Training: Degree in Economics and Agricultural Economics (Nottingham), PGCE at the Institute of Education in London.

Transcription

1 Paul Rock: Head of Business Studies and Economics Training: Degree in Economics and Agricultural Economics (Nottingham), PGCE at the Institute of Education in London. Previous Schools: Farlingaye High School, Woodbridge, Suffolk and Beckfoot School, Bingley, West Yorkshire Opportunities at Presdales: Presdales is a lovely place to work. The behaviour of the students and the academic ethos here allow teachers to experiment with different teaching styles and to take risks. My subject is more and more popular each year and results are good. I particularly enjoy the musical side of the school and the culture of performance that means that students routinely play an instrument or sing in assembly. I have set up Young enterprise here and we are now a recognised centre of excellence. We have, in the past, run the Target 2.0 challenge and stock market competitions. I have also run the school ski trip for over 12 years and enjoyed numerous European ski trips with 80 to 100 students. Why I enjoy working at Presdales: As a small department I work closely with my two colleagues to prepare, teach and assess the GCSE and A2 courses. Departmental budgets are generous and allow a good level of resourcing. Departmental time allows for reflection and for ideas to be exchanged. The whole ethos of what students come to school for is good, behaviour is good and support from colleagues and SLG is good. Jenny Powell: History and Politics Training: Degree in History and Politics, PGCE at Canterbury Christ Church Previous Schools: Presdales is my first teaching post. Opportunities at Presdales: I am fortunate to have joined two very strong departments, and already, even as an NQT, I have been able to build on my experience as a PGCE and further my professional development. By attending specialist CPD, I am able to both pursue a specialism in Holocaust education

2 and contribute to the school curriculum. From this, I have been given the opportunity to work with other groups in the school, and now represent the department at the G&T group. Whilst the first year of teaching can be daunting and difficult at times, I have been more than happy to take on extra responsibility within the department, given the support and encouragement that I receive from my colleagues. Aside from teaching, I have been afforded the opportunity to develop my pastoral role, as a Year 7 form tutor. Establishing a relationship with my form has, in turn, allowed me to establish a support network based on mutual understanding. After all, we are all in the same boat we re all experiencing something new. Why I enjoy working at Presdales: The school s reputation for academic excellence and intra-personal development of the pupils was a clear draw, particularly having the chance to contribute to this process and experience. Student motivation is brilliant and whether it is history or politics, there is a clear interest and enthusiasm to answer the big questions and get to grips with key issues. There are many extra-curricular activities that I have enjoyed, such as Year 7 team-building activities, a trip to the Houses of Parliament and having a go at comedy in the Sixth Form Revue! Esther Willett: Head of Russian Training: Degree in Russian and Arabic, University of Leeds. GTP at the University of Hertfordshire Previous experience: After graduating I moved to Moscow where I worked in PR and fundraising for a children s charity and later worked my way into a PR Agency working in the luxury goods sector. All the while, I taught English having completed my TEFL qualification before moving to Russia. I quite enjoyed the teaching and upon returning to the UK 5 years later, I decided to do the GTP scheme at Presdales. The GTP, as it was then, enabled me to get going straight into the job from the word go. This could have seemed very daunting as a result of all the coverage in the media about classroom

