Luke Thompson

I thoroughly enjoy and take immense pride in being a teacher. In my 5 years at Biddulph I have looked to be involved in the school community as much as I can, develop my practice and progress in my career. Although specialising in Mathematics I have also had time teaching Physics, IT and Computer Science. This has given me a greater understanding of the wider school environment and greater understanding of students in different settings.

In my first ECT year I completed an additional CPD, alongside our TA’s, on Dyscalculia. This enabled me to better understand some of our students by developing strategies to identify and support those with the condition. I ran a session for teaching staff during a SEND Twilight on the topic to ensure the learning and information was shared.

During my second year as an ECT I successfully applied for the STEM Lead role. My masters degree in engineering,
five years employment experience in IT and specialisation as a Mathematics teacher provided a great foundation to develop the role. I implemented a variety of events and activities throughout the school including school trips, enrichment days for a whole year and smaller groups, interactive sessions with expert guest speakers, led assemblies, developed extra-curricular opportunities and carried out whole year one-off competitions. During this two year period I was able to support the school and students whilst developing key skills in management and planning. I was able to promote STEM subjects during assemblies by highlighting careers, everyday applications, options after Y11 and Sixth form, STEM links outside of the STEM subjects and the breadth of staff experiences prior to teaching.

I have looked to support fellow staff members and have become a mentor to trainees in the last two years. This is something I am very passionate about as I understand the challenges of the job and wish to support our trainees on their journey. As part of this role, I schedule and plan their timetables to assist their development, collaborate within the department, analyse lessons using the full range of the teaching standards and have challenging conversations when required. I have also supported the transition of new staff into the department. This has developed my personal skills, which will be key to the deputy role.
In the last year I was delighted to the join the teaching and learning work group - a fantastic opportunity to improve my own teaching practise whilst supporting the implementation of these strategies across the school. I have contributed and engaged within the CPD sessions and actively participated in the implementation of these strategies to the wider teaching staff. I am looking forward to continuing to work with this group and believe it can help me develop the strategies within the Mathematics’ department as well.

At the end of the previous academic year I was successful in applying for the second in Maths role. I started working in the role before the end of that year to gain knowledge from the then current head of department, enabling me to best support students and the new head coming into this year. In this role I have supported with implementation and development of the curriculum, supported new, existing and cover staff, been involved in a subject showcase, greater involvement in the promotion of the sixth form and involved with the intervention of Y11 students. I have greatly enjoyed being able to have a role with the running of a department and being involved in the implementation of school wide decisions.

This role involved working in a team which support and developed software applications for Network Rail and Train Operating Companies. As part of the role I was able to develop several specialised IT skills, support new joiners to the team, work on-call, find and create solutions for projects, and achieve career progression. While helping to train new starters and updating support guides for the team I realised that I had a passion for supporting and helping other people. Combining this with my enjoyment in Mathematics led to my desire to become a teacher.