Megan Smith

I am currently residing in Australia but will be relocating back to London by the end of February 2023. I can be contacted by:

Email: megan@janjam.co.uk

Whatsapp: 07823446308

Australian number: +61491188136

In 2018 I graduated from Northumbria University Newcastle with a First Class degree in Occupational Therapy. The experience that I received from this course was extremely wide ranging and assisted me in beginning to develop numerous skills and shape my core values and beliefs. Occupational Therapy opened up to me the incredible effect that helping individuals to reach their full potential can have on their outlook, potential and enjoyment of life. This passion then led to me apply for my PGCE in Primary Education with a specialism in SEN (specifically SEMH). I am applying to this position in education as I really feel, due to the experiences outlined below, I can bring a unique set of skills and passion and that with your support, can develop greatly and help students to reach their full potential. A vital component of all my previous roles in healthcare (Occupational therapy student and therapy technician) and in education ( Experienced SEN teaching assistant and qualified Primary SEMH Teacher) has been safeguarding and pastoral care. In all settings I have worked with a range of vulnerable adults, children and their communities and I am passionate and dedicated to supporting them to reach their full potential through safe and informed practice. I am a strong believer in all young people being given the opportunity to develop the tools needed to reach their full potential. My passion has mainly lay with working with children who are at risk or, or have been, permanently excluded from mainstream education. This has often meant they have been unfairly labelled as “hard to reach” and therefore their time in an educational setting is usually very limited. Due to this, I have greatly developed my knowledge and skills in finding creative and new ways to connect, encourage and inspire young students to take control of their educational and employment pathways and strive to reach their full potential, with all my student teacher reports noting my ability to establish mutually respectful relationships with my pupils. I have experienced first-hand the many perceived barriers blocking this way including socially and demographically and have worked with the students individually and alongside their families and communities to help to overcome this. I have worked with students in classroom environments, 1:1 settings, healthcare environments and extra curricular settings such as forest schools and alternative provisions. I am experienced in teaching a wide range of subjects across the primary curriculum including Maths, English, Science and PSHE. I have a particular interest in life skills and nurture. My final school placement was at a Pupil Referral Unit. The focus of this alternative provision was on Nurture and looking at the student holistically. Whilst there was an academic focus, our main priority was to focus on their wellbeing and provide them with the necessary drive, life skills, social skills and engagement to reach their full potential and integrate into mainstream society. Due to this experience, I have vast knowledge in planning and implementing effective programs and using new methods to improve engagement with young people.

I believe that every young person can reach their full potential once they have the tools to do so. I also have demonstrable experience in my passion to provide creative solutions to typical and non-standard problems within my work as a camp counsellor for a summer camp for adults and children with complex physical and cognitive disabilities. The camp ran for 12 weeks and our duties included personal care, night dorm duties and 24/7 support of our clients. We lived with and worked with a range of professionals for the 12 weeks including nurses and Occupational Therapists to ensure our main goal was achieved: to help all of our clients reach their full potential. This was an extremely challenging but very rewarding role which took my practical problem solving skills to a new level. We ensured that the individuals we worked with could complete any activity they wished as long as was safe to do so. Some practical examples of this include: quick thinking on how to stabilise an oxygen tank for an individual who used a wheelchair and wanted to complete a high ropes course to working with an individual to problem solve how to get them their necessary nurse administrated medication on an all-day white water rafting trip. It taught me that there is always a way for an individual to reach their full potential with good communication, teamwork and drive. Throughout my time in healthcare and education I also learned the importance of practicing lifelong learning and ensuring I am continuously up to date with the latest theories and that these are underpinned in my practice. Above all, I am extremely passionate about everyone having the chance to live the way they want to, complete the activities they want to complete, be respected, listened to and reach their full potential.