GCSE Success Stories | Jonathan Armitage Lead Instructor Merthyr Tydfil

Life often shifts between feeling like you have it all figured out and like you know nothing at all. There are always challenges, whether it’s with building a strong career, a happy home, or a better you. Fortunately, every experience (whether good or bad) ends up teaching you something. The beauty of life are the opportunities around the corner to pick you up exactly when needed.

Jonathan Armitage, Lead Instructor MPC Merthyr Tydfil explains why passing his GCSE math & English gave him confidence and an important empathy for our learners.

Developing the learners literacy and numeracy plays a large part in what we do. I knew that completing these courses would improve my knowledge and the overall delivery of my lessons. Before the courses I felt this was definitely a weakness of mine, and at times I didn’t feel comfortable in delivering certain areas of the curriculum with my knowledge of math and English.

Both courses definitely helped me, not just by improving my knowledge of math and English but it also put me in the position of the learner which gave me empathy for our learners. The course also helped me with lesson planning and gave me more ideas for lessons and resources.

Since the course I have been running additional Math and English sessions for learners who need to pass Navy psychometric tests and technical assessment test for the army. In doing this I have had some good success.

A learner failed his TST (Technical Suitability Test) last year but after working together he went back to selection and managed to come back with a pass which he was thrilled about.

Another learner was the same, she went back up to selection and came back with a pass for a job as an Air Craft Tech, a job which requires a top score.

Another came in with his mother last year for an interview, she said he was devastated walking out of the recruiting centre in Cardiff because he’d failed his test and asked me if there was something we could do to help. Following the interview Mr Robbins started with us and after a few months he has now passed his psychometric test and has a start date for the Navy which I was very proud of.

Both courses gave me more confidence to help the learners who needed additional support which was the objective to begin with so overall I am happy with the outcome. And I now have GCSE’s in Math and English which I didn’t have before.