3 management but the ethos and behaviour of the pupils at Presdales made this a lot easier. Opportunities at Presdales: As soon as I felt established, I was offered the opportunity to run KS3 Russian club. I have also been involved in many other trips that have involved my year group such as to the Isle of Wight, Kew Gardens, the Tower of London, and Düsseldorf. These extra-curricular activities are a brilliant opportunity to get to know the staff in other departments better and really help the staff at Presdales feel like a team. The environment within the school is so welcoming that I have even felt able to sing in the school choir and have been known to pick up my old trumpet with the wind band too. Presdales regularly takes part in World Challenge activities, and in my 3rd year at Presdales, myself and another member of staff lead a team of 15 students to Argentina. As well as the many extra-curricular opportunities available here, I have also taken on extra responsibility for Gifted and Talented across the whole school. The opportunities for development here have meant that I have been Head of Russian for a year and half now and enjoying coordinating the team within the Russian department. My own degree was in Arabic and Russian so I was thrilled to be asked to run a Holiday Arabic Language course for the Year 12s who are particularly keen on languages. This allowed me to keep up a personal interest bus also broaden the scope of our linguists. The students at Presdales are very keen to learn, so I have also offered a Russian film and song club which members of Year 11 attend after school. The Russian courses (KS3-5) don t have their own specific resources so I enjoy creating ideas to add to the existing bank of resources which the team here are very willing to share. Why I enjoy working at Presdales: It is a fantastic opportunity to be able to teach a full timetable of what I love. Russian is now taught from Year 8 all the way up to Year 13 and I still get to keep my hand in at my other languages. On the pastoral side of things the year team leaders are very supportive and guide you through how to best help the students in your care with whatever they are facing. One of the best things about Presdales is the atmosphere and sense of teamwork amongst the staff.

4 Anna Hobbs: English Training: Degree in English and PGCE, Cambridge University Previous Schools: Hitchin Girls School, Henry Box School, Oxfordshire Opportunities at Presdales: I arrived at Presdales in 2013, having trained through the PGCE route and worked in two other comprehensive schools. Since starting here, I have enjoyed being involved with the school productions The Arabian Nights and the Wolves of Willoughby Chase as well as the department s Creative Writing Club and the Sixth Form s yearly revue show. Extra-curricular opportunities are taken seriously at Presdales and the students have a wonderfully varied range of activities and trips from which to choose. For me, it has been fantastic to see their delight after a successful drama performance or their excitement at meeting visiting authors like Holly Smale of the Geek Girl series. Why I enjoy teaching at Presdales: One of the great things about the school is the friendly and welcoming environment. The pupils are polite, keen to please and willing to learn, creating a pleasant and cheerful atmosphere in the classroom. This means that I can be creative and try out different strategies in lessons and I can challenge them to learn in different ways. They are honest and constructive in their feedback, making learning a more interactive and democratic process than it might be elsewhere. It is lovely to know that students look forward to coming to school and going to lessons and that does make a huge difference to my day. As an English teacher, I have valued the chance to choose quite challenging texts and topics and to explore ways to engage classes with the material. In the department we have the freedom to develop our own resources and try out a variety of approaches to plays, novels and poetry, making the process flexible and rewarding. Classes will often invest a considerable amount of emotional energy in the text they are studying and it is gratifying to watch them arguing passionately from a character s point of view or suddenly realising what is about to happen. Many of the girls love reading in their spare time and talking about authors they have discovered. The staff room is a happy and sociable place and there s always someone willing to help out new staff with questions about the photocopier or more pressing concerns about reports. It s lovely to

5 work in a school where people get to know one another quickly face to face and where staff from all departments mix at break and eat together at lunchtime. The offices and the quiet staff room, where teachers have desks, allow us to work away from the classroom but also to collaborate informally with our departments. I have been delighted to join such a friendly and supportive staff team at Presdales. Amy Stitson: Geography Training: Degree in Geography (BA) at Durham University, PGCE at Cambridge University Previous Schools: Presdales is my first teaching post Opportunities at Presdales: Since joining Presdales in September 2013 I have been afforded many opportunities both within my department and in the wider school. In terms of my continued professional development I have been able to attend a number of courses, most notably a day run by the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) on the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in schools, an area of teaching and learning that I am hoping to develop at Presdales. As a Geography department we are fortunate to run a variety of trips covering all key stages, and with the support of my colleagues I was given the chance to plan and lead a trip to Kew Gardens for the whole of Year 8 earlier this year. I enjoy getting involved in charity events such as a staff football match and the annual summer concert Presdales Rocks as part of the staff band. I also try to go along to senior choir whenever I can and this February I am off on the school ski trip, which I am very much looking forward to despite that fact that I can t ski! Why I enjoy working at Presdales: The staff and pupils at Presdales make it a unique place to work. Having spent time in other schools during my PGCE I was immediately struck by the friendly atmosphere at Presdales. The staff room is always busy and there is often cake on offer! The pupils are also lovely to work with and their desire to learn makes teaching very enjoyable.

