Apprentice of the Month – December 2023
Could you please share some insights about yourself?
It was my primary school PE teacher who inspired me to find motivation and a passion for sports. When I was younger, PE wasn’t my passion and it definitely wasn’t my favourite subject and it wasn’t until my Primary school PE teacher inspired me to try out for new sports and become a part of a team, since then I haven’t been able to stop. I decided a few years later that I wanted to become a Primary School PE teacher as I hope to have the same positive influence on students who are in the same position as I once was.
What motivated your decision to become an Inspire+ apprentice?
Once I finished my A Levels, my next steps were a bit of a blur. I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to go University or not because I felt I had been in education too long and was ready to do something else. I have been a volunteer for inspire+ since year 6, where I was a young ambassador and then again in year 9 all the way through to year 13. Knowing exactly what the staff at inspire+ were like and admiring their passion and ethos, I knew this is what I wanted to do. So I turned down 5 university offers and applied for the apprenticeship where I was lucky enough to get straight onto the Level 4 Sports Coach apprenticeship.
What valuable insights and skills have you gained thus far during your apprenticeship?
I have learned different methods to gain the children’s attention, to adapt sessions to make them more applicable for students who may have mental disorders or physical disabilities and how I can slightly change a session to suit the needs of each individual, this could be based off ability levels. I have developed a wider understanding across different sports and can lead activities based on them sports.
What do you enjoy about your apprenticeship?
I enjoy entering a classroom or the main hall and seeing all the students smile at my presence, and them all wanting to tell me what they got up to on the weekend or that they signed up for a new sport outside of school. I love that I have seen a difference in some students attitude towards sport and that they now look forward to my PE lessons.
What do you hope to achieve in the future? What are your career ambitions?
From doing this apprenticeship I have learnt that not only do I enjoy delivering the PE sessions, but I also enjoy the TA side to things. Besides my sport coach responsibilities, I have also taken up a few other roles such as having a spelling group and also being a 1:1 with a couple EAL students which I have found a passion for. I hope to pursue this passion in the future by possibly doing a TA course, and working my way up to being a fully qualified teacher.
Would you like to share a good memory from your apprenticeship?
One of my favourite memories from the apprenticeship so far is when we went on the year 5,6 2-night residential trip to PGL. At this point, I had only been at the school for roughly a month and was still getting to know the children. The PGL trip was full of indoor and outdoor activities which I did with the children. This time spent with the children enabled me to get to know them in both a school environment as well as personally, I’m sure they could say the same about me and I felt I built a stronger bond with all of them which is reflected at school.
Do you recommend other people to become an inspire+ apprentice?
I would definitely recommend this apprenticeship to other people, especially if you are in doubt about going to university or are uncertain about whether you do want a career in the sport industry. Doing this apprenticeship allows you to get a better understanding of the roles and responsibilities you will have as a PE teacher or coach, so you are certain the career is for you. Even if you are certain you want a career in sport and you feel university is the right path for you, I would suggest doing the apprenticeship anyway as it gives you the opportunity to gain experience in the industry. Imagine you complete the 3+ years of university, gain your degree and then start a job as a sport coach or teacher and find that you don’t enjoy it. You have wasted 3+ years of your life as well as thousands of pounds whereas if you do the apprenticeship before university, this time allows you to know for sure that the upcoming years you’ll do at university are going to be worth it. The apprenticeship only brings benefits.
To find out more about our apprenticeships, visit www.inspireplus.org.uk/apprenticeships