Case Study

I started working in education in 2010 when my son was just six weeks old. I enrolled at my local college and studied on a level 2 teaching assistant course, and the following year I completed level 3. The course required me to carry out a school placement for one day a week and I was lucky enough to be offered a permanent position there on completion of my course. With the encouragement of my colleagues, I then went on to complete a foundation degree in education and care, followed by an honours degree in childhood and society studies.

Prior to starting the Teacher Apprenticeship at Sunderland I was a teaching assistant for 10 years, then promoted to a higher-level teaching assistant for two years. Thanks to the apprenticeship, I’m now an unqualified teacher, where I do a bit of everything – leading a phonics group, supporting children in the classroom, intervention work, and covering for teachers during planning, preparation, and assessment time.

Undertaking the apprenticeship has increased my confidence in both my subject knowledge and teaching across different Key Stages. The lectures are very informative and have given me a greater understanding of the role of a teacher, making me realise that it involves so much more than delivering a lesson. The on-the-job training allows you to live the life of a teacher and experience all aspects of the job, which has been incredibly beneficial.

Studying for an apprenticeship hasn’t only benefitted me and my career progression, but my school too. The staff were focusing on how they could promote reading for pleasure, and I had the idea for the whole school to apply for the Blue Peter Reading Badge, which it was successful in obtaining. This then springboarded me into participating in a teacher reading group with other schools in the area to create a larger project for promoting reading within my school. We decided to create a mobile library which would allow every child access to a wide range of books during breaktime or in the classroom. I was also heavily involved in fundraising with the PTFA to raise as much money as possible to buy new books to engage more children in reading.

Managing the balance between working full-time and studying at university has been challenging, but once you get back into the flow of academic writing and managing your time, it does get easier. Because my tutors are all from a teaching background, they’ve been very understanding and supportive and I’ve become close to the other apprentices, so we’ve kept each other sane!

I was shocked to be nominated and shortlisted by my Headteacher for the Community Heroes Award for Educating and Empowerment, and even more shocked to have won! It was unexpected, but I was so touched that my hard work and commitment had been recognised by my peers and the University. It was the icing on the cake of an amazing year at Sunderland.

Once I graduate, I’m hoping to secure a full-time teaching position in my school. It would be so amazing to come full circle and progress from a teaching assistant to a qualified class teacher. During the apprenticeship, I’ve also worked closely with the school SENDCO (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator), and have developed an interest in this area, so who knows? Maybe I’ll continue my academic journey in a few years’ time and complete a master’s degree to become a SENDCO myself.

The Teacher Apprenticeship is brilliant for people who are already working in schools and want to progress to the next stage of their career but are reluctant to give up a full-time job to study. For anyone who’s thinking about taking the plunge, my advice would be to go for it as it’ll be the best thing you ever do.

To sum up my personal experience, I would say it’s been amazing, fun, hard work, and rewarding, but most of all, life changing.”

Published 3 January 2025