Guy Blenkinsop

I am currently employed as an Intervention Tutor at an alternative provision school, and the main focus of this role is to work with the SENCo in identifying students who need literacy intervention, having full responsibility for the running of the literacy interventions, including timetabling, carrying out interventions, and reporting back to the SENCo. The majority of students I work 1 to 1 with have significant barriers to learning, which is why they require intervention – a vast majority being reading intervention. Prior to me starting this role, there were no literacy interventions being run across the school, and I am so proud to have been instrumental in establishing, and consolidating, them within the school’s daily running. As part of this role, I have attended a three-day training course on Fresh Start Phonics, delivered by Read Write Inc. I found this training to be integral to my role. I have also done internal training with the school SENCo on how to use a reciprocal reading approach to develop reading comprehension. 

I believe my personal approach has been one of the factors contributing to students engaging in 1 to 1 intervention at the school. I am a proactive listener who strives to empathise with the struggles young people face. I am good at building trust and relationships with young people, making a point of following through with things that I say I will do to help. I am considerate of others needs and recognise when to step back or to intervene when behaviour escalates – I think this is an important skill when working with young people who have additional needs – not just knowing when to step in, but also when to step back. I believe I have the patience, and kindness, to allow students to feel comfortable with me, which makes it less frightening for them to engage in tasks they find uncomfortable and difficult, like learning to read. 

As part of the intervention programme, I asses young people’s reading levels and then deliver a phonics, reciprocal reading or writing programme according to their needs. I identify barriers to learning and come up with strategies to help, working closely alongside my colleagues in order to gain feedback on what is and what isn’t working. I have had several students that have improved in fluency and accuracy with their reading and over time have grown in confidence and been able to read out loud with improved intonation in class. Hearing feedback from staff about noticing improvements from students in interventions is always something that I feel extremely proud of, and it is wonderful to watch students grow in confidence through the course of the interventions. 

Many students who arrive at our school have unidentified additional needs, and I am proficient in tailoring learning and activities, in and out of class, to try and meet their learning needs. I often discuss behaviour and calming strategies with young people, and come up with behavioural contracts that we both agree on in order to address issues. In this role, and in previous roles, I have put together support plans and risk assessments, and am also familiar with the graduated approach – helping to contribute to EHCPs and My Plans as necessary. 

Other responsibilities that I feel are relevant to the position would be the pastoral side of my work, I recognise that a holistic approach is important for young people’s wellbeing and progression. I am good at helping children who struggle with low self-esteem, taking an inclusive and individualised approach, whilst also striving to be consistent. The cohort of students I currently work with have a wide range of needs, these include behavioural difficulties, SEMH needs, communication needs, and cognition and learning needs. 

I am aware that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and have had regular training around safeguarding, from both internal and external agents, and my safeguarding training is up to date. I am aware of the new guidance that came out last year relating to Keeping Children Safe in Education, much of which underpins my daily practice. I am efficient in using effective online systems to report and monitor safeguarding concerns, such as c-poms, as well as using our management information system to record and track behaviour – positive and negative – and other issues arising in the school; we currently use Scholarpack for this. 

I am a supportive colleague and good team player, recognising the need for collaborative and supportive working in a challenging environment. I am organised and create a daily plan for myself, so I have a structure to follow and to ensure important tasks are always completed in a timely way. I am able to take initiative when required to do so and am proficient in putting young people at ease when they feel stressed or struggle to participate in a learning activity. I take a calm approach but recognise that there are times when a firm, direct approach may be needed when addressing behavioural issues.

In my previous role at the school – cover supervisor – I covered short-term absence for staff at very short notice, meaning I needed to use initiative, creativity and flexibility. This has improved my classroom management skills. In previous roles, I have worked with children who have autistic spectrum disorder and therefore need familiar routine, their sensory needs met and calming strategies to help them to regulate emotional difficulties – all things I found myself efficient in doing. I have found sign language and the PECS systems useful for improving pupils communication. I have worked with children with medical conditions such as epilepsy and have received training and have knowledge on how to act in the event of a seizure.

I attend and help organise PE sessions on a Thursday, and feel that I have helped young people to have fun and participate in sport when they have not wanted to initially. I am a great believer in young people participating in and learning skills through sports and have enjoyed PE in my current role.

I also support staff, and students, in preparation for external examinations, particularly supporting the English department at my school. As such, I have an excellent – and current – knowledge of the requirements for English Language GCSE, specifically for the AQA exam board, though we do have some students who sit Edexcel if that is what their commissioning school requires. I also support across the school for other curriculum subjects, including Maths, Science, Photography, Art, ASDAN, and Humanities. I support the careers’ lead when necessary, and sometimes do 1 to 1 work with students about future pathways, trying to encourage them to make plans so that they do not become NEET, something which is always a real risk for students who have already been removed from mainstream settings. 

I am always looking to improve, develop, and study in ways that can enhance my ability to work in schools, as evidenced by my ongoing CPD and my own studying where I completed a TEFL course.

The best thing about my job is watching young people develop, grow and achieve things that they thought they weren’t capable of, and I am eager to try and replicate and improve my ability to support this process in a new environment. 

June 2021- TEFL Level 5 qualification completed (169hrs)

Jan 2016-Sept 2016             Gloucestershire College- UK       Teaching Assistant Level 3 Qualification 

2003-2007: College of Charleston & Trident College, Charleston, SC, USA. – Hospitality Mgt Major.

Courses taken in: General education, business management and specific courses for the hospitality industry, two Years of a College degree completed, 69 Credits earnt towards College Degree.

 1996-1999: Sedbergh School, Sedbergh, Cumbria, UK. 

• A-Levels:  French - C    Business Studies - C   English - D

1994-1996: Sedbergh School, Sedbergh, Cumbria, UK.

• GCSEs: 10 GCSEs including Maths and English.

Languages spoken- Good Level of conversational and written French.

• RECENT VOCATIONAL TRAINING.
• Safeguarding course completed- (2021)
• Fresh Start (Reading program for children)- Phonics training Program (2021)
• TEFL Academy Teaching Certificate- On-Line,169hrs of study- Merit Grade achieved. (2020)
• Behavioral Management, Manual Handling, First Aid at work & Health and Safety (2019)
• Computer literate, IT courses completed at Gloucestershire College (Word, Excel and Powerpoint)
• Specialist Autism training (2019)
• Children’s mental health training (2019)