What do our staff #ChooseToChallenge?
Name: Mrs Pickering
What is your role at school and how long have you been at St Cuthbert's? My role at St. Cuthbert's is Level 3 Learning Support Assistant, and I have worked here for just over two years.
Brief history of your career: My career after college started as a Nursery Nurse in a private nursery for 2 years before working at Wargrave House School, which is an accredited autistic school. I worked as a residential care worker for 15 years, providing a 24-hour curriculum, before joining St. Cuthbert's.
What is one of your proudest moments in your career? Throughout my career, one of the proudest moments is stepping up from a Level 2 Learning Support Assistant to Level 3.
What would you #ChooseToChallenge? I#ChooseToChallenge that Special educational needs can be seen as a barrier to learning within education. However, It's not a learning difficulty; it's a learning difference.
Name: Miss Ward
What is your role at school and how long have you been at St Cuthbert's?
Personal Development Lead
Brief history of your career:
I stayed on at sixth form and had a tough time for a number of reasons, so had to find an alternative route when I went to Uni. I did a HND in Sport Science at De Montfort University Leicester and then only needed to do another year to get my degree which I did at DMU Bedford. I went on to do my PGCE at Edge Hill Uni and then began my teaching career in 2004 at a school on the Wirral for four years before moving to St Cuthbert's in 2008. I took on the PSHE role in 2013 which wasn't a planned path but I really enjoyed it and progressed to PD Lead in 2019. I love my job now and I'm really passionate about it as it combines my PE passion with health aspects and aspiration and it gives me lots of opportunities to really make a difference.
What is one of your proudest moments in your career?
What makes me proud isn't just a one-off event, but more about when students work really hard no matter what their circumstances are, and this pays off because they realise just how capable they are. I love watching students develop from year 7 through to year 11; growing in confidence and becomming resilient. I love hearing where students end up in the future and what they achieve, particularly in the face of adversity.
What would you #ChooseToChallenge?
Everyone to believe in themselves, adopt a Growth Mindset and aim high! The only person to hold you back is yourself. It doesn't matter where you come from or what your circumstances are. You have so many opportunities to embrace at school and post-16, so use them! Even if you aren't at school anymore but want to change your direction. It might be hard but today is the day to make that start!
Name: Mrs Barrett
What is your role at school and how long have you been at St Cuthbert's?
I am the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) and a Spanish teacher and I have been working at St Cuthbert's for 9 years.
Brief history of your career:
I qualified as a teacher in 2011 with a degree in teaching Primary and Secondary with Spanish as a specialism. I originally began teaching at St Cuthbert's in 2011 as a teacher of reading and Core which involved teaching a variety of subjects including English, RE and Humanities, as well as some Spanish and French. I soon found I had a real passion for working with SEN students and decided to pursue this. I became SENCO in 2014 and it's safe to say that passion continues to grow and grow!
What is one of your proudest moments in your career?
One of my proudest moments in my career was studying for and completing my National SENCO award at Edge Hill University whilst I was pregnant with my little girl. At times studying can be difficult, even when it involves studying a subject that you love. Combining this with working full time and growing a tiny human being was exhausting, and there were several times I thought I wasn't going to be able to do it. When I graduated I remember having photographs taken holding my certificate in one hand and my daughter in the other, and it was the moment I truly realised how incredible women are!
What would you #ChooseToChallenge?
I #ChooseToChallenge using the word "girl" as an insult. It is often used to suggest a person is weak, or cannot do something as well as someone else because they do it "like a girl", when I know women are anything but weak or unable to do things. We are surrounded daily by women who are strong physically and mentally, who are spinning many different plates, playing many different roles, and it should never be underestimated how difficult this is to do! To me being a girl, or doing something like a girl means doing something amazing or being amazing!
