Sir Robert Geffery’s is a “school for enthusiasts”, with an emphasis on providing a caring and welcoming environment for all its students. The school is a Primary Academy with a Christian ethos, and encourages the moral and social development of its students as well as the academic. As a result, the school has a very impressive Ofsted “Outstanding” rating. We sat down with James Crudge, one of Sir Robert Geffery’s teachers, to find out more about the school and its apprentice programme.
“We’ve been taking on apprentices for a few years now and have found the programme works very well for the school. The apprentices are fundamental in supporting the teacher in the running of each class, and so gain a huge amount of experience and insight into teaching. In return, the teacher has an extra pair of eyes to monitor the children!“The apprentices help with setting out activities and leading group activities. For example, my class apprentice, Luke, ran a “Funky Fingers” group to help improve children’s motor abilities through finger activities. After the sessions, we found that the children’s writing skills had improved as well as their ability in PE.
“It is also rewarding to see the development in the apprentices as the year progresses. Luke was a pleasure to work with and it was a delight to see his confidence grow throughout the year. The fact that he is now studying a teaching degree speaks volumes for his ability in education; he has an exciting future ahead of him.
“We have a great relationship with Skills Group. The assessor is flexible when visiting us for apprentice observations, and is able to give advice on training.
“My advice to others thinking of employing an apprentice in a school is to make sure you have a strict recruitment process. Once you have hired an apprentice, nurture them and give them plenty of opportunity to grow both in skills and in confidence.”