6 Jo Cheetham: Assistant Director of Music Training: Degree in Music at University of York, PGCE and MEd at University of Cambridge Previous School: Presdales was my first teaching post. Opportunities at Presdales: When I first started working at Presdales I was fortunate enough to take responsibility for a Year 8 form under the direction and leadership of a fantastic Head of Year. As my career has developed, my responsibilities have changed and I am now in charge of a team of 18 visiting peripatetic instrumental teachers, co-ordinating more than 200 individual music lessons per week and liaising with the local music service. I have been fortunate enough to assist on many trips throughout my time here, such as the Year 9 History trip to the battlefields in Belgium, the Year 7 trip to Osmington Bay, Dorset and the hugely successful annual ski trip which in recent years has taken us to Italy, Austria and France. I have acted as PGCE mentor to trainees from the University of Cambridge and am currently working towards the Stage Two Mentoring Certificate, which allows me to undertake a small scale research project in association with the University. As a musician I am particularly lucky to be able to co-direct the Senior Choir, which is made up of around 60 singers from Years I also direct the Concert Band (with 60 instrumentalists from Years 7-13) and have taken them to perform at the Festival of Music for Youth at the Southbank Centre in London. I started a Big Band a few years ago and help out with the Orchestra, Saxophone Ensemble, Clarinet Choir and Brass Group on a weekly basis. Why I enjoy working at Presdales: Our students have a keen and genuine love of learning and take a great deal of pride in their work. Participation in all kinds of extra-curricular activities is extremely high which is testament to the hard work and dedication of both staff and students. Every year I love to watch the dance display and the school play and enjoy planning and co-ordinating lots of music events such as our annual outdoor summer music festival, Presdales Rocks.

7 There is a real sense of community at Presdales, which is enhanced by termly whole school assemblies (a rarity in many schools nowadays) and a whole school drive towards raising money for the school charity (voted for each year by students and staff). We also have a school song which I feel keeps tradition alive and is something that I personally value. The staff at Presdales are the friendliest people I have ever worked with. Although many departments have their own working space, there is also a central staffroom, which is a real hub, especially at break and lunchtime. This means that staff communicate face to face and strong relationships are formed. I can honestly say that the people I work with every day are not simply my colleagues but my friends. Laura Webb: Teacher of French and Italian, Head of Italian. Training: PGCE and MEd (University of Cambridge). Previous Schools: I spent two years teaching with L Education Nationale in one of France s overseas territories before returning to the UK to continue my teaching career. Opportunities at Presdales: As Head of Department I run two trips to Italy per year, and additionally support at least one other trip to France. In July 2014 I also went on the annual World Challenge Expedition to Norway where staff and students hiked, kayaked and white-water rafted for 10 days. I feel lucky to work in a school which has supported my professional development: whilst working at Presdales I have completed my Master in Education. I am a mentor to trainee teachers and I am currently working on the Stage II Mentoring Certificate at the University of Cambridge. We share in-house expertise and I have been called upon to deliver workshops on phonics and marking strategies. We have a CamSTAR research group in school which I also work with. I am also SEN representative for the Modern Language Department. Why I enjoy working at Presdales: I really enjoy teaching my subject to students who are both genuinely interested in modern languages and ambitious in their approach. I find it invaluable that the languages team and all

8 the staff are really kind and thoughtful in how they support and encourage their colleagues. The school also supports teachers in their interests, giving a certain amount of freedom develop one s own practice through research. Another benefit is that Presdales location means that I can commute up from London.