Jacob (centre) with Tom Few (left) and Executive Headteacher Clive Lawrence
A teenager who works in a Derby special school has become one of the youngest teaching assistants in the UK to reach the highest level possible before qualifying as a fully-fledged teacher.
Eighteen-year-old Jacob Ward, who works at St Giles School, in Hampshire Road, has just been awarded Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA) status by the University of Northampton.
And his achievement is even more remarkable given that, for the first five months of his appointment at St Giles – Derby’s only special primary school – he only met a handful of his work colleagues and a few of the children who attend the school because of covid.
Jacob, who was just 17 when he joined St Giles, said: “I started at St Giles on the very first day of the lockdown, in March 2020. Although the school was open, staff worked on a rota, so I didn’t meet everyone until restrictions were lifted slightly later in the year, in July, and we had a tea party to celebrate the end of the school year.
“In fact, I’ve been here just over a year now and there are still some members of staff and pupils who I haven’t met yet because we are in different ‘bubbles!’ It’s been a strange but also a rewarding time and, in some ways, working with smaller groups of children has helped me to adjust to working at St Giles, get to know the children individually and understand their different needs.
“I was made to feel at home immediately. Perhaps the biggest challenge was actually getting to St Giles from my home, near Sutton in Ashfield, as I didn’t drive; I had to get my mum, dad or nana to bring me into work every day and caught the bus home as, although I was on the list of keyworkers awaiting their driving test, there was a national backlog and I didn’t get to take my test – and pass – until July.
“It was quite nerve-wracking, the day after passing my test, having to drive along the A38 and around the Pentagon Island to work all on my own.”
Keeping with the theme of nurturing homegrown talent, Jacob has been mentored by assistant head teacher Tom Few who, aged 24, is one of the youngest teachers in a senior leadership role in the East Midlands.
Jacob added: “Tom has been supportive since the day I met him – complete with lockdown haircut – and I’d like to follow in his footsteps one day.”
Tom, a former University of Derby graduate was, in turn, mentored by executive head teacher Clive Lawrence, who completed his BA Honours degree at Northampton University – the same university which Jacob received his HLTA from.
Clive, aged just 28, made headlines in 2014 when he became the youngest head teacher in the UK, following his appointment at Sherbrook Primary School in Cannock, Staffordshire.
Clive said: “We are very ambitious here at St Giles School, both for our pupils and also our staff, and we are committed to ‘growing our own’ to ensure that our pupils are taught by talented and skilled teachers and support staff.
“All staff, including teaching assistants, have played a huge part in making St Giles the successful school that it is today and have gone above and beyond for our pupils and their families during the pandemic.
“For an 18-year-old, Jacob is a very driven and highly-ambitious teaching assistant. We’re extremely proud of his work and achievements, particularly given that he started a new job during a global pandemic. We are committed to providing high quality mentoring and coaching; which has been sustained throughout lockdown to ensure that staff like can go on to achieve amazing things in their career.
“Jacob is a positive role model for our pupils and young people of his age; particularly as he has made a conscientious decision to work with some of the most vulnerable children in our society, including those with Special Educational Needs & Disabilities.
“Jacob will make an exceptional HLTA and he should be very proud of the resilience he has shown over the past 16 months.”
