Two former students of Salford City Academy have returned to school, this time at the front of the class as trainee teachers!
Since September, Rebecca and Nathan have been following their dreams of becoming fully fledged PE teachers. Now back in the secondary school they grew up in, where they learned from their own set of inspiring teachers, they are now training with United Teaching.
Nathan was inspired to return to his old school after meeting some of his former teachers, who told him about the United Teaching scheme offered through Salford City Academy. Now rated ‘Good’ across the board by Ofsted, Nathan was impressed to see the dedication of staff at the academy and their commitment to providing a rich, engaging and rewarding education for students.
“The best thing about returning to teach in my old secondary school is to help give them that positive, enjoyable education that I had when I was there,” said Nathan. “As a teacher you can have such a powerful impact on the lives of young people – not only by helping them achieve academically but by encouraging their ambitions and hopefully leading them onto great careers.
“The benefit of being here, and choosing United Teaching, is the massive amount of support you get – you’re never on your own. Whether you’re a colleague or a student at Salford City Academy, staff are always willing to give up their time to help you. That sort of environment means you really do get the best out of everyone.”
Meanwhile, Rebecca has already been gaining experience at the academy as a teaching assistant, but is now excited to be training to be a fully qualified teacher.
“When I decided I wanted to qualify as a PE teacher, one of the things that attracted me to United Teaching was that I could continue to learn on the job and gain first-hand experience of school life,” said Rebecca. “If I had chosen to go back to university, I would have spent a lot of my time sat in lectures!
“PE was always my favourite subject at school so it is amazing now to be working alongside some of those teachers that influenced me as a child. I think pupils also appreciate seeing someone ‘home-grown’ in a way and it’s testament to the friendly, caring and supportive school it is that people want to give back by becoming teachers.”
Mel Haselden, Principal at Salford City Academy, said, “We were delighted to welcome Nathan and Rebecca back to our academy as trainee teachers, knowing that they have such fond memories of their own school experience and want to help support the next generation of students to achieve highly. As teachers and school staff, that ability to inspire, influence and shape young people’s lives for the better is what drives us all. Seeing students thrive in their learning and go onto become happy, successful adults is exactly what makes teaching such a rewarding profession to be in.”