From kicking a football to teaching multiplication, and everything in between!
Daniel has been a teaching assistant at Solebay Primary Academy for nearly five years. Here he explains more about his role as part of the PE department alongside being a TA to give you a little more insight into day-to-day life at Solebay, as well as a career within Paradigm Trust.
Hi, I’m Daniel, and I have been working at Solebay Primary Academy for just under five years. Taking into consideration the length of time I have been with the Trust it probably comes as no surprise to hear that I really couldn’t be happier here, it really is fantastic.
Since being part of the Trust I have been given lots of opportunities to develop my career in line with my interests and passions, in particular my ambition to help strengthen the school’s sports department (an interest stemming from the sports-based degree I undertook at university) alongside my teaching assistant role.
Through various measures and the innovative culture here at Paradigm Trust, I have always felt thoroughly supported whilst working at Solebay Primary, and I know that all the other staff here feel the same. To me it is truly outstanding how, as an organisation, they manage to make everyone feel so looked after as well as making significant differences to every child’s life.
Whilst at Solebay I have been able to see children grow and flourish in front of me and since we’ve begun developing the PE department, we’ve achieved milestones I didn’t even realise were possible! From adapting how the school’s annual sports day will run due to Covid-19, to taking the children on school trips, the impact of sport within the children’s lives has made a massive difference. At Paradigm we are all big believers in the benefit of ‘culture capital’ and understand the positive impact real-life experiences have on the pupils, which is why this year we took 50 pupils to Wembley Stadium to watch a live football match. This was the first trip of its kind for Solebay and seeing the children’s faces light up made me proud to be part of a school that could provide opportunities like this for their pupils.
Part of my role at Solebay Primary requires me to work with SEN children and give them the opportunity to work in quieter, calmer environments that are more suited to their needs. For me, there is nothing more enjoyable than seeing the fulfillment in their faces when they complete a task in a lesson and I really do feel privileged to work within a school that is able to provide the resources needed to enable these children to excel, grow and develop.
Overall I consider myself very lucky to work with such professional, upbeat and positive colleagues who are excellent at their jobs. The integrity of the school and all who work here shines through everyone, and the support I have received from the school and its employees really showcases how embedded the community culture is.
If you’re considering a role at Solebay Primary, or any of the other schools within the Trust, I couldn’t encourage you more to apply. It really has been one of the best decisions I have ever made and I am sure it will be for you too.