FAQ for New Teachers
Who are the students in the scheme?
They are volunteer students from a variety of disciplines (undergraduate or postgraduate). They are not student teachers although some of them may be considering a career in teaching.
Why are they volunteering?
Most students want to get as broad experience as possible while at University. They want to do something worthwhile and at the same time develop their communication skills and increase their self-confidence. Experience they gain while on the Students in Schools scheme will help them differentiate themselves on their CV.
What is expected of students in the classroom?
The students are in the classroom working under your guidance to offer support to the children either in groups or singly. This support will either be in a particular subject or as one on one native language support to children who have little or no English. In either case they should never remain in the classroom without a member of staff present or be alone with a child. We ensure that all the students are made aware of these requirements during their training.
How long do they volunteer for?
Students volunteer to work with you for a period of 1-2 hours a week over a period of 10 weeks. Many enjoy the experience and ask to continue beyond the 10 weeks. We do insist students give plenty of notice if for any reason they are unable to attend and please reinforce the importance of reliable attendance with your student. If you feel that your student has a poor attendance record please do let your link teacher know.
What do I need to do?
The objective of the scheme is to inspire schoolchildren to go into higher education so it is important to introduce our students as being from the University of Reading.
The student will be asked to come early for their first lesson so hopefully you will have time to talk to them and find out more about their skills as well as explaining how you would like them to get involved in your class.
How to get the most from your volunteer
Some of our volunteers can be quite shy at first and while we do stress the importance of them being pro-active and using their initiative some students may need encouragement to get involved and fully engaged with the children. It is very helpful for them if you can spare a little time each week to go over what you want to achieve during the class or what you are planning for the following week. You will certainly get the most out of your student if you can plan ahead how you will use them and communicate your plan with them.
How can I get in touch with my student?
If for any reason it is not possible for the student to be with you on a particular day, and there is no other suitable class for them to help in, please let the student know as soon as possible. Their email addresses and mobile phone numbers are held in their online record and if you select the Message a Volunteer option in the school portal you can automatically send your volunteer a message.
What do I do when the student has finished their 10 weeks?
If the student has not asked you if they can stay on beyond their 10 weeks they should tell you when they are about to attend their last session. Please use this final session as an opportunity to remind your class that they have been helped by a University student. If time allows and you feel it would a success you could ask the student to talk about their experiences at University and encourage the class to ask questions.
What do I do if I have a problem?
If you have any problems with any of your students please talk directly to the student or to your link teacher. If this does not resolve the issue please contact the Students in School co-ordinator, Judy MacDevitt on 0118 378 6144 or at j.macdevitt@reading.ac.uk