Gaining my confidence back while helping children build resilience: Jean's apprenticeship story

Jean: After leaving school I started college studying sports science, but then my dad passed away unexpectedly. It was a really difficult time; I was only seventeen and I ended up dropping out of college. I didn’t have my dad around to support me financially and I wasn’t really sure what to do.

My sister, who is ten years older than me, stepped in to help. She told me, "I'm going to find you something to do. You need to get your education and earn some money." She was the one who went online, found the apprenticeship, and helped me apply. I’m so grateful that she did.

Jean: One hundred percent. It gave me something else to focus on. When I dropped out of college, I felt lost, but the apprenticeship gave me a reason to get up and get on with things. I had a responsibility to my school and to my pupils.

It was like having two great communities: the school I worked in, and the online apprenticeship group I was learning alongside. Even though the training was largely online, we would meet up for practical face-to-face training, which was lovely. You build friendships with people and it’s people you can relate to as well because they are doing the exact same thing as you. I still speak to one of the girls I met.

Jean: My school has trained me how to deliver sensory circuits and I’ve produced resources and actually helped to train other TAs. We have to adapt the circuits if a child has autism, the gym might be too loud, so I ensure we have ear defenders. If a child struggles with spatial awareness or gets frustrated easily, I might simplify the circuit. 

With my one-on-one, we’re building up hand-to-eye coordination to help with his writing skills and I’m encouraging him to do his own sensory circuit independently. He goes out into the corridor and does the exercises I taught him. That is a vital skill for him to take to secondary school, where he won't have me there to guide him.

Every morning we also take certain children out to have movement breaks, it just helps them settle in for the day.

Jean: I have a background in netball (I coach for London Pulse) so the school was happy to have someone who actually knew the current rules! Prior to me joining it was down to parents to run this, but I’ve been able to take it on and help it grow. Last year we had about 15 students, but this year it is oversubscribed; we have over 30 children attending.

Netball builds a sense of community. The girls come up to me saying how much they look forward to it. It gives them social time outside of the classroom, and an activity outside of school, which they might not otherwise have been able to access. It also gets them away from screens. We know that children are increasingly living in a digital world, so giving them an hour or two of physical activity where they are part of a team is massive for their sense of belonging.

Jean: The support was brilliant. My tutor, Leanne, was amazing. She knew about my dad passing away, and she would always check in on me, asking me to stay behind after calls just to see how I was.

The tutor groups were small, which helped grow my confidence. I used to be quite quiet, but the apprenticeship pushed me to speak up and have my camera on. It felt more like a coaching relationship than just a teacher-student dynamic. The ESF tutors understand what it’s like to work in schools so they are very flexible and understanding.