Laura Smith completed the Supporting Teaching & Learning qualification after being given the opportunity by the Head of Education at TYB.
Education and its impact on young people, particularly those with Additional Learning Needs (ALN), deeply resonated with Laura due to personal experience with her own daughter. She wanted to make a difference and develop the knowledge needed to support best practice, not only for her own children but also for the young people she works with now and in the future.
The qualification also provided Laura with the opportunity to continue working while studying and support her future career progression.
Throughout the course, Laura found that it reinforced her understanding of the theories and practices already used in education, giving her greater confidence in her role. It encouraged her to become more self-reflective and helped expand her subject knowledge. As a result, she now has a broader range of approaches to support young people and help them thrive.
Laura also spoke positively of her trainer coach, Julia, who she found to be incredibly supportive from the start. Laura praised Julia’s knowledge and compassion throughout the course.
Laura highlighted the inclusive nature of the qualification as one of its strongest features. Rather than relying solely on written work, learners can demonstrate their knowledge through recorded discussions, on-site observations and written tasks. For Laura, this flexibility made the learning process more manageable and allowed her to showcase her understanding in a way that suited her needs.
She also found Smart Assessor incredibly useful, praising its ease of use for tracking progress, uploading and amending work, and accessing resources whenever needed.
Despite taking significant time off due to surgery, Laura was still able to complete the course two months ahead of schedule, demonstrating the flexibility and adaptability of the programme.
Overall, Laura would recommend the qualification to anyone looking for a flexible professional development opportunity. She found the knowledge and strategies gained throughout the course to be invaluable.
