Sophie Ellor

My name is:

Sophie Ellor

I am training to be a:

Secondary Science Teacher

I chose to be a teacher because:

I worked as a teaching assistant in a local secondary school for a few months and quickly found that it was really rewarding and enjoyable to work with children. Having a degree in biomedical science and always enjoying the subject in school, it felt like a natural next step to choose to pursue being a science subject teacher.

The reason I chose to train with Manchester Nexus is:

Having gone to secondary school myself in the Oldham/ Tameside area I feel like contributing to improving quality of education in this area is important to me. Manchester Nexus also means you are in your placement school from the first day of September which helps in immersing yourself into school life and feeling like part of the subject department you’re in. I also liked how the training felt more personal and the SCITT leads get to know everyone well, which makes it easier if you did need support at some point.

The thing I find most challenging about the course is:

An important part of developing and improving practise in anything is reflecting and knowing where you can improve. On occasion I found myself focusing on the improvements more without giving myself credit for the positives in my practice.

But the way I am supported with that is:

Having mentors and colleagues who emphasise the positives and consistently remind me of how far I have come from September until now.

The most enjoyable thing about the course is

You get to know your students really well and see their progress as you get further into the course- it’s a great feeling to see a student who has been struggling in your subject finally get up to their target and knowing you had something to do with it!!

Also forming friendships with colleagues on placement and fellow trainees during Manchester Nexus training days has been a lovely part of the course.

The best thing about working with children

Every day is different! Getting to see them day in and day out and seeing them progress as people and students!