Name Tina Weavers

In what years did you work for Mid Essex ITT/Support a Trainee? 1994 - 2001

Which school did you work in? Programme Manager, Mid Essex SCITT (based at Chelmer Valley High School)

Thinking back to your time working with Mid Essex ITT, can you share with us about a highlight, fond memory or funny story? 

I was appointed as Office Manager at CVHS in 1993.  Very soon after I had started, Doug Rowe (the Deputy Headteacher) mooted the idea of becoming a teacher training school and this was hugely supported by David Franklin, the very young Headteacher (I remember the day he turned 40!).  Doug and I would stay late after school putting the paperwork together with all the documentation necessary to get validation from Green University.  Unfortunately, the first attempt was not successful but the second time was and I seem to remember that we were only the second SCITT in the country. 

We started off with four schools; by the time I left, I think we had 8 or 9 schools and were recruiting 30 trainees a year.

I gave up my role as Office Manager in 1994 to take on being the Programme Manager on a full-time basis (for about 4 months I had attempted to do both roles but it was just not viable).  In essence, I run the SCITT on a daily basis and Doug undertook all the academic side.  However, as the Deputy Headteacher, this too became no longer viable and he stepped away and the wonderful Mike Whalley joined in 1996. 

We worked so well together and my role took on more and more responsibility from, for example, shortlisting trainee candidates for interview, liaising with the Teacher Training Agency,  timetabling, supporting mentors, arranging meetings of the SCITT Board through to organising the graduation ceremonies; before I moved from Essex, I would often bump into former trainees and would learn of their successful careers as teachers and even as members of senior management teams!

What was teacher training like when you supported trainees? What were the buzzwords, latest theories or popular pedagogy? 

From my perspective, their PGCE year was far harder than the trainees ever expected!  We put them in two schools – the second for a short period in the Spring Term – they then returned to their original school for their final term.  The training was undertaken by Mike and several of the mentors on a Thursday.  On average, at least one if not two trainees failed and were asked to leave.  This was always a difficult time but the pupils’ education was as important as the future of some trainees. 

SCITT was initially not given a lot of credence; it was not well understood and there was a certain amount of contempt for those involved.  By the time I left, it had become so much more accepted and we were receiving over a hundred applications each year. 

Thinking back to this time, what was your key takeaway from Mid Essex ITT?  

Not necessarily a key takeaway, but something that was very apparent, was that we had trainees of all ages and from all backgrounds and experience.  It soon became obvious that, bringing in individuals who had had a successful career from outside education, they brought in such a wealth of knowledge and experience into the classroom.  At that time, it was fairly unusual to recruit a trainee straight from being an undergraduate.

Can you tell us a bit more about what you are doing now? If you are still teaching, please include your school and role. If you are no longer teaching, we would still like to hear what you have gone on to do!

I am now retired having spent the majority of my time having left Mid Essex SCITT in education governance.  I have clerked probably 50 school and academy trust boards and have managed a team of, at times, 70 governance professionals.  From some 10 years I was the Chair of the Essex Clerks Association. 

I have recently moved to Hampshire and volunteer for the National Trust, at Romsey Abbey and at a local theatre. 

I look back at my time at Mid Essex SCITT with great affection and pride that I was able to be part of the successful careers of so many future teachers.