Sarah Lovett

I currently work in a SEND unit within a mainstream school. I work with a child with cerebral palsy and a learning difficulty on a 1-1 basis in the morning. This is both classroom based and within the SEND unit. I work to the child's specialised curriculum, meeting his target needs and supporting his social, emotional and mental health needs and also his physical/mobility needs. In the afternoons I mostly work within the SEND unit but will occasionally also support these children in the classroom. The afternoons are used to help children achieve their specialised targets, this can be through working with them on a 1-to-1 basis or in small groups. It can involve various activity based, play based, sensory based or structured sessions for learning. During my five years at the school I have worked with children from various year groups and with varying needs within SEND. I have built positive relationships with all the children I have worked with and also with other staff members, outside professionals and parents.

I spent five years as a stay-at-home parent to my three children. During this time I was able to focus on providing the best care possible for them and ensuring all their needs were met. I was able to attend stay and play groups with my youngest child, which gave us both a chance to socialise with other children and parents. During this time we experienced the covid pandemic so I spent quite a lot of time home schooling my three children. This was very enjoyable for all of us and gave me a chance to instill knowledge and life skills, such as gardening, arts and crafts and cooking into my children.

As a senior support worker I worked within a team to maintain a safe and secure environment for six adults with learning disabilities, whilst promoting their independence with regards to their life choices. This role often involved lone working, administering medication and maintaining accurate records of administration, sleeping in duties, providing healthy and nutritious meals, assisting with personal care tasks whilst respecting service users privacy and dignity, arranging and escorting to medical appointments, completing and recording accurate medical and personal records for service users, assisting in the implementation of care plans, arranging and facilitating social activities and outings. I also worked as part of a team delivering respite care to adults with learning disabilities. As Activities coordinator my role involved working to deliver various activities, such as arts and crafts, cooking and life skills, and much more to adults with learning disabilities within their day care services.

I volunteered within reception class listening and supporting children with their reading. I was also a parent volunteer on class trips.

I spent time with children and young adults with disabilities, providing the support needed to enable individuals to take part in creative activities and games. I volunteered fortnightly at Junior S.P.I.N and weekly at Senior S.P.I.N.

• Provided youth work support, encouraging youth to take part in new positive opportunities and experiences.
• Tailored support to individuals with special needs, adapting activities to be inclusive and accessible for everyone.

• Followed production schedule to achieve set time scales and quality standards.
• Kept production areas clean and obstacle-free to minimise risk of accident or injury.
• Adhered to strict health and safety protocols, contributing to a safe working environment for all staff.
• Kept in line with safety standards by wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) as instructed in company manuals.
• Carried out tasks following step-by-step process.
• Attended training to keep up to date on safety standards, production regulations and company best practices.
• Set up and operated production equipment safely to meet current good manufacturing practices and SOPs.
• Managed inventory levels, ensuring availability of materials for uninterrupted production flow and timely order fulfilment.

I spent three years working with children aged 7-16 years. Working alongside other youth workers my role included organising and supervising creative activities, arts and crafts, working in the tuck shop, supervising games and sporting activities, and organising and supervising day trips.

• Developed positive relationships by proactively encouraging and supporting members of youth group.
• Created, designed and implemented new projects and activities for youth.
• Established a safe and inclusive environment for all participants, promoting diversity and mutual respect.
• Implemented conflict resolution techniques to mediate disputes among group members, restoring harmony.
• Cultivated a relaxed atmosphere to enhance group enjoyment.

Supervising and Instructing children aged 8-11 years in the basics of being a Sea Cadet.

• Tutored students in one-to-one and small group sessions to progress learning.
• Individualised instruction and tutoring to match student knowledge and skills.
• Learned valuable techniques from observing other instructors for use in future courses.
• Encouraged students to persevere with difficult tasks to prepare for later learning.

• Assisted teachers in lesson preparation by arranging tables, sorting worksheets, and locating books to streamline instruction.
• Supervised children during activities and play, ensuring safety and proactively managing behavioural issues to create a positive learning environment.
• Organised classroom spaces and materials to enhance teacher preparedness for lessons, contributing to efficient lesson delivery.
• Helped students exceed expectations by providing ongoing support and assistance throughout lessons.
• Contributed to the creation of educational materials and resources, enhancing the overall teaching toolkit.
• Supported teacher in delivering educational, inspiring lessons, ensuring optimal use of time and resources.