My Placement's

An introduction to my placement's

As previously explained, I completed two different placements. These placements were completed in very different settings, one being within a primary school and the second being within the Child Development Centre within Crawley Hospital, specialising in the Child Speech and Language sector. Within both placements I experienced closely working day to day with children including children with complex needs and observed different methods of Speech and Language Therapy. 

I chose to complete two placements as I wanted to gain experience working with a range of different aged children in a range of different settings, helping me to gain a better idea of potential future careers and also expand on my employability. By having worked with children in a range of ages and environments it increases versatility and adaptability and provides a wider skill set, this would help to stand out as a candidate to companies. Working within two different placements also helped me to experience and observe different interaction styles to suit the specific environment and the needs of the children. This led me to expand on the skill of flexibility within my  approach, which is a valuable skill that can be developed through diverse experiences.

Majority of my placement hours were completed within Colgate Primary School, I found my experience within this setting extremely beneficial as I gained great insight into the education system by observing different methods of teaching, curriculum planning, and classroom management, which I felt was very valuable especially when considering a career in education. Within Colgate Primary school the induction procedure was carefully planned to familiarise me with the school values, policies, and the unique dynamics of the primary education environment. A dedicated mentor/ SENCO/ experienced teacher who is known for their passion and dedication, showed me around the school and explained all the safety procedures and made sure I understood the locations of the fire exits. She also provided me with a link to gain an understanding of the settings policies: https://www.colgate.w-sussex.sch.uk/web/policies/83405

Similar applies with my induction within the Child Development Centre in Crawley Hospital, the Pre school complex needs Team Leader, Rachel Hussey provided me with a tour of the department and introduced me to most of the staff. She also ensured I knew all of the safety procedures. 

Within my first session at the Child Development Centre within Crawley Hospital, I observed a mixture of therapy sessions, the work completed by Child Speech and Language Therapists and an assessment session with the pre-school complex needs leader caseload. 

I also attended Autism training session at the Charis Centre Crawley. This training explained what Autism is and how we can work to support the pathway for families. This training included reflections on videos of social communication skills as well as thinking about 'decision trees' and reflections around the conversations people have with families around diagnosis. We covered other topics such as reports and the methods used in order to diagnose children with Autism and the information contained in them.  

Whilst I attended my placement within Colgate Primary School, I had close working relationships with a wide range of children, including children with special needs. I thoroughly enjoyed how I worked with many different children on a daily basis and I discovered that working one-on-one with the children was really fulfilling. I also observed some school based Speech and Language therapy, whilst attending my placement within Colgate Primary School, this was not as in-depth as the Speech and Language Therapy completed by the NHS (which I had observed within Crawley hospital) nonetheless, it was still a great and extremely helpful experience. 

I found and organised both placements myself by contacting the separate settings four weeks before I intended to start, ensuring that there was plenty of time for both me and the settings to organise anything that needed to be completed before my start date. I initially provided them with my name, contact details, and explained that I am undertaking a placement with the School of Education and Sociology and would love to complete this placement within these settings and the reasons why. Once they replied I asked if I could arrange an initial visit and provided them with possible dates with alternatives in which this could be completed, whilst also considering what is best for them.  

Within both placements I learnt many vital skills which I can bring with me into my future employment. For example, I have developed effective communication skills through constant interaction with students, colleagues, and parents. I have also enhanced my patience and empathy skills, this was developed by dealing with the diverse needs and behaviours of children.