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Andrew: I really do think that people who come to Portsmouth to teach here will stay here for a really long time. At Portsmouth, we offer three different programmes for teacher training.

We have a Primary programme which you can come on as a post-grad or an undergrad.

We have a Secondary teacher training programme across a range of subject areas and we have an F.E. programme so if you want to teach 14 year olds to adults, the Further Education programme is ideal.

Tanya: The reason that I selected the Further Education strand rather than the Secondary was purely because of my specialism.

Being able to teach in Further Education meant that I was able to teach fashion in its fullest.

Andrew: We want the curriculum we offer at Portsmouth to be ambitious and we want it to be personalised for the students.

We put training in to help our trainees to really think about the needs of children that they're going to encounter and I'm really proud that our courses are tailored to be able to do that.

Tanya: When you first start, you will do a week or a few weeks specifically in university learning new skills, etc. and you then go on to get selected or given your placement.

Andrew: If you're on the Primary or Secondary programme, you have to train in two different schools and that would be the same on any teacher training programme that you're on.

We try to make sure there are contrasts in the placements to really give you a range of experiences and different types of pupils. That ultimately makes you more employable.

Jack: [For me], placement one at The Priory School in Southsea enabled me to really focus on behaviour management skills.

At St Edmund’s Catholic School for my second placement. I was then able to really hone in and practice my subject knowledge. It then allowed me to observe how outstanding lessons were delivered.

Andrew: On the Further Education programme, you spend the whole year in one college and that also has advantages because you really get to know those pupils over a very long period of time.

We put wellbeing and support for trainees right at the heart of what we do, and I think that's what's unique about Portsmouth.

You can train to teach anywhere, but you're not going to necessarily get that level of individual support from everybody.

Jack: I want to be a teacher because I want to make a difference. I really want to see that I can deliver English lessons and teach English in exciting, stimulating and creative ways.

The University of Portsmouth has been a great experience for this PGCE journey.

Tanya: If I'm honest, the University of Portsmouth has my heart. It's given me everything that I needed, from my undergraduate to my teaching degree and then beyond that as well. What more could you want really?