This week marks National Apprenticeship Week, a celebration of the skills and opportunities that apprenticeships can provide.
Here at Meridian Trust, we offer a wide range of apprenticeships to support staff in developing the skills needed to grow and progress in their careers.
We recently spoke to Leah Jayne, a postgraduate teaching apprentice based at Stratton School and Lydia Pickwick, assistant principal at Stratton School and Leah’s mentor, to gain insights into the apprenticeship experience from both the apprentice and mentor perspectives.
Leah’s Apprenticeship Journey
Leah is currently apprenticing as a social science teacher with The Cambridge Partnership. She discovered her passion for teaching after two years working as a secondary school inclusion support manager, which led her to develop a neuroscience curriculum for Oxford summer courses.
She said, “This experience, combined with my interest in evidence-based school development, social mobility, and psychoeducation, solidified my decision to pursue teaching full-time. The apprenticeship route was ideal. It allowed me to train and pursue this passion while managing financial constraints”.
Leah added that her experience as an apprentice allowed her to develop her teaching skills both practically and theoretically, fully immersing herself in the school environment.
She said, “This apprenticeship has significantly boosted my confidence and expanded my knowledge. I have also grown in terms of my delivery of lessons and overall professional development. I have relished the challenge and the hands-on experience, truly learning on the job”.
“I am eager to continue developing my skills and progressing in my career. My apprenticeship experience has been incredibly rewarding and has provided me with a strong foundation upon which I can build a successful and fulfilling career in education”.
Here at Meridian Trust, we value the support network and career opportunities that we provide to our staff.
Lydia’s Story: Why Mentoring Matters
Lydia Pickwick is an assistant principal at Stratton School. She is also Leah’s mentor.
Lydia told us that recruiting an apprentice stemmed from the existing strong teacher training and early career teacher programme.
She said, “Our overall goal is to recruit and retain staff, nurturing them from their initial training period and ultimately promote them within the school. We also envision using them to support other apprentices in the future, perhaps as a supportive mentor or buddy. This allows them to understand our school’s culture, standards, and curriculum from day one, becoming a central part of our ethos”.
“Apprentices are more advanced than a typical trainee, demonstrating a higher level of independence. The most surprising outcome has been how adjusted, confident, and familiar with school settings our apprentice, Leah, has been, compared to a typical trainee. They are more advanced, demonstrating a high level of independence. She is switched on, and proactive, whereas many trainees require more guidance. They have really taken ownership of their own learning”.
The new ideas, fresh perspectives and ambition that apprentices bring to teams is valued greatly by Meridian Trust.
Lydia explained, “Our apprentices, like Leah, are ambitious about running trips, learning outside the classroom, and ensuring learning is active and engaging. This creates a beneficial mediation between experienced teachers and new teachers”.
“Leah has grown significantly in confidence in their teaching practices. Their communication and questioning skills have strengthened considerably, even being recognised by Senior Leadership Team members at another school as a model for other staff”.
Curious to find out more?
If you are interested in completing an apprenticeship with Meridian Trust follow the link to register your interest- https://mynewterm.com/trust/Meridian-Trust/2526
If you are already a Meridian Trust colleague and are interested in the opportunities apprenticeships provide, speak to your line manager to find out your next steps.