Case Studies

Jess Griffith-Evans, Director of Sixth Form, Deyes High School

Teaching was a profession that interested me from an early age. I grew up knowing that it was a profession that would offer me huge job satisfaction and the opportunity to have an impact on the lives of others. Whilst at secondary school, I also developed a love of History and as I progressed through my school career, it became clear that teaching was the perfect way to engage with History every day and vehicle to inspire and engage others about the past.

I attended Deyes High School on a School Experience Visit. During my visit I met Alison Brady (Head of AMP SCITT) who was warm and welcoming. Alison provided me with a real insight into what the SCITT could offer and the benefits of a SCITT route into Teaching.

As History teachers we are not only imparting knowledge about the past. We are allowing students to develop their own opinions about our history, through empathy and understanding. I have loved seeing my students develop into critical thinkers, who can challenge and support the past and the world around them. As History teachers, we gift them the skills and confidence to this.

The most enjoyable part of the course was the time spent in school, on placement. The way the SCITT course is designed, you are treated like an ordinary member of staff. This meant you were fully immersed in school life. You were able to build relationships with the staff and students and get a real insight into what teaching was like.

The two departments I was placed in were brilliant. Both teams provided me with guidance, support and further opportunities during my placements. I met regularly with my Home Coach, who really helped to develop my practice further. Specific and bespoke targets were set every week, to ensure I developed as many skills as possible. The SCITT staff were incredibly supportive too. At all levels, the SCITT team would always find time to listen and support in whatever way they could. I received a variety of support from job application support to pastoral and well-being advice. What made AMP SCITT different, was the personal nature of the programme. The team knew you and the genuinely cared about you and your progression across the year. This was key in my success across my Trainee year.

Since graduating, I have been fortunate to have gained a number of different opportunities. In 2017, I took on two roles within AMP SCITT, as Home Coach for the History Trainees at Deyes High School and the role of History Expert Practitioner. Both roles allowed me an opportunity to work with and coach new trainees but also stay engaged and up to date with key curriculum developments within History.

In 2018, I was promoted to Head of Year 12 and 13. This took my career in a slightly different direction, as it was primarily a pastoral role. This role was incredibly rewarding. It was a role that I genuinely loved doing and one I was able to flourish in. In 2021, I was promoted to Director of Sixth Form. In my current role I am responsible for the Sixth Form provision at Deyes High School.

I love my job! The students I work with every day, make me love my job. Teaching is an incredibly rewarding career, where you can see the positive impact you are having, on a daily basis.

My long-term ambition is to make the step up into Senior Leadership, as an Assistant Headteacher.

Do not automatically dismiss an opportunity because it was not the opportunity you thought you would take. Sometimes opportunities appear that we were not expecting but can actually turn out to be something you enjoy and want to pursue further.

Jack Backhouse

AMP SCITT graduate: 2017
Current role: Assistant Headteacher, Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School

After finishing my teacher training with AMP SCITT I was employed by Formby High School as a teacher of Physical Education. I really enjoyed my time there, building on my strong teaching and learning foundation which I had developed on the SCITT programme.

An opportunity arose during my NQT year at Childwall Academy, one of my previous SCITT placement schools, to apply for the Head of Year 7 role. After interviewing against a number of experienced teachers, I was the successful candidate. A number of people advised that it may be too early to take on such a role, however the staff at AMP SCITT and Childwall Sports & Science Academy believed in me.

I was responsible for 780 students. I oversaw the safety, well-being and behaviour of 570 KS3 students, whilst also co-ordinating the transition programme for the 210 year 6 students. The role was understandably challenging but it also very rewarding.

I aspired to be a future school leader and in particular taking responsibility for pastoral care and welfare of students as this is where my passion lies. I started my new role as Assistant Headteacher, Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School in 2023 and lead on Behaviour.

Dr Catherine Perkins

AMP SCITT Graduate: 2014
Job title: Head of Science, Wirral Girls Grammar School

I started my teacher training at Deyes High School in September 2013. One benefit of the course was being in school from the first day of the academic year, gaining an immediate insight into what teaching involves and attending Inset days with the whole teaching staff, followed by meeting the pupils in my classes in their first lesson.

The incredible support from teaching staff both within and outside of the faculty was continued throughout the year. There were often opportunities to engage with other trainee teachers alongside more experienced members of staff from other departments in classroom based research and peer observations, which had a big impact on professional development, especially in behaviour management and teaching and learning.

During my teaching training year I was offered the opportunity to take part in classroom-based research with CUREE, with a focus on stretch and challenge of the more able; the research was published in TES.

The CPD programme, which was delivered by outstanding teachers from Deyes High School and other schools linked to the teacher training programme addressed AfL, assessment, teaching and learning, BfL, SEN, more able and many other topics, which encouraged and promoted constant reflection leading to an improvement in my own practice throughout the academic year.

I would recommend the AMP SCITT programme as learning in a school setting allows for a greater insight into the day-to-day running of the school day, allows for the formation of closer and more consistent relationships with pupils for the duration of the school year and continued reflection and improvement with the same set of pupils. I secured a job at Deyes High School for my NQT year, during which I was promoted to Head of Chemistry in March 2015.

