BUILD THE FUTURE - Award winning Teaching Degree Apprentice is graded 'Outstanding'

Chris said: "Winning the Apprentice of the Year award last year was without doubt a real shock but a huge honour. I feel very lucky that in these strange times that we all find ourselves in, not only am I in a job that I had always dreamed of doing (and I still find it strange seeing the word 'Teacher' on my lanyard!), but that I work for a school community that I am incredibly privileged to be a part of. I owe a huge thank you to every single member of staff - particularly headteacher Angela Alkureishi and our the governing body for their 'go for it' approach to upskilling staff - at Norton-in-Hales CE Primary school for helping and supporting me throughout the duration of the course. I firmly believe that this is an award for all of them and their dedication to the apprenticeship approach.

"I'd always wanted to teach from a young age but felt that, at 35, the chance to do so had passed me by and I was happy and content in my role at Norton-in-Hales, working as a Teaching Assistant in the morning and delivering PE across the school in the afternoons. When senior leaders at the school first mentioned the Apprenticeship route into teaching however, I jumped at the chance to try and achieve a life long dream. I wasn't in a position to leave the school to return to University and also didn't wish to leave the school community so the Apprenticeship route seemed an excellent course to take. Further to this, I much prefer to learn by doing, so by being assigned to our Year 3 and 4 class I was able to follow this learning style; learning from mistakes I made and being given plenty of opportunity to reflect and revise on my approach. This is where I feel my mentors were key in my development. They were available daily, even with the pressures of their own classes to run and I feel I benefited hugely from team teaching with them one day a week as well.

"I also spent four weeks across the academic year at the University of Wolverhampton at its Walsall Campus. These weeks were vital too as it was a chance to gain exposure to more experts in each individual subject, as well as meeting fellow professionals at the same point in their careers. Although I was in a cohort of just four, this bond - along with our mentor Karen Amos - was one of the highlights of the Apprenticeship; we shared experiences, successes, failures and advice that got us all through the course... and our WhatsApp group still buzzes now!"