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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Would I be offered a new placement school?

33 replies

calmingandsoothing · 31/12/2021 13:32

I am starting a new PGCE placement in January which I will be driving to get too, what would happen if for whatever reason I stopped driving, let's say I am involved in an accident which makes me too scared to drive.

The place I am going to is pretty much inaccessible by public transport and I was given the placement as I said I could drive. No other student is going to the same school as me. Would I be offered a new school in that situation? The only other option I could think of is having to get a taxi twice a day to get there and back.

I should stress that I am not planning on stopping driving but wondering what would happen if I did for whatever reason.

OP posts:

Yummypumpkin · 31/12/2021 13:34

What would happen if an arm fell off?

Best concentrate on things you can control.

New jobs can be worrying but you're a capable person and if anything unforeseen happens, you'll cross that bridge when you come to it.

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 31/12/2021 13:38

When I did my PGCE my journey was over an hour on a bus each way. I left home before 7am each day, got home after 6 often.

Other students on placement from a different university had longer journeys.

Howshouldibehave · 31/12/2021 13:40

You would be expected to get public transport/taxi I expect, the same as with any other job if you lists your license/car etc

DenbyChina · 31/12/2021 13:44

Best concentrate on things you can control.

This is the best statement ^.

I can’t imagine that you would move schools due to a massive amount of issues associated. You might have to pause your PGCE and restart later. But of all the things to worry about as you start a PGCE, this is probably not it.

Hellocatshome · 31/12/2021 13:46

So you are not planning on stopping driving but want to know what would happen if you did?

I wonder what would happen if you turned purple? Or sprouted wings?

Curioushorse · 31/12/2021 13:47

Well this is a very random thing to worry about! I don't know. I suspect they'd take it on a case by case basis.

When I did my PGCE, at Bristol, there were a good few placements inaccessible by public transport. They tried to arrange people who could go to those, but had to do lots of different things. With a few students they put them up in bed and breakfasts, and with one I know the university paid for a taxi. I imagine something similar would happen- but the school itself might also have a permanent member of staff nearby who could give you a lift.

Don't worry about it!*

*there are so many other delightful things to worry about on your PGCE. Ha ha! Enjoy!

EinsteinaGogo · 31/12/2021 13:49

Do you have anxiety, OP?

What's the real reason for the question?

Original poster

calmingandsoothing · 31/12/2021 13:54

@Hellocatshome

So you are not planning on stopping driving but want to know what would happen if you did?

I wonder what would happen if you turned purple? Or sprouted wings?

I wonder what would happen if you had some manners?

OP posts:

twominutesmore · 31/12/2021 13:55

They would expect you to get public transport.

It happened to a student I was mentoring. She was in an accident and her car was written off. Her choice was to get public transport or fail the placement. Staff worked together to help her out as much as we could. She requested another placement but there weren't any schools willing/able to take her.

SimonedeBeauvoirscat · 31/12/2021 13:59

Is it accessible by bike? Why not cycle?

Thingsthatgo · 31/12/2021 13:59

It’s very unusual for a school to be inaccessible by public transport. It is very rural? I should think that they would expect you to make alternative arrangements, you might find another teacher lives close to you, or you can cycle to their house and then car share, for example.

Carpetdrought · 31/12/2021 14:00

Try not to worry about things you can’t control. Do you worry about how you’d get upstairs to bed if your stairs went missing? switch off and enjoy some Netflix. Written by a fellow anxious person.

poissonrouge1 · 31/12/2021 14:01

Good luck with your placement OP! I’m sure you’ll be brilliant. If something happened outwith your control you would need to speak to one of your tutors/university. Worst case scenario you’d need to repeat the placement before graduating.

Kite22 · 31/12/2021 14:05

@Yummypumpkin

What would happen if an arm fell off?

Best concentrate on things you can control.

New jobs can be worrying but you're a capable person and if anything unforeseen happens, you'll cross that bridge when you come to it.

This ^

Seems an odd thing to be worrying about.

Nonnymum · 31/12/2021 14:05

I wonder if you are suffering from anxiety . It seems that you are overthinking. The best thing would be to try and forget about what it's and just concentrate on your placement. If something happens and you can't get to it you can deal with it at the time. It's not possible to think about everything by that might happen

Stichintime · 31/12/2021 14:05

When I did my PGCE it was a real struggle for the uni to find enough placements. Some students were in joint placements everytime. They even went up to 3 in one class at some points. There was strictly no swapping. One school had 16 students and not enough infra structure to support them, so they had to leave at the end of the school day and do all their planning etc at home. On PPA days they didnt attend at all.

girlmom21 · 31/12/2021 14:06

You'd be expected to find an alternative mode of transport.

Hobbesmanc · 31/12/2021 14:07

My first one was a horror to access on public transport- three different buses- and that was back in the day when more buses were running.

But after a couple of days I was hooked up with a lovely teacher who lived close to me and offered lifts.

Kitkat151 · 31/12/2021 14:08

The expectation is that you would get public transport.....I think 1.5 hours commute both ways is considered ‘reasonable’

Kitkat151 · 31/12/2021 14:08

3 hours in total daily commute

Scarby9 · 31/12/2021 14:10

@Thingsthatgo I t is very common, outside of towns, for schools to be inaccessible by public transport. And a lot of this country is outside of towns!
In answer to your question, OP, if something happened that meant you could not drive to your school, but were still well enough to continue your placement, we would look into alternatives. These might include:

public transport plus a walk, where this was possible - we allow for up to an hour's walking
a lift some or all the way with someone else (have just organised this - fully masked, windows open - as an alternative for one of our cycling trainees on icy mornings)
alternative accommodation nearer the placement
taxi

As a PP has said, anything could happen anytime and we mostly cross bridges when we come to them. Imagine this was your first teaching post. How would you organise to get to work if you stopped driving? It is your responsibility to get to work some way or another.

rattlemehearties · 31/12/2021 14:11

What are you actually asking? Can you drive?

CoffeeWithCheese · 31/12/2021 14:19

From my own experience doing a PGCE (and currently doing a healthcare course with a similar emphasis upon placement work) - spaces are hard enough to find in normal years, let alone with Covid into the equation, and you'd be lucky unless the placement was collapsing catastrophically.

We can be expected to travel up to 2 hours for placement - indeed one particularly niche one requires living away from the uni area for 3 months to carry it out (I'd have loved to do it if I didn't have the kids).

The placement staff have really tried to take people's issues into account - like I have a car and can drive but I get horrendous anxiety about driving on motorways and city centres, so they've placed me on one at a lovely setting on a nice drive out through back country roads, and my latest one is currently Telehealth because that suits my circumstances better, or would be in a local town I know very well. End of the day though, unless you've got specific reasons and they're the type of reasons that carry some protection (I have it written into my disabled students provision that they should take my awful mental health - the pandemic's wrecked it - into account and place me considerately), you take what you gets really.

MargaretThursday · 31/12/2021 14:23

@Yummypumpkin

What would happen if an arm fell off?

Best concentrate on things you can control.

New jobs can be worrying but you're a capable person and if anything unforeseen happens, you'll cross that bridge when you come to it.

You can still drive with one arm. My daughter does.

NoSquirrels · 31/12/2021 14:25

You’d find a transport solution at the time, depending on what the nature of ‘not being able to drive’ was - temporary, permanent etc. Lift share, taxi etc.

Try not to worry!

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