Welcoming Julia to Oakwood….

We are very happy to introduce our first PGCE student, Julia De Bretton-Gordon, who is in the final term of her PGCE in Secondary English with the University of Leicester. Julia is working with our consultant, Brittany Wright, who is an education researcher, former Head of English, and Teacher Training Hub Lead.

It is a real privilege to provide placements for PGCE students, demonstrating our high-quality academic provision, as well as the capacity of our team to develop and support others. We are extremely proud to be working with the next generation of teachers, developing their understanding of SEMH needs and drawing on their enthusiasm, expertise and energy as they engage and inspire our students. Julia has forged positive relationships with staff and students already, injecting real excitement into lessons with lots of drama activities!

In this photo, Julia is playing the role of the narrator in a ‘whoosh’ activity focused on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. All staff have had training on how this technique (originally devised by the Royal Shakespeare Company) can be used to introduce or recap key events and characters within a text.

We are certain that Julia will be an outstanding member of the Oakwood team and we look forward to seeing her develop at the school as she gains experience.