Meet Joan: Teaching Assistant & Learning Mentor

Joan is one of our Teaching Assistant and Learning Mentors here at The Rosewood School and has been part of our team for three years. Prior to her joining us at TRS, Joan worked as a primary school teacher in Kent and Medway for over twenty years, in both mainstream and special needs schools. As part of our Primary Remote Team, Joan’s role now involves supporting teaching and learning, and acting as a first point of contact for our primary pupils and their families.

 

Hi Joan! Can you tell us some more about the Primary Remote team at The Rosewood School?

The Primary Remote Team was set up in September 2020 and we are a small, friendly team of experienced primary teachers. We provide remote, on-line learning for pupils who are unable to attend their own school due to a medical or health need. Our lessons are all taught using Zoom and we provide our pupils with an iPad or laptop so that they can access our lessons. Our pupils work in small groups with a teacher and teaching assistant (me) in lessons.

 

Please could you talk us through a typical school day for your pupils?

Primary pupils would typically attend two or three sessions daily with us via Zoom. We might start with a short reading session, then complete our English lesson with Mr Fewtrell. After a short break, we might then access a Maths lesson with one of our Maths teachers; Mrs Smith or Mr Trim. Depending on the timetable, pupils might have a PSHE session, some extra tuition for phonics/literacy or an individual mentoring session with myself. On Fridays, our pupils have an opportunity to maintain their relationship with their own school. 

 

What’s on the curriculum?

We focus on the core skills of English and Maths but try to make it fun and interactive! We may, for example, have English lessons learning through a topic on volcanoes; so we incorporate aspects of history and geography. There is also a weekly PSHE session which covers statutory aspects such as Relationships and Health & Wellbeing but where we can also participate in activities such as Red Nose Day or festivals such a Chinese New Year.

 

Finally, what is your favourite thing about working at TRS?

I think what motivates me is feeling that what we are doing is important and makes a big difference to our pupils at a time when accessing education can be difficult for them. The best thing is also the hardest thing: saying goodbye to our pupils when they are well enough to transition back to school.