Apprehensive about starting SCITT in Sept!

[GreySkiesAboveMe]

I wonder if people could tell me whether I am capable! As I’m reading so much about how hard it is, and I’m doubting myself.

I’m a sort of career changer. I’ve been working with primary and secondary schools for the past 15 years teaching outdoor education and field studies in residential centres where the school and their teachers stay for usually 2-4 nights.

A typical day would be:
Drop my dc off at Breakfast club at 8, to be in work for 8:30.
8:30-9 have meetings with colleagues and visiting teachers.
Meet children at 9 for the day’s activities. It’s full on as I organise them to sort their kit for the day, help them make their lunches, I have to sort out activity equipment (say kayaking, so the children’s kit, my kit and safety kit), I then run the session (which I used to make plans for but don’t bother now) until lunch.
12:30ish lunch, which I have with the kids and also run around sorting bits out such as lost property, de rigging climbing wall, setting up for the afternoon.
13:30ish we do it all again but a different activity such as gorge walking, high ropes, hill walking etc. until 4:30ish
4:30-5 sort out kit and kids and get them in to dinner for 5pm.
5pm go home and collect my own dc before after school club closes at 5:30.

The issue I have is, after a day of doing the above. I get home with my own dc at 5:35, sort their dinner, tidy up a bit, take dog for short walk, do bedtime and by 8pm I’m ready to crash!! I don’t know how I’m going to have the energy to do lesson plans.
Do you think I’ll be using as much energy/brain space as I do now?.... I don’t get a break in work away from the children or the job.

My other worry is that school breakfast and after school club only runs from 8-5. Will I need childcare for outside these times, say for example I had a half hr commute to school, would turning up at 8:30, then leaving at 5 be okay?!

[GreySkiesAboveMe]

All of my outdoor teaching has an educational aim. So there’s lots of talking about different things as well as the actual activity, which is only there to facilite the learning.

[Acopyofacopy]

It doesn’t sound like your days will change that much, to be honest.
Although contact time might be a bit shorter (until 3?).
After that you will have a small window of lesson planning time, but there will be meetings after school as well.

[GreySkiesAboveMe]

Thank you acopy I guess alot depends on where I’ll be based. Ideally I want to be 30mins away.

The other big change will be the paperwork, I have very very little paperwork in my job, now that I don’t lesson plan. I’m worried about how tired I’ll be of an evening!
I get pretty tired with my job now amd it’s great to just crash out once kids have gone to bed!

[Piggywaspushed]

Is it primary SCITT OP?

[GreySkiesAboveMe]

No piggy secondary geography.

[Piggywaspushed]

OK please don't jump down my throat primary teachers I ask because the 8.30 - 5 could cause problems in the morning for you. The 5 should be OK so long as you are organised. I always had to be out of work by 3.45 at the lates when my two DCs were little.

DH took mine to nursery and lower school as their care club opened just before 8. he could then get to school by about 8.20 and just managed this. I have always wanted a cuppa before work and I really don't know of a secondary school that starts the working day after about 8.40. So, you do need to think about this bit. We have at my place a briefing that starts at 8.20, for example.

I think many primaries start a bit later, but lots probably don't.

The rest sounds fine : you sound well prepared through your experiences, apart from the marking / parents' evenings ...

[Piggywaspushed]

The positive is that on some days you might actually be able to pick your DCs up earlier at the other end of the day and see them a bit more, have tea earlier go to bed even earlier

[GreySkiesAboveMe]

Thanks piggy yeah I think the mornings will be hardest. I’m trying to pre empt myself.
I’ll start looking for childcare that starts at 7, rather than the 8 o’clock breakfast club.

[GreySkiesAboveMe]

Yes piggy that is true! It feels like such a rush in the evenings after work... getting back at 5:35, dinner by 6 and bed by 7:30 (it rarely happens)

[clary]

Yes I agree with piggy, mornings are the potential issue.

I used to start work at 7.30 so leave at 7am, but some colleagues (this was secondary) used to come in at 8.15 for briefing at 8.25. No idea how they got set up in 10 mins tho.

Our teaching time finished at 3pm which is early, meant I could be home by 3.45 if I needs to and was usually home by 4.15-4.30 at latest.

That did mean I had two hours of marking every night tho, but at least I could do it later. This was a real positive for me with teaching, I could get home (tho not finish work haha) earlier than a lot of jobs.

[Outbackshack]

I did 2 years of outdoor education followed by teaching in an animal park. Then secondary teaching. Sooo much more labour intensive sorry. It does depend on the school but reams of paperwork and data inputting plus dealing with the student issues. It is a very non stop day.

[GreySkiesAboveMe]

Thanks out that’s what I was worried about. Hiw mentally tiring it would be.
In my job I can walk up a mountain, which tbf, isn’t that tiring, but is more physically active than being in a classroom but atleast I can kind of ‘switch off’ a bit and enjoy the day. Obvs not switch off so I’m not doing my job, so safety etc are still priority. But I can chat to the kids, banter etc a bit more so than go go go, switching lessons and kids every hour!

[GreySkiesAboveMe]

Thanks clary that sounds good, I forgot that some secondary schools start early! I’ll sort out my morning routine better before I start!

[Outbackshack]

I'm sure you will be fine though :) I was just unprepared for the constantness of it all. Plus it Should get easier with time as you have more materials prepped (assuming they don't change the exams/nc)

[CraftyGin]

You’ll have to wait and see what job you get to know if the breakfast and after school clubs will work for you.

In terms over overall hours, I am in school from 7am - 4pm and get all my work done in school. I don’t take anything home. I am a HOD in Science. My DH takes DD to school and I pick her up.

If you are anything like the field centre instructors that I have worked with, you will be fine.

[GreySkiesAboveMe]

Thanks crafty I have worked fornthe field studies council in the past, and our days are long there as they’re often out all day and then in classroom in the evening.

I have an induction day in July but I’ll also email them this week asking if they have any idea where I’ll be placed.

[CraftyGin]

FSC is the organisation I work with :)