An interview with our Practitioner Jefferson for International Men's Day
News article from November 19, 2021
Using early-intervention and partnering with schools, local authorities and communities, our practitioners work one-to-one with vulnerable families. They look past the classroom, tackling issues like poverty and mental ill-health, providing bespoke support to overcome barriers to learning.
What was your background before starting work at School-Home Support?
I was in the Royal Navy for 24 years before leaving in 2011. I then worked as a Coach in secondary education, with students who received Pupil Premium funding. This is funding given to schools so that they can support disadvantaged pupils and close the attainment gap between them and their peers.
I then worked as a Behaviour Mentor at a Primary School, before joining School-Home Support in March 2020 (just as the pandemic hit!)
What appealed to you about working with School-Home Support?
Unlike in previous jobs I have had, School-Home Support practitioners work with the whole family to get to the root cause of the issues preventing attendance at school.
Tell us about your job – what does your day-to-day look like?
At the start of each day I check my attendance and then make any calls as required. Then it is a mix of in and out of class support. This is in the form of mentoring, homework support and assessment coaching. I liaise closely with the teaching staff, which allows me to occasionally implement some pre-learning before a particular subject/lesson to boost a pupil’s confidence.
At the end of each week I like to call home with a positive from the week for each student.
What’s your favourite part of the job?
For me, the best part of the job for me is the variety. I can go from helping a student with their Trigonometry one hour, to helping a parent improve their housing situation the next.
Is there anything about the job that surprised you?
A lot of the parents I work with are struggling to get by. I know now from doing this job how valuable it is to say ‘well done’ or offer emotional support, as well as the guidance and services we provide.