A DEVOTED teaching assistant apprentice at Tenbury High Ormiston Academy has shown outstanding commitment to her students by finishing nearly 100 courses as part of her qualification.

Zoe Bakewell, a trainee teaching assistant at the Tenbury Wells academy, has been hard at work undertaking a variety of educational courses as part of her Level 3 teaching assistant qualification.

The school, which is a member of Ormiston Academies Trust, has been supporting Ms Bakewell throughout her studies and classroom practice as she trains to become a full-time teaching assistant. 

She has completed all 92 courses across the training curriculum in less than 12 months, achieving a distinction in every one of her written and verbal assignments.

Although she works in a secondary school, Ms Bakewell has even completed courses on primary education and has studied a wide variety of topics to broaden her knowledge and understanding for her future work.

Now wrapping up the course after four terms, she is preparing for her final assessment, a discussion based around the teaching assistant standards which brings together all her learning from across the process.

Once she has passed, she will be taking up a permanent position at the school and putting her new qualification into practice.

The apprenticeship is a collaboration between the school, the nationally recognised Teaching Assistant Development Programme, and LetMePlay, which organises the qualification.

The school has hosted the placement and provided support throughout Ms Bakewell’s classroom learning and practical experience, as part of their work to support early careers teaching staff who are entering the profession.

Ms Bakewell said: “I really enjoyed doing the courses and with a lot of them I was able to reflect back on my own practice.

“Some courses also gave me broader knowledge of what other members of staff do in a school and how other schools work.  They have also helped me to support my own children with their homework.”

Academy principal Vicki Dean said: “We are so proud of Zoe and all that she has achieved through this apprenticeship. She has put so much hard work into her course this year and it has been excellent to see how she has grown in confidence and knowledge through her placement.

“We wish Zoe the best of luck for her final assessment and look forward to celebrating her success!”