Staff Testimonial

Mrs Houckham - Year 1 Class Teacher

I currently work part time (3 days per week) as a Year One class teacher at Wyndham Primary School. I love working in Year One for a multitude of reasons, far too many to list! However, the main reasons are: teaching in Year One is more rewarding that you could ever imagine, each day something small happens which makes me feel so valued and appreciated! The children are fantastically enthusiastic and fun loving and although I have worked in Year One for over six years now, each year I am astounded by the amount of progress which the children make both academically and in terms of their own personal development!

 I have worked at Wyndham Primary School since September 2012, I had completed my PGCE and had worked in other schools on a supply basis however Wyndham Primary School was my first permanent teaching role (They have not got rid of me since!). I began as a Key Stage 2 teacher, teaching Year 3 and after a few years of teaching in year 3 (which I loved) I was then given the opportunity to work in Year 1 with younger children, which I jumped at! After returning from maternity leave, I was also given the opportunity to work in the Early Years Foundation Stage in Reception Class and this was so much fun! Working at Wyndham has enabled me to develop a good understanding of teaching at all stages in Primary education.

The thing which I enjoy most about working at Wyndham Primary School is working with the children daily and my time spent in the Year One classroom. Prior to my teaching career, whilst studying at University, I worked in retail and I would ‘clock watch’ on every shift, counting down the hours until I could go home but at school when I am teaching with the children and doing what I love I wish for more hours in the day, so that we can complete more fun activities, as we always run out of time!

The most rewarding thing about working at Wyndham Primary School is seeing a child make progress academically as a result of your efforts, teaching can be incredibly challenging but when you see a child have that eureka moment or develop confidence in their own ability it is just amazing! I also love when I can see that a child is developing as an individual for example following our school values or developing greater resilience.

There are many advantages to being part of the Smart MAT. One major advantage is the sharing of good practice, I am part of a Curriculum Innovator group and we work to share information across the trust and to work together to introduce and promote new practices effectively. Another advantage is opportunity to work within different schools, a few years ago I completed a secondment at another school in the trust during which I developed many new skills and learned so much!

I continue to work at Wyndham and I haven’t applied for positions elsewhere because I love working with the children from the Wyndham Community, I have taught siblings, close family members and extended family members and I have formed invaluable, lasting professional relationships with both children and parents. In addition, the staff team at school are fantastic, we make an super team, support each other and I have made many lifelong friends!