Adele’s teaching assistant skills shine in the classroom
04 February 2020
Adele Hopcott, an Early Years apprentice from Burton and South Derbyshire College has been making her mark during her Level 3 apprenticeship at Fountains Primary School.
Adele applied for the course as she knew she wanted to work with children and her friend recommended an apprenticeship as the best way forward.
She has quickly become a part of the team at Fountains and her average day includes a wide range of activities, including supporting maths and English sessions, supporting groups of children in the school’s sensory room and interactive story telling.
An apprenticeship is a real job with training, combining hands-on work with the chance to train and get qualified in a particular industry. Apprentices have the opportunity to gain skills and work experience, while employers gain enthusiastic members of staff who they can train to suit the skills requirements of the company.
Speaking about her apprenticeship, Adele commented: “I really like the style of learning; it allows you to gain lots of experience in a school while getting an education as well. My apprenticeship allows me to learn from experienced practitioners to help me better my own practice. I love the reward you get back from the children, from the smallest things like helping them to learn to tie a shoe lace to helping them learn to write or develop their speaking skills.
“In the future, I’d like to gain higher levels within the teaching assistant role and maybe progress to a teacher or occupational therapist role. I’m not too sure yet though – I’m just taking it one step at a time. I love my apprenticeship; the opportunities are just incredible.”
Rebecca Bailey, the teacher who has been supporting Adele at Fountains Primary School, said: “Adele is fantastic; she’s a pleasure to work with. She’s a great team player and takes ownership of her own English and maths groups. She puts forward fantastic ideas in our staff meetings and she’s enthusiastic in everything she does.
“I think apprenticeships are a really good opportunity for young people to get the skills they need to develop as a practitioner. The fact that apprenticeships are partnered with a college means apprentices get the best of both worlds; they can learn everything they need to know while gaining experience in the practical setting. I personally enjoy having apprentices in my classroom as I like showing them the way to do things and giving them the experience they need to be the best practitioners they can be”
Those interested in becoming an apprentice should visit www.bsdc.ac.uk/apprenticeships for more information and details of current vacancies. Employers interested in finding out more about employing an apprentice within their organisation should contact BSDC’s Business Development Team on 01283 494510.