Progression with Paradigm 

In 2016, Becky joined Murrayfield Primary School as a Newly Qualified Teacher (NQT), just before it became an academy. Wanting to make a real impact in children’s lives, she came to Murrayfield with a determined attitude and a strong willingness to learn – just four years later, she is now Assistant Principal. How? We’ll let Becky talk you through… 

Hi, I’m Becky and as you know I joined Murrayfield in 2016 after finishing my teaching qualification. As a newly qualified teacher, it was the academy status that drew me into the school as I wanted to work somewhere I could make a real difference whilst learning and progressing through my career. I feel privileged to have found the Trust and a school which is constantly ensuring it has a positive impact not just on the pupils, but their families, staff and wider school community too.

Stepping into your first role as a newly qualified teacher can be quite a daunting prospect, but Paradigm has a fantastic mentor scheme to help guide you through the role. Aside from teaching, the scheme allowed me to learn more about classroom assessments, data and everything that makes me the teacher I am today! The support I received from my mentor helped me to excel at all aspects of my job, and I am now passing this on as a mentor myself. 

Culture is very important here at Paradigm and we all have a passion for continued learning. Rather than the usual ‘observations’, we partake in learning walks instead; everyone feels they can learn something from someone else and this has built a really strong sense of community and trust between all the staff members. 

Throughout my time at the school I have been given many CPD opportunities tailored to my specific wants, needs and learning. I’ve found it an absolutely fantastic way to keep up to date with the latest teaching methods and skills and it has definitely been a major factor in my fast progression within the school. 

Inset days are really different here at Paradigm too. Rather than simply being our school in silo, we often join up as an entire Trust for training, which is a brilliant way to bolster that community feel, and also gives us all the opportunity to learn from others within the wider Trust. I really do feel so privileged to work for a Trust which invests so heavily in its teachers’ development. 

Paradigm notices potential, and I cannot thank the Trust enough for all of the teaching and leadership skills those within it have taught me, from being an NQT, a Year 1 and 2 Phase Leader to leading Year 1, 2, 3 and 4 and finally, becoming an Assistant Principal from September. 

Therefore, if you are considering training as a teacher, or wanting to become a teaching assistant, I couldn’t recommend joining Paradigm Trust enough. We have a fantastic salaried Teaching Training programme here called School Direct.

The key? Everyone who works at Murrayfield really does believe in making the biggest difference to the pupils’ lives and it’s so fulfilling to see all the staff carry the same mentality. Each and every member of staff wants to see every pupil reach their full potential and I’m so proud I can say I’m part of it. 

And finally, I don’t think I could talk about my time at Murrayfield without mentioning its adaptability during Covid-19. The ethos, community and values of the Trust have been exemplified while we had to close and I am very proud of the way our pupils adapted to virtual learning. And it’s not just the pupils, this was new for all of the parents, but we ensured there was constant communication in place, whether this was via Google Classroom, email or by phone and as a result, I feel the relationship between the school and the community has never been stronger. 

So, if you’re considering a role at Murrayfield Primary, or somewhere else within the Trust, I couldn’t recommend it more highly. I have loved every moment of my time as a teacher here and I cannot wait to see what the future brings!