a priority, and where
the staff and pupils work together to create a happy, safe
and stimulating environment.’
‘I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to spend a week's placement at Oak
Field School and Sport's College in Bilborough.
On the first day of the placement, I worked with a Year One class. In the
morning, we took them on a trip to the local Cooperative shop where the pupils
were encouraged to touch the different textures of fruits and vegetables. There
was lots of focus on 'sensory' play and later in the afternoon, the pupils got to
taste 'mushy peas' and feel the texture with their hands and feet!
For the remainder of the week, I worked with the sixth form. I thought it was
excellent how the school focuses on preparing the pupils for independent living.
We did some recycling and litter-picking and later went to the school's 'flat'
where pupils can practise vacuuming, washing up, making beds, cleaning the
bathroom and other household jobs. Later, we also did some cooking with the
pupils and they prepared, chopped and stirred the ingredients for a tasty pasta
dish!
I thoroughly enjoyed my week at Oak Field School and was inspired by some
outstanding teachers and teaching assistants who make the pupils' experience at
school so positive. There is a great feeling of 'community' in the school. The high
expectations placed on all pupils created a feeling that 'anything is
possible' and it made the school an extremely inspiring place to be.’
Hospital and Home Education Learning Centre
‘To say the staff were incredible
does not do their amazing work
justice. They approach the children
and parents with unwavering
support and enthusiasm, not just
for their education and learning, but
for their personalities, their likes
and dislikes, their upmost hopes
and their darkest fears. ‘
‘I never realised how many pupils did
not go into mainstream school.’
‘My week at QMC Hospital school was
not only a real eye-opener but will
have a big impact on my teaching in
terms of adaptability and improvisation
in the classroom.’
‘As a typical beginning teacher, I often have a tendency to stick rigidly to my
plan, as oppose to adapting it mid-lesson if certain activities are running better
than others. However, teaching in an environment like the hospital, where the
pupil could become ill or tired mid-lesson, really made me develop my
flexibility. I taught a whole range of ages and subjects, often on my own. I
joined in the planning of the lessons with some of the members of teaching staff,
co-taught, observed and worked alongside medical staff. By the last day of the
placement, I was given my own ward to cover and, under my instruction, all the
pupils made puppets and teddies which they gave to their nursing staff.’
‘I spent my time at Thorneywood education base in St Ann's. This is a mental
health unit. There are three classes of primary aged children, a class of 15 and
16 year olds and a classroom of pupils who are inpatients. I spent most of the
time with the 15 and 16 years old. These were pupils who, due to anxiety,
couldn't go into mainstream school. The inpatients I met struggled with anorexia
and schizophrenia and it was really sad to see these children who were having to
live away from home. The school provided a calm atmosphere where pupils
could take part in lots of different activities.
‘In my flexible fortnight I did a one week placement at Thorneywood Learning
Base. I had the opportunity to support students on a one-to-one basis and
observe teachers teaching Maths, English, Science and ICT. I also had the
chance to talk to staff about why they decided to teach at Thorneywood and
what type of support they provide to their students.
I really enjoyed being there and experiencing a different element of teaching
compared to mainstream schooling. I also gained the knowledge that there are
many other pathways to education than the usual GCSE and A-levels.’
‘I spent a week at the Queen's Medical Centre Hospital School. I don't think I'd
prepared myself for what an incredible week this would turn out to be.
Each hour was so different to the last; you could be doing research into
hedgehogs with a seven-year-old one minute, then doing GCSE English
controlled assessments the next. I loved the variety and the pace of the day, as
well as the variety of students, ages and families that you met throughout the
day.’
Derby Pride Academy
‘I spent a week at Derby Pride Academy which is an Alternative Provision school
where pupils go if they have been permanently excluded or are on a 6 week
"turnaround" placement.
It was great! It was really good to see the other end of the spectrum with
regards to behaviour and also what sort of environment the pupils would be in
once they had reached that stage.
There are only 50 pupils in the school and it was great to observe the type of
lessons the teachers had planned and also how they managed the behaviour at
the school.
There were only 14 staff who were really 'close knit' and were very helpful with
providing me with information and giving me a general overview of the school. I
spent time in English, Geography, Technology, P.E., Volunteering and
Mathematics lessons.
It has given me the idea that I would like to work with pupils who are in this
situation, either in a mainstream school, working closely with Child Protection
and Safeguarding, or in a school similar to Derby Pride Academy one day.’
Attenborough Nature Reserve
‘Four students from the Science PGCE went to Attenborough Nature Reserve for
the week and worked on the idea of Science in the real world. We spent our time
developing activities you could create for all three sciences in that environment
and came up with ideas for both the KS3 science curriculum and KS4 and KS5
Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. We used a number of different data collection
methods and, by the end of it, we felt more confident in our ability to create a
field trip that is more than just a break from routine but also adds value in the
form of context to pupils’ classroom lessons.
As an environmental physicist I always like to get outdoors, I've taken classes
outside for demonstrations and investigations as a matter of course but being
able to go somewhere completely different was excellent. The guidance from
Mary about a particular article on how to incorporate physics into a field trip was
brilliant and I now have more software that can help me to explain a number of
aspects of sound and waves. The resources that are available at the
Attenborough Visitors Centre are excellent and the ability to use that as a base
was invaluable. I can attest that the gluten free carrot cake was wonderful too!
In terms of for me as a beginning teacher, it has opened up the concept of the
field trip to incorporate all aspects of the science curriculum. The ideas that we
came up with as a group, and the resources that we created, are in my file for
use in future, either at Attenborough at some point or in the more local
environment of my school. I spent a lot of my time thinking about how students
often behave very differently when they are on a field trip and, as they are out
of their comfort zone, the trip will (hopefully) stay in their memory along with
the lessons learnt in that different context.’
Day visits and activities
Our students have opportunities to get involved in, and sometimes lead,
activities in partnership schools and have day visits to a range of different
settings.
For example, in recent years students have spent the day:

