Kate Buchanan-Stone

I first started at Motcombe Primary School back in 2016 when I was appointed as a 1:1 teaching assistant for a KS1 child with complex additional and physical needs.

I thoroughly enjoyed my year with her but felt that I had returned to work slightly too soon as my little boy was just 2 and a half. It wasn’t an easy decision to leave after just a year, but I felt that my son was still at that age where he needed his mummy to be home with him.

In 2018 I began working at Milton-on-Stour Primary School as an MDSA, which was truly lovely, and when an opportunity came up for a 1:1 LSM for a young boy in KS2 I decided to apply. I was fortunate enough to be offered the position and worked with him for just under a year before he moved on to a more specialist setting which he would go on to benefit from hugely. I stayed on as a class LSM for a short while before falling pregnant and being advised to take maternity leave sooner than expected due to the covid pandemic in 2020.

I returned back to Motcombe in 2022, and I have enjoyed every new ‘challenge’ and opportunity I have been given so far.

When I returned as a 1:1 LSM, it was with a lovely little girl in lower KS2 who had SEN and an EHCP.

I supported her daily with not just the academic side of her day, but also the emotional well being side too.

No two days were the same, as you can imagine, but with the incredible support of the class teacher we were able to adapt and facilitate her learning journey to fit as needed. I always had to be that one step ahead, knowing that if she began to find something tricky, or became disregulated, I had the next plan/idea/session ready for her.

When she was fortunate enough to find a place in a more suitable setting, I was offered a position to remain at the school as a more ‘general’ LSM. I have thoroughly enjoyed this role, and continue to do so.

I carry out daily interventions with children who are recorded as ‘below expected’ and ‘working towards.’ These include listening to them read every morning, more detailed comprehension reading sessions and smaller group focus through English and Maths lessons. It is so incredibly rewarding to watch students grow, helping them face their challenges through tailored guidance and encouragement as we have been able to identify their individual learning needs.

Paediatric First Aid including Adrenaline Auto Injectors.