Kamalika Sengupta

Why did you choose to go join red kite teacher training

I had a really good interview experience with Red Kite and at the time of my interview I knew that if I got an offer that I would accept. I was really lucky because I was offered a place at the interview which boosted my confidence. Overall I think Red Kite has a really good training programme which is associated with the University of Leeds and many other partners. The placement schools are spread across Leeds and North Yorkshire. I am already a research scientist at the University of Leeds so to get the chance of another year as a Leeds Uni student was important to me. Another thing that attracted me to Red Kite was the programme offered to ECT’s as you would have a relationship with Red Kite for more than just the training year.

What are you most excited about in the training year.

I am just really looking forward to get started now and I’m excited to go to my placement school and get to know the students and the culture. I’m really excited to know what kind of support I will receive as I have hear it is a really good programme. The promises of support have been demonstrated already. During and after my interview there were a few queries raised in regards to my eligibility and they have been fantastic in supporting me with all kinds of information. So I am really looking forward to seeing what guidance and feedback I receive in order to become the best teacher I can be.

Why did you choose to join the diversity champions group?

This is a really important issue for me. I came to the UK in 2013 so before that I knew nothing about the country or the people. I came with an offer letter from the University of Leeds and a piece of paper with my address and Supervisors name so that’s all I had. I have come so far and there have been some challenges so when I heard that Red Kite has an Equality and Diversity group I was really motivated to join that because I thought that I could be an example and share my experience with other people. It has also meant that during my training year or afterwards, if I encounter any kind of problems due to my protective characteristics I know that I will be supported because Red Kite are already aware and working towards supporting trainee’s with these sort of issues. My concerns would not go unheard which was a bonus for me.