at De Ferrers, an Apple Regional Training Centre

visiting Wilds Lodge – a residential therapeutic school for boys

learning about how to support English as an Additional Language pupils at
Derby Moor Community Sports College

with the Ear Foundation – a national charity that helps deaf people and
their families make the best use of technology to improve hearing,
communication and spoken language

running a Year 11 revision day at a local partnership school

visiting a local partnership school to learn about teaching mixed ability
classes

visiting schools in challenging circumstances to understand what an assetbased approach to teaching looks like in this context
‘I would just like to thank for you spending some time
with me this week and for allowing me to attend the
complex language development course. I found it a very
valuable experience and feel that I am now definitely
more aware of the challenges faced by children with
hearing loss and how to tailor my lessons to suit the
needs of everyone.
I feel that I am at a huge advantage over my peers on my
PGCE course and would therefore recommend this
opportunity to next years' students on the PGCE so that
others can also benefit.’
The de Ferrers Academy
The best use for
technology for learning is
when that technology
becomes almost invisible
De Ferrers Academy is one of our partnership schools based in Burton on Trent.
It is an Apple Regional Training Centre and has rolled out a 1:1 iPad initiative
across KS 4 and 5. It is a really interesting school to visit and explore how iPads
can be used to transform teaching and learning - they are using a range of apps
for teaching and assessment and some of the outcomes are very exciting.
The school offers a day's experience for English and maths student teachers. The
lunchtime and afternoon is spent learning about how the school became an
Apple Regional Training Centre and gaining first hand experience of how iPads
can be embedded into teaching to enhance and transform progress and learning.
As a further experience, the school offers the morning for students to work with
small groups of Y11 running revision masterclass sessions, providing a great
opportunity to see what Y11 pupils are struggling with in the run up to exams.
"Thank you so much for yesterday, I thoroughly enjoyed the whole day,
and a huge thank you for lunch!
For me, the whole day was a positive experience. The group that I
worked with in the morning were lovely and I found it very useful
seeing some of the areas of maths that they are struggling with at this
point before their exams. I was pleasantly surprised at how I have
transformed into a technology lover after the afternoon session with
Greg considering I arrived slightly afraid of iPads! I can't wait to try to
use what we did yesterday in my classroom, in fact I was buzzing about
it so much today that the head of maths at my teaching practice school
has asked me to share what I have learnt at the next departmental
meeting.
Thanks again for such a wonderful day! "
Wilds Lodge
Wilds Lodge School is an independent specialist boarding and day provision for
boys with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties aged between 5 and
18. All the students at the school have a Statement of Special Educational
Needs (SEN) or Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP). It was established in
2007 and aims to place an equal emphasis on the educational, social and
psychological development of our students. The key to the success of the school
is a strong ethos, developed by a highly experienced and capable staff, and the
strength of the relationships between the staff and the students.
‘An eye opening experience. Hearing about the students and their backgrounds
put several things into perspective for me. My black and white approach to
behaviour management has changed. I can now empathise with some of the
underlying issues these students face and therefore I feel I will be more
encouraging of these students. When the road seems long, I will be happy to
fight the battle and win these students around. I know education is one of the
very little options they will have to help them succeed in life. (Sorry, a bit deep
but I'm passionate about EBD).’
‘Wilds Lodge is an amazing place and the visit will stay with me for a long time.
The school’s child-centred, supportive and caring ethos definitely echoes my own
approach to teaching and is one I want to embed in my practice. The visit
caused me to consider the hidden messages children receive and how an
awareness of these will inform my teaching.’
‘I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Wilds Lodge. It was a great chance to see a
completely different teaching and learning environment, and speak to the
members of staff about their experiences. The setting and ethos of the school is
incredible; and there are many aspects of the experience that I would like to
take into my own teaching practice. Without this opportunity from the University
I can’t see that I would ever have visited an EBD school, or known how to do
this. As a result of the experience, I would seriously consider working in an EBD
setting, after gaining some experience in mainstream schools. This experience
made me more interested in knowing what happens to the pupils who are
expelled from school, or struggling at school. I will be keen to get to know my
pupils well as an NQT teacher, including knowing what problems they might be
facing outside of my lessons. Talking to the staff also gave me useful strategies
for approaching more challenging pupils and situations at school. I think that this
experience was definitely useful to me as a beginning teacher.’
Experiences in Teaching Practice placement school
Whilst we have an ever growing range of opportunities to offer our student
teachers, we also encourage them to be proactive and think about ways in which
they can use the flexible fortnight to develop their practice in innovative and
creative ways.
Working alongside their mentor, our students have used this period of time to
experience new, and different, things in their placement school in order to
address personal targets or learn more about a specific area of interest.
Some of the activities our students have been involved in over recent years
include:

