Karen Hancock works at Greater Peterborough UTC as a Curriculum Lead for Expeditionary Learning. Read on to find out more about her journey so far.
Can you tell us about your background in education?
I had a late start to education, having originally qualified as a nurse when I left school and also having a background in business.
It wasn’t until 2011 that I decided I wanted to train as a teacher. I joined GPUTC in 2016 when it first opened and did my Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) there. I worked at GPUTC up until February 2020 when I left to pursue a career in higher education. However, I soon realised I missed the school so much that I decided to return to GPUTC at the start of this academic year.
Throughout my time at the school, I’ve been a curriculum lead for a few different subjects, including humanities and Key Stage 4 science. This is my first time as a curriculum lead for expeditionary learning and I am greatly enjoying the challenge.
What’s it like being part of the CMAT family?
I’ve really enjoyed having the wider support network of subject teachers in my area. This has helped me continue to grow my professional skills and benefits my students as they experience a variety of different teaching approaches.
I’ve also found CMAT to be really supportive since they took over governance of the school and believe their values fit well with our values – our school has always had an ethic of excellence and CMAT have a pursuit of excellence, which I think go hand in hand together.
Initially, I was worried that we might lose our uniqueness when we became an academy. However, CMAT has done well to ensure we kept our unique traits and have provided us with the platform to flourish as Peterborough’s only STEM and built environment specialist school.
How has working for CMAT provided you with opportunities or links you might otherwise not have made?
I’ve gotten the opportunity to have many CPD sessions with specialists in my teaching area which I’ve found to be very useful. I’ve also signed up for the Institute of Education’s programme for middle leader next term. These workshops revolve around how to support the team and developing middle leaders’ ability to improve the quality of teaching.
We’ve had the chance to learn from some great guest speakers such as the author, CPD lecturer and teacher trainer, Adam Boxer, who delivered a valuable talk as part of a trust wide CPD session.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I love the expeditionary way of learning. It’s fantastic to be delivering a curriculum that’s so immersive. Our students are engaged in a way that excites them not only in the subjects they’re studying but also in the process of learning, through our philosophy ‘Learning by Doing’.
I also enjoy that as teachers we are given the freedom to be creative agents in the classroom. Recently, we had a planning day to prepare for our next expedition. We all sat together as a team and were able to give input and present ideas we believe will encourage our students to pique their curiosity and thirst for knowledge.
Outside of your job, what interests do you have?
I am the District Chair for Cambs and Fens Sea Cadets as well as the Chair for the Peterborough Sea Cadets. As part of our enrichment programme, we also run a sea cadet unit at the school which is a division of the Peterborough Sea Cadets Corps. This allows our students to access a wider range of skills and to experience all the things that I love to do such as sailing, kayaking and other exciting waterborne activities.