“It's that lightbulb moment that makes you realise the impact you are having as a teacher”

How did you get into teaching?

“After three years studying music at university, I did a primary PGCE with modern foreign languages.”

What was your favourite time as a teacher?

“It's that lightbulb moment that makes you realise the impact you are having as a teacher. You can spend days, sometimes weeks working through something with children and when they get it, it's amazing.”

What piece of development stood out to you as a trainee?

“I was being observed by the deputy head. She pulled me to one side, and suddenly I felt a bit panicked. She said, ‘this is a really good lesson, would you like me to show you how to make it outstanding?’ and that always sticks in my mind.”

“I learnt so much from watching somebody else demonstrate something live in the moment. I think with our programme there's so much opportunity to observe and learn from other practitioners and I think that is so valuable.”

What do you wish your teacher training had a greater emphasis on?

“It would have been useful to have a broader understanding of different methods or strategies that can help and support children both with and without SEND and think about it in a more holistic way rather than as an add on.

“That’s what is so great about Ambition’s Teacher Training programme. The message that we are giving to our trainees is that children have lots of different needs. This programme is designed to help trainees meet those different needs”.