Creating a scheme of work

Working closely with the SEN department in the school

Organising a transition day for the local primary school's Y6 during June,
again for the English department.

Organising a theatre trip for gifted and talented pupils

Working with specialist staff in school

Developing an outreach project for local feeder schools

Teaching a new class to have another go (with experience) at setting up
working relationships with a class in preparation for September

Accompanying school trips in the UK and abroad

Observing teachers with a particular focus based on individual targets

Visiting feeder primary schools

Arranging their own visits to alternative provisions across the country
Students’ views on the value of their experiences
‘Loved seeing what support was in place for pupils behind the scenes and how
pupils with very complex needs were supported. This flexible fortnight
highlighted to me techniques to support pupils, the need for more information
sharing between support staff and teaching staff and the importance of the SEN
department and those that work in it.’
‘I loved liaising with the local community and primary schools, being a
part of the wider responsibilities in the school and learning outside the
classroom, seeing how much the kids enjoyed it too.’
‘This has been an invaluable experience as I now have several ideas on
how to incorporate problem solving into my lessons and will use many of
the ideas when I start in September as an NQT.’
‘For me it has given me a new interest in the pastoral side of teaching and
especially SEN work.’
‘It was incredibly useful to see this different environment and, I feel, a good use
of my flexible fortnight.’
‘I enjoyed the creative aspect of it and the authentic materials - language
learning can be so exciting but it takes quite a lot of time to prepare
resources. It was also a good opportunity to give something back to the
department that supported me throughout Teaching Practice.’
‘Oscar Wilde once said, 'you can never be overdressed or
overeducated', and whilst I have certainly turned up to a few
parties and realised that I'm the only person not in jeans and
trainers, I certainly agree with the second half of the
statement.
I think what Oscar was trying to get at is that to educate
ourselves to the full potential, we must gain every experience
to paint the biggest picture possible. You can never learn 'too
much', and, as the old adage goes, you're never too old to learn
either!’
With this in mind, I applied to use my Flexible Fortnight to cram
in as much as possible. All of the experiences I had offered such
different insights into the vast world of education, and I
couldn't wait to visit them all. All three placements have
provided value beyond measure, with experiences that I am
certain I will take with me throughout my teaching career.’