Induction day

Had my first induction day last week. We had to say what evidence we already had towards the standards (My form seemed to be mostly 'not met' since I haven't been teaching at all, and haven't done a education based degree.)
Everyone else (apart from one woman) seemed to have been a TA for ages (ranging from 6 months to 7 years) and the only other person who had had no classroom experience at interview had managed to wangle herself a job as an unqualified teacher for 3 days a week after her interview. So, it's official, I'm the least experienced person in my group. Argghh.
Slightly worrying. But at least it makes me feel good about myself - as they said - they saw potential in me, so I must be able to do it.
Also, they said in 4 years they had only had one person not complete the course, and they dropped out because they realised teaching wasn't for them.
They gave us a rough timetable of events. The first few weeks we're only in school a couple of days, the other days are either at the centre or we will be working in groups together to solve problems/questions given to us in a school other than our own. It's a shame because I really wanted to see how the teacher greeted and settled her new class.
The first term there will be a fair bit of centre based stuff but there will be a few weeks on the trot when we will be in school without disruption. The second term we'll spend much more time in school but with more lectures, including some on professional issues such as job applications. The final term will be almost all in school with just some 'mop up' lectures. Thats when the majority of the teaching assessment will be done.
As GTP we are not doing all the lectures that the SCITT students do, and basically I requested that I did the maths because it's an area I am not confident in, even though I scored well in their interview test, and PE and Music since I wouldn't have a clue where to start with those! It looks like the other subjects they are happy for us to research/pick up info in school, which is fine by me.
They did warn that there will be big emphasis on subject knowledge this year, since that's what the ofsted folks have picked up on as being the weakness of the GTP route.
The standards folders they were very happy to let us organise however we wanted to. They'll be some hints and tips in the first centre based week in september but we don't need to follow them at all. They suggested colour coding pieces of paper (blue stickers for observations, pink for planning) or using an expanding file to quickly file everything under the correct standard - and then that would need transferring to a file. They wanted to avoid too much photocopying of evidence but say evidence should be given a unique number so it can be cross referenced.
The new standards are still in draft ut I think I might start thinking about the best way for me to organise myself.
I found out where my second term school would be - a very local middle school. One of the other GTPers currently works there as a TA and she said it was a wonderful, supportive school, so I feel happy about that. Although since it is a middle school it has yrs 5-8, so the oldest kids will be teenagers! But I'll be in year 5 apparently, which is fine by me.
My Mentor came along too and we had a lovely long chat about each other's expectations and how she plans (using Hamilton Trust) and their handwriting scheme, which policies to make sure I know before I start and stuff (behaviour and marking seemed the most important).
She's going to email me any info she thinks I needs, and I'll go in over the summer hols to have a nose around the school and get used to where everything is etc.
Oh, and I get paid until the end of August! Hurrah!