Anabel Thomas

Qualifications:

I am currently working towards QTS on a PGCE course, through Teach Manchester with the University of Cumbria. I will complete my training in July 2024. I would love to work within your trust due to the values you hold of providing equal opportunities, whilst recognising not all students grow and learn the same way.

Through my placement in Piper Hill I have experienced first-hand the positive environment created by the dedicated staff at the trust and would be grateful for the opportunity to learn more from them.

I have a psychology degree, which has given me the foundations and interest in the way the mind works, especially within education. My psychology degree provided me with working knowledge on the emotional, physical, and mental study of the mind and its impact on behaviour, which is an important skill to have when working with children. The cognitive function of how individuals work and also development within childhood has always been an interest of mine, which made me realise and want to develop my interest in teaching. I also consider that I am a very positive and calm person and not phased by difficult situations. During my higher education I realised (and was encouraged by others) that these attributes would serve me well in teaching and which is why I applied to the PGCE programme. I believe and have recognised from personal experiences that small successes are just as valuable and rewarding as big ones and I also think that every child deserves to learn and grow in a safe and positive environment.

Knowledge and experience

I manage my time efficiently especially and I have demonstrated this on each placement . I am always striving to be well prepared and achieve a perfect file and excellent teaching standards. My course leader, Katie Jones, observed my practice and commented on how ‘brilliant my observation was within the Year 6 class.’ For this placement, I received a ‘perfect file check’ which is evidence that I am a highly organised person and can meet deadlines promptly.

I have completed placements in both KS1 and KS2 so I am developing a wide range of curriculum knowledge. I had successful impacts when teaching a pre-formal structured SEN class where children were able to grow and meet targets within looking, listening, and signing. My lessons such as science using sensory ideas, going before and beyond the chosen sequence of learning to make the activity fun and engaging.

During my training I have been particularly proud that I made progress within a high-ability year 6 class in English, by the end of the lesson all the children were able to achieve the outcome of instructional writing. I achieved this through a sequence of engaging and active lessons that I planned and delivered to the class. My maths and geography lessons were also used by other teachers as shared planning. I was able to impact behaviour positively by using a recognition board to manage and promote good behaviour.

I believe in promoting positive behaviour and managing behaviour effectively in all varieties of classes. Throughout both placements I have worked with a variety of age groups, using my previous experience and knowledge of the KS1 and the KS2 curriculum. I am able to vary my teaching styles to suit the age group and abilities of the class I am teaching and I understand the importance of building and maintaining positive relationships with the children.

The PGCE course has been extremely insightful and rewarding and a really positive learning experience. I have gained a broad knowledge of the national curriculum and also the importance of SEN inclusivity within the education system.

My training has covered specific SEN topics such as Autism, PECS, and cognition and learning. I have implemented the national curriculum within my lessons and have taught a range of subjects for example Maths, DT, and Physical Education. Mathematics is a particular area of strength for me and I have achieved good teaching results. In my first placement at Bowker Vale, I was placed in a Year 6 Class, where I taught students a sequence of lessons that enabled them to access fractions. I ensured they had the knowledge foundations to be able to access more complex fractions. During this practice, my mentor provided feedback on the strength of my subject knowledge, commenting specifically on my willingness to learn and research in preparation for the lesson. In addition, she also commented on how this subsequently reflected within all aspects of my teaching. I was happy to receive feedback from my mentor, both positive and constructive as this then enabled me to enhance my practice and pedagogy.

Behaviour and values:

Within my last school, I received an award for my ‘brilliant’ ethos that I brought to the school and for contributing to the wider life of the school during my placement; I took part in extracurricular clubs such as the sports club and led some activities during this time. I also attended two school trips where I supported health, safety, and risk aspects that are all a vital part of planning school trips. I am always willing to help and support others and have a very proactive approach to teaching. I also have a strong passion for extracurricular activities such as sports clubs and music as it was something I benefited from as a child myself.

During my PGCE course, I have reflected on and implemented Rosenshine's ‘10 principles of effective teaching’ into my practice, to recognise and deliver outstanding lessons. For example, I planned a Geography lesson on trade routes where children had to research and put labels on maps. I adapted the lesson so that the lower-ability children could still actively participate by using sentence starters for some of the children on their maps and using larger-sized maps for children with sight difficulties. Both the mentor and course leader were able to comment on how I successfully and effectively managed behaviours by providing a well-paced lesson and having a controlled work environment. My mentor commended my ability to model high expectations and to hold the highest aspirations for all my students.

I have consistently demonstrated an ability to differentiate appropriately, with an emphasis on student-focused learning. My lessons cater appropriately to the wide SEND needs of students, and I can plan effectively to ensure students work at their own pace whilst also pushing each student individually to achieve their specific targets and goals.

In my current SEN placement, I delivered a measurement lesson to a class of non-verbal students. I was able to recognise and apply the appropriate ways of teaching within the classroom environment so that the learning was student-focused with limited distractions. I produced a sensory-based lesson using water and food colouring to show ‘full’ or ‘empty’ and provided appropriate symbols. I differentiated the lesson to meet the needs of each student, and in doing so assessing the students, I recognised I was looking out for individual targets - I was able to use formative assessment, which ensured all students moved on in their learning.

During my placements I have learned from constructive feedback. I adapted and changed accordingly to go on to achieve and deliver the best lesson(s) I can. I have demonstrated that I am very adaptable and receptive when it comes to planning and delivering lessons and always utilise assessments to recap and consolidate learning.

An example of my adaptability was during a lesson on long division within the Year 6 class. I became aware that a group of children could not remember the content and knowledge they needed to actively participate and succeed in this lesson. I was able to think quickly and come up with a solution to enable the children's learning to continue. I adapted my planned lesson and demonstrated my flexibility by directing the TA to work with this group specifically to recap the core knowledge, whilst I taught the remainder of the class. By being adaptable I enabled the children that were falling behind to gain/regain the knowledge and understanding needed, which effectively enabled them to participate in the next lesson on long division.

Undertaking my PGCE has enabled me to understand and appreciate the importance of all aspects of teaching and learning. I recognise and understand that the process of teaching involves a lot of steps. I recognise the importance of assessment for learning and understand this happens throughout the whole lesson and not just at the end. I demonstrated this in recent practice when teaching instructional writing to year 6 SEN children; I assessed this by initially providing a cold task on what they already knew, then assessed if they were able to complete their work during the lesson, and finally ended with a plenary task. Assessment throughout is an important part of teaching as it enables a teacher to have a full understanding of what the children know and don't know, and how to plan effective ongoing teaching. This same lesson also demonstrated my awareness of another important part of teaching progression. By having this awareness I was able to improve a target progress group for reading by 5%.

I feel strongly that I would be well suited for this role, I have an interest and passion for teaching within SEND, which is why I chose the course in partnership with Piper Hill specifically. With my patient nature and enthusiasm and psychology knowledge that I can draw on, I feel I can make a change and difference in children's lives.