Meet the Team: Episode 2

Kirstie joined The Stephen Longfellow Academy after being sold on the concept of being part of a national force in driving the improvement of educational outcomes for children in alternative provision on a wider scale. Kirstie is head of our BTEC Health and Social Care curriculum as well as delivering and leading on the academies PSCHEE offer.
Kirstie has worked in the third sector for 16 years, working with ex-offenders and young people at risk of offending in Scotland. Kirstie then qualified as a teacher in Leeds, developing training and education programmes designed to allow disadvantaged young people to break down barriers to learning and gain qualifications. Kirstie set up the Beck alternative provision in East Leeds in 2009 so offers extensive experience in working with learners in alternative provision and how to ensure a holistic approach. With a strong passion for improving life chances and increasing aspirations of learners, Kirstie is an integral part of the academy.

After Graduating from the University of Huddersfield in 2014 with Ba Hons in History, Ayrton worked as a Supervisory Assistant at Birchfield Primary School before then joining the Farnley Academy later that year. Ayrton took up the role of Cover Supervisor at Farnley and has been part of the Cover Team for four years. During his time there, he has taken on the responsibility of teaching timetabled lessons which included Maths, Science, English, History and P.E.

Ayrton has also been required to take up Cover positions across the GORSE Academies Trust. He has taught at The Ruth Gorse Academy and is currently teaching an English timetable here at The Stephen Longfellow Academy.

Ayrton has always had a passion for working with young adults and aspires to become a fully qualified teacher. Working at the Stephen Longfellow has proved to be a new and an exciting challenge for Ayrton but he is keen to expand his skillset in the area of Alternative Provision. Ayrton has proven to be a fantastic acquisition to the team and has taken on extra responsibility, particularly around our break time and enrichment offer.

Joseph’s inspiration for teaching came from his own experiences as a student and the positive influences from his teachers growing up. He has always been engrossed in the world of ICT and Business and the different topic areas within each subject, and he was fascinated at the opportunity to share his admiration for the subjects with young individuals with similar passions to his. Joseph has a strong academic background in Business and Management and prior to teaching, Joseph’s career took him on a different path after leaving university, however after overcoming a serious illness in 2016 he decided to follow his dream of becoming a teacher, he stated “I was lucky enough to get a second chance and I wasn’t going to miss this opportunity to do what I really wanted in life”. As an enthusiastic individual embarking on an extraordinary career in teaching, he was excited at the prospect of joining our vibrant and newly established alternative provision unit within this outstanding trust.

During his teacher training year with the Gorse SCITT, the teacher training arm of the Gorse Academies Trust, Joseph grasped the opportunity to meet the staff and students of the school and to experience first-hand, the work of The Stephen Longfellow Academy. On deciding to join our school as an NQT, Joseph said “It was easy to see the amazing work of all the staff and students here at The Stephen Longfellow Academy. The teachers have an amazing ability to bring out the best in all of the students and this is definitely a place where I want to contribute to high quality teaching and learning.” Having secured the position of Teacher of ICT, being part of The Stephen Longfellow Academy’s journey is something that Joseph is enthusiastic and proud to be part of. Having started in the school’s inception year, Joseph is excited for the future of The Stephen Longfellow Academy and moving over to the permanent building at Phoenix House in September 2018.

Joseph has certainly hit the ground running and is currently leading on whole school initiatives such as “Positive role models”, he has also worked tirelessly with some of our most vulnerable learners.