In 2017, I completed my NPQSL Qualification and now lead Science in Wirral Girls Grammar School.

Johanna Benn

AMP SCITT Graduate: 2017

Job role: Maths Teacher and Deputy Head of House, Warminster School

I always knew I wanted to be a teacher and after extensive research, found that AMP SCITT was the right programme for me. I was keen to be part of the SCITT Programme as it allowed me to be immersed in the school environment from day one. I relocated from the South of England to Merseyside in order to complete my teacher training year. I was made to feel very welcome, despite being new to the area and settled in extremely well.

The Initial Teacher Training programme gave me the opportunity to train and work in two contrasting schools, providing me with experience of a range of challenges both academic and pastoral. Both the schools that I trained in had strong pastoral structures which developed my interest in this side of school life.

After qualifying, I secured a job at Test Valley School where I was responsible for a tutor group and a member of the SLT. I took part in the Middle Leadership Development Programme to pursue a pastoral leadership role.

In September 2018, I was appointed as Second in Mathematics as well as PSHE & Citizenship Coordinator. These were opportunities that I actively sought to broaden my teaching and leadership experience.

I am a keen traveller and have been fortunate enough to have taken part in two foreign residential trips in my NQT year, one educational, one active. Residential trips allow you to build on the fundamental relationships with your students and peers. Teaching has also allowed me to take my enthusiasm for mathematics one step further by attending conferences and workshops throughout the country, with the added benefit of networking with other secondary mathematics teachers.

In 2019, I secured a role at Warminster School as Maths Teacher and Deputy Head of Arnold House. As a Mathematician, I learn by understanding the underlying principles and theory of a problem. What appeals to me most about the subject is that I am able to analyse and discuss why such methods are used and how they are derived. Rather than just being one-dimensional, mathematics needs to be discussed and analysed. I am enthusiastic and excited to put everything I have learnt in mathematics into practice and share my appreciation of the subject with future generations of students.

AMP SCITT was key in building my confidence as well as core knowledge and provided a very supportive and encouraging environment. I am still in touch with members of the AMP SCITT team, teachers from my placement schools and other trainee teachers and am using everything that I learned to drive my teaching career.

Samuel Ballantyne

AMP SCITT Graduate: 2017

Current role: ICT and Computing Teacher, Assistant Head of House/ The Mosslands School

After an eight year career in the retail industry, I decided to change my career and become a Computer Science teacher. Although I thoroughly enjoyed my previous work and had progressed quickly, the work was not rewarding and provided little variation, hence the decision to enter the teaching profession.

I graduated from University with a BA Hons in Criminology and initially secured a job with Marks and Spencer. This experience formed my philosophy on leadership and personal development. I was able to further develop these skills for Apple Retail Inc when I was recruited to be an Expert in the Liverpool branch. I oversaw the Apple education programmes called ‘Field Trip’ and ‘Summer Camp’ where local schools and home-schooled children attended the store to use our facilities where I would teach them to create media using various devices.

This had a profound effect on me. I was a very competent Expert but the part of the week I looked forward to most was supporting children attending the Field Trip. Seeing their eagerness to learn and helping them gain new skills whet my appetite to pursue teaching full time.

I attended a train to teach event at Hope University and listened to the presentations for a PGCE course and AMP SCITT, which captured my attention. I met Alison Brady, Head of SCITT, and she was very passionate about the programme and the support they could offer.

I joined the Software Engineering Programme (SEP) on Alison’s advice and was assigned a professional mentor to coach me through the application process. The application was successful and I was invited to interview and found the process very efficient and professional. Within 24 hours I had been offered a conditional place on AMP SCITT to start in September. I had to pass my professional skills test in literacy and numeracy as well as complete an eight unit access course to supplement my subject knowledge.

I was invited to an induction at Deyes High School in Maghull. This reiterated my belief that I had made the right choice to become a teacher. I met the other successful candidates and it was clear that AMP SCITT had attracted a diverse set of high quality trainees from a variety of disciplines.

As I had met current teaching practitioners in the Computer Science and ICT department during my SEP, I felt confident walking into the classroom on the first day, knowing that familiar people would guide and advise me. During these initial weeks I made every effort to demonstrate how keen I was to be a contributing member of the faculty, I volunteered to run a station at the school open evening for future pupils. I created a display, set up a race track for a Sphero™ robot and had a Minecraft game running on a Raspberry Pi, designed to generate a buzz and excitement for the visitors in school. It was very well received.

I was aware of the BBC MicroBit program for schools and got permission to apply for units on behalf of the department. We received 150 free units to help develop KS3 pupils’ understanding of computer hardware and software and how to programme them.

Being school-centred presents opportunities to fulfil wider professional responsibilities as well as being in the classroom. Within the first weeks of the course, I had attended a Duke of Edinburgh activity weekend with a year 11 group. It was such a rewarding experience, one that allowed me to see how eclectic the pupils are and how their personalities and abilities can be so crucial when planning lessons.