After an unsuccessful search for a job more relevant to my field of expertise, I moved back intoTeaching Assistant work. Over these months I worked at various schools across Swindon with varyingdegrees of responsibility. I will detail the most notable below.From February up to my resignation from Hays in May, I worked as a 2:1 Teaching Assistant atRidgeway Farm CE Academy. In this role I was tasked with providing specialist care to an individualstudent in EYFS who was at the time undiagnosed but struggled with learning and required constantsupport from staff. My tasks began with planning for the week – I was provided with weekly detailedplans as well as an overview of the term and the student’s learning targets through which I was todesign and set up activities that met established criteria. This could range from hands-on activitiesbefitting subjects such as Science where the student would observe the Mentos and Coca-Cola reactionall the way to separating toys into groups with identifiable figures and count how many there are ofeach as a focus on Maths. At times I did employ a more Thrive-oriented approach where the student’sspecial interests are focused in on and tasks are designed to help them learn more about this and theworld around them. The 2:1 approach was adopted specifically to provide the option for change-offace where required if the student became frustrated or upset with the task and the associated supportstaff; both staff could also be present in specific cases where the student required more intensivesupport. Over the course of my time in this role I saw significant improvement in the student’s learningdrive and focus as well as other aspects of their academic journey which had been developed andreinforced by the techniques and skills I and other staff members brought to this role.

Following on from my studies at university, I moved into working at Churchward School as a TeachingAssistant. In this role, I was responsible for providing overall support to a tutor group of students asthey attend their lessons as well as providing 1:1 support for students that are in need. This support isagreed upon by senior staff & the school counsellor and then implemented school-wide to ensure asafe, encouraging environment for the students. As Churchward School is a school designed to supportchildren with Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC) and/or Social Communication Interaction Difficulties(SCID), new methods of support are regularly implemented to further improve the quality of educationgiven. Tools such as Accelerated Reader and the THRIVE Approach are implemented and used on aregular basis to encourage the development of both reading skills and mental health. Use of these byall staff ensures that skills continue to grow as students learn. I used the training I had been providedon a regular basis to enhance student learning and to give those attending Churchward School a betterquality of education.