Staff Testimonials
Obviously, we think Launch2Learning is a great place to work, but don’t just take it from us! Here’s what a few members of our team had to say about working with us…
L2L combines all of the best bits of teaching without any of the red tape and paperwork etc. It means that we can prioritise our efforts and time into the things that really matter and will have a direct impact on the lives of our students. If you are a teacher working in a state school and are finding the workload/recognition challenging, you will not look back if you embark on a career with L2L. I know I certainly haven’t!! The work-life balance is excellent and you really feel like you’re making a difference. I also value the way that you are trusted as a professional by management, rather than being micro-managed or anything like that.
Sessions are on a one-to-one basis, meaning you as the tutor can respond to the changing needs of the students throughout the session. You can also build a positive working relationship with your students (something they don’t all have in their personal lives) which means that you are often in the privileged position of being their only role-model. This provides an excellent opportunity to lead by example as well as mentor students on issues in their personal lives effectively.
Dan - Tutor
I enjoy working with L2L as I can work one-to-one with a variety of students and really get to know the way they tick. Without exception, all my students have been extremely rewarding to work with despite their various domestic and school-based difficulties. Although some have previously exhibited quite extreme behaviour in their previous settings, I have been amazed at their politeness, cooperation, humour, and willingness to engage. Unlike a conventional school setting, I can go at a pace appropriate to each student and maintain a relaxed but purposeful approach.
The L2L colleagues are very supportive and there is a real sense of a team effort.
L2L really benefits students who have struggled to progress in school as we can go to the place where they are both emotionally and academically and help them work at their own pace towards better outcomes. Alternative Provision is a vital part of the educational landscape as there will always be those students for whom (either permanently or temporarily) school is simply the wrong place. In North Wilts, AP is the only answer for students permanently excluded or deemed unable to access their home school for any number of other reasons.
Bob - Teacher
Mainstream education is busy, busy. The school day in a mainstream school can be a blur, a blur of learning intentions, seating plans, starters and plenaries [not necessarily in that order], a race for the canteen at break and a quiet space of refuge at lunch, then it’s more of the same until the clock strikes 3. And data drives everything, feeds everything, from lesson planning to parents evening and everything in between. Data is the tune to which we all dance. What has this got to do with working at Launch2learning?
What I found in my 6 years working here, at L2L, is suddenly a human is in charge of making decisions again. I remember one of my first students. Of course, I had received data from the relevant school on the relevant student. I would have felt horribly exposed without it. But it was wrong. Wildly wrong. The student sat in front of me bore no relation to the student looking out from the data at me. So I had to unlock my people skills, place the data to one side and REALLY got to know the student.
And this is my point. Why I love working at L2L is because humans are not machines, students can’t be measured, assimilated, directed; they can’t be calculated, assessed or quantified; and they can’t be rated, gauged and pigeon-holed. At L2L we recognise students are human. And that’s why they’re here, because being human is a weakness we all have.
At Launch2learning we ALL feel human again.
Not every student [or teacher for that matter] can be expected to say same things, act the same, ask the same questions, learn the same information, FEEL the same way. Being human means there are things in our personal and private lives that affect our public lives, sometimes to such a degree that humans can hide away and refuse to participate in what we all consider normal. Except ‘normal’ cannot be measured. What is normal for one student is not normal for another.
And this is where AP is crucial.
Because AP is a safety net for those students who feel they are struggling with the normal, because normal for them has suddenly become something very different. For whatever reason, suddenly the world has become a very different place. For whatever reason suddenly a student might not fit in and they FEEL very different, and what everybody else considers normal just doesn’t work for them anymore.
This is why AP is so important. We can’t let students down because they have changed and normal isn’t normal anymore. They need to be shown that there is a different way, an alternative way, a safety net.
L2L provides this safety net.
Gary - Teacher
I get the best of being a teacher while also being able to leave work and be me. I get to teach students, help them to progress not just academically but as human beings. I get to make a difference while at the same time have more flexibility, ownership freedom and creativity in my work. I get to have a life that I wouldn’t be sustainable in mainstream education.
Getting to work 1:1 with students is more challenging than it seems but it allows you to get to really know each student: how they learn; what their strengths are; what are they not so confident with. You get to learn a lot about them and use this to give them a personalised experience. Make education relevant to them as well as get to help them learn beyond the boundaries of the curriculum. We get the chance to help students engage and build understanding of our subjects, themselves, and their world in a way that mainstream cannot. The reward, the feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction you get from helping one student is the same as when you help a whole classroom progress, and you can see the difference each week.
James - Tutor
I love working at L2L because it has a lovely, supportive working culture. I feel valued and appreciated by my managers and it is clear to see that everyone in this organisation has the students’ interests at heart.
At Lauch2Learning, we have the freedom to serve our students in the way that works best for them. Each student is given a curriculum that is tailored to their individual needs, taking into account their goals and interests. It means that the students are given an education that is fun and interesting for them.
Alternative Provision is vitally important for the students who find school difficult. It can fill a gap between school placements, but also provide a safe place to continue a student’s education and help them to recover some confidence that may have been knocked by being in a system that did not suit them. We have the time and the resources to approach a student’s education in a holistic way, providing what they need to succeed.
Issy - Centre Manager
I love being a part of the L2L team, everyone is so supportive and friendly with the shared aim of providing the best outcomes for our students. Coordinating our engaging SWEET course, which provides students with valuable skills and real qualifications in personal growth and wellbeing; and managing Launch2Learning’s bespoke Pathways program, which guides our Year 10 and above students to plan their futures, discover their options and work towards achieving their hopes and dreams, are both extremely rewarding.
The Launch2Learning team provide the individual, bespoke education our students need to reach their potential in a safe and calm environment. We make a difference every day, we work with our students to not only provide an education that fits them, but to develop a sense of confidence within them enabling them to thrive.
Alternative Provision allows students that cannot attend mainstream schooling to access education that suits their individual needs and supports them in reaching their potential. There are many reasons that mean that children cannot attend school, the importance of Alternative Provision is highlighted in not only the need to provide education for these children, but also in their educational outcomes because of it work.
Catriona - Strategic Lead
L2L allows students and educators to be the best versions of themselves. There is a versatility among the teaching team that encourages students to thrive.
The environment is supportive and consequently the students feel they have permission to learn. Staff are supported to take creative, student-centred approaches and incorporate teaching methods that suit the student.
And there is free parking, biscuits and tea!
Leah - Teacher