What does your day involve? There’s no short answer to that. Unlike a main stream school where students are told what they need to be doing, we offer a choice of activities and let the students decide how they would like to engage. We identify what each individual student would like to achieve from an activity and then supporting them to reach their goals.

The LSA role is very person-centred which means we have to be very flexible; one student may need help to focus on the steps needed to complete a task to build skills, whereas another student may have all the skills to complete the task but may lack confidence and need constant encouragement and positive feedback.

Why did you join Beechwood College? Before I joined Beechwood College I had worked as a Support Worker in different residential homes and achieved a Health & Social Care NVQ, Level 3.

I enjoyed what I was doing but wanted to be more actively involved in helping people to progress. Someone once said to me “the real differences are made in the classroom” and that struck a chord.

At Beechwood College they don’t require their LSAs to have an LSA qualification, they are willing to take people who have relevant qualifications working with adults with ASC conditions, so it was an ideal opportunity for me to move into a more pro-active role.

Beechwood have said they are happy to support me to take my LSA qualifications, but for the time being my family commitments make studying difficult. Perhaps when the kids are older!

What’s the best part of your job? My colleagues are great, but the best part has to be the students. I love the unique relationships I build with each individual student and it’s a privilege to be able to help shape their lives