Branch Coordinator and Preschool Teacher
Starfish Lane Kids
Total years of experience :11 years, 5 Months
Branch Coordinator - lead a team of teachers to realise the school’s vision for educational excellence. Manage and organise weekly teacher meetings. Co-ordinate special days and events. Observe members of staff and evaluate teaching and learning. Hosting training days. Arrange and deliver professional development courses such as jolly phonics
Teacher - Make weekly themed plans and activities to teach to the children. Accomplish efficient teaching by involving and motivating pupils in a friendly learning environment. Offer constructive feedback to students and parents. Since working at Starfish I have been trained in areas that include a South African sport called ‘Playball’. Retrained in a British Jolly Phonics Program and I am Certified in Managing Challenging Behaviour.
For a summer work experience I worked as an Arts and Crafts Counsellor at an American Summer Camp in New Hampshire. Within two weeks I was promoted to Head of the Creative Arts Department. My role was to plan and teach Art lessons for children aged 7-15 years old. As Head of department I had the extended responsibilities of planning and scheduling lessons, managing the staff and implementing a structured system. This role developed my managerial skills and strengthened my abilities and challenged me for the better.
During my third and final year of University I sat a placement and volunteered for Liverpool Community Health (LCH). I attended a few training sessions which focused on the current public health issues in Liverpool and discussed the main public health problems as well as keeping us informed on current Cancer issues and screening processes.
As a Cancer Awareness Volunteer I attended many Health Events around Liverpool. My role was client and public facing and involved raising awareness of cancer, possible signs and symptoms and to inform the public of current screening processes.
During my placement I provided support and advice to individuals who wished to change their lifestyle behaviour through the provision of a Smoking Cessation Programme. I assisted Community Food Workers who provided healthy eating and nutritional information to Male Youth Offenders. I also worked as part of a Social Inclusion Team who helped integrate Refugees and Asylum Seekers into the community and finally I participated in a Cycle for Health which promoted the importance of health and socializing among the elderly community.
My volunteering and placement provided me with great experience and knowledge of the health industry and how to deal with health problems in a professional way.
Lawrence Primary School is one of the biggest and most multi-cultured Primary Schools in Liverpool. My role as a Teaching Assistant required me to be confident in my abilities, build rapport with both pupils and colleagues and to work off of my own initiative. Whilst there I worked alongside children aged 7-9 years old. I covered areas in English, Mathematics, Reading Assistance and Phonics. On a daily basis I took groups of children for various interventions as well as 1:1 tuition, who were struggling with reading, spelling, sounds and number work. It is a fast paced and challenging environment and can change from day to day. I also covered more general duties such as administration, photocopying and helping out the teacher and children in any way possible. This role has equipped me with excellent communication skills as many of the pupils and parents did not speak English as a first language.
In Broadgreen Nursery I worked as a Banking Nursery Nurse with children aged 0-4 years old. I did this alongside working in Lawrence Primary School in Liverpool. Depending on the age group I worked with, my duties included;
Bottling, feeding and changing babies
Implementing and practising safeguarding policies
Providing creative and stimulating activities
Encouraging play and self-expression
Teaching sounds, letters and numbers
Observing children and recording their development.
This was the second placement I began in my third year of study. Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation is the only Charity in the UK solely dedicated to lung cancer. The funds help the charity to exercise in-depth research about the condition and supports people who are affected by it. My placement was as a community fundraiser which involved carrying out research for specific health campaigns, Compiling contact listings via Microsoft Excel, Making telephone calls to gain support for the charity, Supporting the team with administration duties and Assisting with charity day events.
Kilbroney Integrated was considered a prestigious school in the area. I worked in the Foundation Stage of the school with the Primary 2/3 children. An aspect of my role was to provide 1:1 support for children who had difficulties with Numeracy and Literacy whilst also providing support and help to the classroom as a whole.
Healthy Eating was a major initiative in the school and therefore my duties included implementing a Healthy Eating policy. I would manage a daily food diary and prepare healthy ‘snack time’ every morning for the children. Other tasks involved preparing the class for their weekly assembly, doing music lessons or carrying out circle time with the children. I would photocopy their daily homework, take reading groups, supervise at break and lunch time and generally help the teacher in any way possible.
I also attended many school trips and sports days when I worked at Kilbroney Integrated which demonstrates a level of responsibility and trust.
I studied at Edge Hill University, full time for three years and graduated with a First Class Honours in Health and Social Well-being. Whilst at University I attended two placements in the Health Promotion sector. My first placement was with Liverpool Community Health and fortunately I got the opportunity to experience a lot of areas within this placement. I provided support and advice to individuals who wished to change their lifestyle behaviour through the provision of a Smoking Cessation Programme. I assisted Community Food Workers who provided healthy eating and nutritional information to Male Youth Offenders. I also worked as part of a Social Inclusion Team who helped integrate Refugees and Asylum Seekers into the community. Finally I participated in a Cycle for Health which promoted the importance of health and socialising among the elderly community. When I completed this placement I continued as a volunteer for this organisation. • Attended a few training sessions with Liverpool Community Health which focused on the current public health issues in Liverpool and discussed the main public health problems as well as keeping us informed on current Cancer issues and screening processes. As a volunteer I attend many Health Events around Liverpool. My role was to raise awareness of cancer, possible signs and symptoms and to inform the public of current screening processes. My second placement was with Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation. I interned as a community fundraiser. My role included carrying out research for specific health campaigns, compiling contact listings via Microsoft Excel, making telephone calls to gain support for the charity, supporting the team with administration duties and assisting with charity day events. I also continued to volunteer for this organisation when I completed my placement. My Dissertation topic involved Health promotion and smoking cessation programmes and I accessed the Roy Castle Foundation for research.
When I was seventeen years old I attended College to start my training in Children's Care, Learning and Development. I started with an NVQ Level 2 and the following year I completed my Level 3. Whilst spending over two years at the College I was put on school year placements to further my training and understanding of Childcare. For over two years I sat placements in two different schools. At these schools I got the opportunity to put theory into practice. I worked with children mainly aged 6-9 years old. During my training I worked independently with children who needed extra support with their studies. I also worked with groups of children and I got to express my more creative side by designing and arranging wall displays that were filled with children's work. My placements also allowed me to work in the school offices, helping with photocopying and administrative duties. It taught me how to deal with children and what my role entailed. Ultimately the training and college schooling equipped me the confidence and abilities needed to work professionally with children.