Probationer advice

miss_honey1: I am about to begin my probationary year in August and am really nervous. Does anyone have any tips to help me out? I have P7.

mustbecrazy: Have a good holiday - you will need it. Next year will be very hard work, but I loved every minute of it.

gillian84: I’ve just finished my year and had P7. What I found important was to set out class rules right at the start, as most of them will have been there most of their school lives so will know the school inside out and may use it to their advantage since you have just begun. So show them you are in charge straight away and gain their respect.

I also ensured I used their knowledge of the school to inform me of things and make them feel grown up.

I tried to give them a lot of responsibility for their own learning and they really enjoyed research and having fun with their learning, and learning things that they were really interested in.

Also be prepared for the last term - I know it must feel ages away but you are really busy with transition things. There is hardly any time for learning, so do try and cram as much into the first three terms as possible. They also get “Primary7itis” it is when they come back from transition days, as they think they are now too big for primary school.

I loved my class. Was almost in tears on the last day when we had a big group hug before they left. P7 are great as they are mostly so receptive to learning and most behaviour problems are non-existent by that point in their primary school career.

Have fun. And enjoy the rest and relaxation of your hols.

www.tes.co.ukscotland.