A thread of my PGCE essentials. I didn’t know what will be useful to buy before my PGCE a year ago. Now that my training year is coming to an end, here are the things that I REALLY used and found essential to me. #pgce #training #edutwitter #mfltwitterati

A cheap but steady and useful printer. It saved me on some Sunday late nights in my second placement where there was no reprographics. I’ve never ran out of ink thanks to HP Instant Ink, I would really recommend.

A monthly calendar with inspirational quotes found at @mrwonderful_ I found it very helpful to have a monthly view to organise myself.

A food cooler bag. At the beginning of my PGCE I ate a lot of bad food, it took me a while to get organised and to start cooking properly. As I lived on my own, I decided that the easiest was to make two portions of dinner and have that for lunch the following day.

Goes with previous tweet, a food container. This one is from @LakelandUK and it’s great because it doesn’t leak!! Very important. And it’s goes into the microwave. Ideal for winter hot lunches.

A water bottle. I love this one from @Chillysbottles and it’s so important to stay hydrated to protect your voice and to avoid the feeling of tiredness throughout the day.

A weekly desk planner. This one is also from @mrwonderful_ It’s great because it stands up. I love the design! I kept me well organised at home (I worked at home instead of staying after school for most of my PGCE) but you could also leave it on your desk at school!

Another item from @mrwonderful_ (I promise it’s not a sponsored tweet ). I didn’t buy a teacher planner during my PGCE, I didn’t see the point of having one so instead I got a normal agenda. It was great to use both for uni and for school.

A cheap, plastic, A4 guillotine. This has saved me so many times when I realised I forgot to cut some worksheets and another teacher was using the department’s guillotine or even at home to do some cutting at the weekend. There are some really cheap ones on Amazon.

A good pencil case, this one is from @mrwonderful_ too. Inside, I have at least one highlighter, pencil, board pen, writing pen, mini ruler, Tippex, and my own pair of scissors. I would really reinforce having your own pair of scissors, I’ve found it so helpful!

My own computer and a protective case for it. Your training school might lend you a laptop. My main placement did but I found it easier to plan using my personal computer (which has a French keyboard), this one was also lighter the the one provided by the school.

Your own personal work place at home, organised and clean. I’ve spent so many hours at this desk in my student accommodation and it has really kept me focused while planning or writing my assignments.

A backpack. I don’t have a car so I used public transport to get to my two placement schools. This backpack from @Cath_Kidston is perfect as it has a laptop pocket at the back, a bigger pocket in the middle and a small pocket at the front. So helpful!!

In this bag I made sure I always had: some other board pens, some post it notes (great for quick and easy starters/plenaries), some tissues (you know...), raffle tickets for praise, my Pwp clicker + extra batteries, small pouch for sanitary products and paracetamol.

A tote bag to go around the school especially if you don’t have your own classroom or if you can’t leave anything in it (which was the case for both my placements). I love this one provided by the @BritishCouncil on the French Teachers’ day last October.

Some headphones to create your own bubble while working in the office and avoid the distractions when Paul* starts talking about his very cute dog but you need to finish your lesson planning for tomorrow. (*the name has been changed to remain anonymous).

Your own mug + some of your favourite tea bags. This avoids you having to clean a mug that has been left in the sink when you fancy a tea. I kept mine on my desk at school.

My beloved lever arch files. I used 4 during my training year. Don’t buy them in advance as you don’t know how many you will need or if you will need any at all! Some universities have online portfolios. I bought some dividers from @FromPaperchase & plastic wallets from @WHSmith

Positive quotes for your workspace. That might not be essential for you but it was for me When in doubt, I looked at this quote above my desk and it reminded me why I started my PGCE. This one is from my annual @mrwonderful_ calendar.

These books from @spsmith45 @MrsSarahMullin @gianfrancocont9 @Sue_Cowley and @87History that I have truly loved and used during my training year. They are good to dip in and out or read cover to cover. I will keep them safely for my NQT year.