Teaching Assistant alumni Carl hits the higher level with award win
Date 21.11.2019
Students who need extra support in the classroom at one college are seeing their education improve thanks to the ‘tireless commitment’ of one University of Northampton alumni.
Carl Perry teaches at Fullhurst Community College in Leicester after successfully completing the Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA) programme at the University in 2018.
HLTA is a professional status for Teaching Assistants who meet certain standards – including leading classes – confirming they are working at a higher level.
HLTAs are a great asset to schools because of the progress they help students make, whether during one to one’s, groups or whole class teaching.
Since starting at Fullhurst, Carl has kept himself busy with a number of interventions to make sure students who have high or special educational needs have as much support to excel as possible.
These include working with students who have emotional difficulties, increasing their concentration and attendance and helping them gain several GCSEs.
Carl also developed a boys writing initiative that improved their English skills and extended the extra-curricular support he provides into the weekends.
To illustrate how Carl is ‘top of his class’, he was named East Midlands regional winner in the annual ‘Outstanding HLTA of the Year’ category for 2019 at the recent HLTA National Assessment Partnership’s awards ceremony.
A senior teacher at Fullhurst summed up Carl’s achievements in their award nomination submission by saying: “On a daily basis, he provides strong teaching and learning opportunities to our most vulnerable and high needs students, all of whom experience individual barriers to learning.”
Carl – pictured above with Helen Benstead, Chair of the HLTA National Assessment Partnership – added: “To win the East Midlands HLTA of the Year was a surprise, I didn’t even know I was nominated. Then, going on to placing in the National HLTA of the Year award was surreal. I don’t openly seek recognition for what I do, as I was always taught to get my head down and work hard. However, to receive such recognition is amazing and I am very grateful.
“I am also extremely thankful for the support I had both at work and the University programme that I went on, the programme itself showed me that I was capable of getting the status and provided me with a firm understanding of what is required in this role. The tutor was also superb in recognising my own disability and was accommodating towards that.”