Upskilling staff in schools through apprenticeships
Written by George Turner, Deputy Head at Ivy House School
Ivy House is a happy, supportive and purposeful environment where pupils are nurtured, praised and acknowledged for who they are, the skills they acquire and the tasks they accomplish. The school is sponsored by Shaw Education Trust.
Apprenticeships play a vital role for Ivy House School to grow talent and develop a skilled team. They support all functions of the school from Teaching Assistants to Administration and Property Maintenance. Find out why we love apprenticeships!
“Employing apprentices at Ivy House School has been an effective way to grow talent and develop a motivated, skilled and qualified team.”
What are the three main benefits of apprentices to support your school?
Employing apprentices at Ivy House School has been an effective way to grow talent and develop a motivated, skilled and qualified team. We have found they are all determined to build their knowledge and skills and really desire to succeed. We’ve used the apprentice levy to support funding the courses and up-skill some current staff, which helps keep them inspired and committed to assisting them in developing their knowledge over a longer period. It has also allowed our more experienced staff to share their expertise with the apprentices, shaping them into SEND experts for the future.
What advice would you give to someone considering an apprenticeship at your school?
Be ready to rapidly expand your knowledge and skills and ensure you have dedicated time to study. It’s a challenging time, and you must dedicate yourself to learning on the job while studying and developing your knowledge, but it’s completely worth it!
If you are looking for an apprenticeship, where would you recommend starting?
Research! You must find the right apprenticeship for you and find out precisely what it entails to ensure you have a deep understanding of what to expect. You can find a fast array of apprenticeships on the dedicated Government website.
How do you support apprentices with off-the-job training?
An apprentice is entitled to a minimum of six hours off-the-job training per week. Apprentices are in school to support our students throughout the day and then have time off the job before and after school. They receive a weekly 30-minute Continuing Professional Development and Learning training session, fortnightly meetings with their in-school mentor, and regular online meetings with their Ixion tutor.
How easy is it to recruit an apprentice?
We found recruitment to be a smooth process and fully supported by the team at Ixion, the recruitment lead at the Shaw Education Trust. We encouraged all of our applicants to come into school before the interview to have a look around and get a feel for our setting to ensure it was right for them. We advertised our positions through our own social media accounts, school and trust websites and the Government apprenticeship website.
What is your schools best apprenticeship highlights?
We currently have four Teaching Assistant apprentices, one Skill Teacher apprentice and two administration apprentices. Our previous two apprentices have successfully passed their courses and are continuing to work in school. They have worked tremendously hard throughout and dedicated time to becoming the best classroom practitioners they can be. They are now confident to deliver quality first teaching to our students and have a secure foundation of knowledge to continue progressing with their careers.
About our apprenticeships for schools
Our support for schools, academies and colleges includes tailored training for individual roles, achieving high-level standards for quality and careers guidance, information for students so they can make informed post-16 choices and boosting the skills and knowledge of adults in your wider community.