There's no place like home

Originally I was meant to be based in a school 5 days a week however when the school had to change their plans at short notice, Anne put forward the suggestion of me working with a looked after child 1 to 1 in the home. There was no pressure from Anne and at first I was very sceptical about the placement but from the first day I could tell it would be successful.

I have been lucky in the sense that everyone involved has been really supportive and appreciative of the work that I’ve been doing and it has really felt like I have made a big difference. Seeing the same child several times a week for such long periods of time has meant he has progressed massively and it really is a great feeling.

Working in the home is slightly more relaxed than being in school. Day to day we have had the freedom to look more widely at relevant areas of the curriculum which means that learning can occur in a natural and fun way – I am certainly never watching the clock and praying for home time!

There are some challenges I have had to overcome, mainly the fact that I have been planning what we do totally on my own without a teacher there to call for help, and trying to keep up with a 12 year old boy desperate to learn can sometimes be tricky! However, it is really something I’ve enjoyed, and all the challenges have really helped to develop my skills as a tutor and come in very useful for my in-school placements, and I wouldn’t change anything that’s happened for the world, it is genuinely an experience I am hugely lucky to have had, especially with such great support from Anne and Yipiyap in general, along with the carers who have been absolutely brilliant to work with.

I couldn’t end without giving a mention to Dylan who has been nothing short of amazing. His willingness to learn, enthusiasm, work ethic, and his ability to have such a laugh means that I can only hope anyone who has the experience of working 1 to 1 in the home is lucky enough to have a student like Dylan because working with him really has lifted my spirits every single day without fail. All of these things together have resulted in my first few months at work being really enriching and incredibly enjoyable, definitely something I would recommend to anyone, regardless of how sceptical/nervous they may be about it.