Body

I have had experience throughout the British KS1 and 2 (5 years old to 11 years old), both as a student, a supply teacher, and whilst I was engaged in a two term contract with Hetton Primary School. These experiences have allowed me to see many different types of school, each with their own ethos, and to work with many types of teacher. At present, I am teaching to the National Literacy Strategy, which is in force in many Newcastle schools.

My work at Hetton Primary School was with a year 3-4 class (7 to 9 year olds). This class had a wide range of abilities that had to be differentiated across the curriculum. This wide differentiation was achieved through careful planning which had to be constantly monitored and revised in order to meet the needs of the individual children. Whilst employed at Hetton Primary, I planned on my own, as we were a small teaching staff, so I am used to working under pressure and meeting tight deadlines with minimal supervision.

Parental support in Hetton was an important part of the school life, and I was in close contact with many parents as regards their children's education, and any special arrangements that had to be made. I formed a close professional relationship with many parents, one that was based on mutual respect and co-operation. I valued the parents interest and input into their child's education, and felt fully supported by the parents of my class when problems such as discipline occurred, in fact parents and I devised our own ways of monitoring behaviour both at school and at home, which we saw as a useful tool in achieving harmony in the classroom.

I was employed at Hetton whilst the school sorted out a new management team, with the deputy head taking over the headship of the school at the beginning of the spring term (she had been acting head for the duration of the winter term), and a new deputy head joining the school at the beginning of the summer term, thus taking over as class teacher for my class.

As a parent of a school aged child (my son is 8) who is planning on a foreign move, I can understand the anxiety of parents who may have recently moved abroad, or are about to move to a different country. With this in mind, I feel that I could offer an understanding face to both parents and pupils who are going through, or about to go through this difficult transition.

I believe that all children should have an equal opportunity to access all areas of education. This should be in a positive environment where children's own abilities and needs are identified and valued. A safe and secure environment should be created in the school and classroom, where all children can access the learning experiences on offer in a warm affective and well ordered school community. High expectations should always be impressed on the children, along with a high level of praise. I do not believe that a happy environment can be created where the children are constantly criticised. Rather the teacher should use an assertive discipline strategy where good work and behaviour is valued and recognised. I feel it is very easy to forget about the well-behaved and conscientious student, thus not recognising their part in the class. In my own teaching, I always strive to look for the positive elements in the classroom, and focus on these rather than always challenging the negative sides of classroom life.

Effective teaching can only be achieved through thorough planning coupled with thoughtful and in-depth assessment. This assessment needs to be an ongoing activity that is used to inform planning at both medium term and especially short term. Only with this form of assessment can truly informed planning which takes into account a true understanding of level give an effective educational experience.

Before I studied for my degree, I trained as a computer programmer, and gained the City and Guilds 425 certificate in Applications Programming in COBOL. Along with this, I have been using computers for the past 20 years, and have an advanced knowledge of hardware and software systems. I offer support to a variety of charities that are run by the Archbishop of York's Advisor for those at Risk, Julia Creasey. This support incorporates an element of training. My I.T. skills are very up to date, and I am fully conversant with the Internet, Web authoring, E-mail and networks. The school I am currently working in runs an I.C.T. room with a 20 P.C. network, along with classroom access to PCs and Apple Macs. I use these a lot with the class I am teaching, and am fully aware and conversant with the I.C.T. curriculum both at Key Stage 1 and 2. I believe that computers are not just for word processing, but offer a wealth of educational opportunities for all children such as research and problem solving. I enjoy using various technology items with children and feel that in an ever-changing world, it is important for children to experience education through a wide range of mediums.

I strongly believe in a practical approach to teaching and learning, and constantly strive to provide an educational experience that will engage all students whatever their strengths. These skills I feel could be applied to all teaching situations.