Tuesday 21 April 2015 Prospective teachers training with School Direct are placed in the school environment from the start, for an all-round experience of school life within and beyond the classroom. The White Rose Alliance (WRA) is a partnership of Yorkshire schools providing School Direct teacher training. WRA has expanded from five schools to ten this year to bring even greater breadth and depth to the trainees’ experience. As well as offering teaching placements, the schools run ‘school experience days’ for trainees to discover the features of each school and what makes it individual. The most recent school experience day brought WRA trainees together at The Grammar School at Leeds (GSAL) to explore the co-curricular opportunities on offer to pupils, which at GSAL amount to around 150 different clubs and activities. As well as meeting students to talk about their co-curricular involvement, the trainees learned about the valuable impact a co-curricular programme can have on the learning process, pupil-teacher relationships and students’ personal development. Trainees were encouraged to consider what they could personally bring to a school’s co-curricular offering. Dr Carole Walton, deputy head at King James’s School Knaresborough, said: “It’s quite clear the diversity of school contexts is something prospective WRA applicants see as a strength of our alliance. School experience days show trainees what different schools might look for in a job applicant and value at interview.” Margaret Newsome, White Rose Alliance coordinator, said: “It’s very important for professional development that trainees appreciate different school contexts and the school experience days give individual schools the chance to showcase the work of pupils and staff. The day at GSAL has raised awareness of the diversity of activities and how these can tap into the talents of trainees.” Maya Soley, training to teach secondary history, is currently on a placement at King James. She said: “Every school is different; these school experience days help to prepare us for the future away from the ‘bubble’ of our placement school. Today’s focus on co-curricular work in schools is very useful and has made me think about what I could contribute.” WRA welcomes four new higher education partners in the 2015/16 academic year – Leeds Beckett University, Durham University, Sheffield Hallam University and York St John University. The addition of the four universities means that a greater variety of specialist subjects can be offered to trainees. For this September there are training vacancies in biology, chemistry, maths, English, modern foreign languages, geography and computer science. For further details and how to apply visit www.whiterosealliance.org.uk The partner schools in the White Rose Alliance are: King James’s School, Knaresborough (WRA Lead School) Allerton Grange School, Leeds Northallerton and Catterick Federation Priesthorpe School, Pudsey Ripon Grammar School Sherburn High School Stokesley School, Stokesley Tadcaster Grammar School The Grammar School at Leeds Thirsk School and Sixth Form College General Senior School News
