Alumnus Joshua Clarke

Catching up with alumnus Joshua Clarke

Here Joshua tells us what he’s been doing since graduating and reflects on the highlights of his studies at Exeter and the skill and experiences it gave him

"After my undergraduate Drama degree at Exeter, I enrolled on the Secondary English PGCE with Debra Myhill and Annabel Watson, completing this in 2014. This year prepared me very well indeed for the realities of life as a teacher, and I was excited to begin my career at Hele’s School in Plymouth.

"As seems very often to be the case in teaching, opportunities presented themselves quite quickly and, following the re-structuring of the department in my NQT year I was asked to have oversight of KS3 English. Coming just at the time of the reformed KS3 assessment system (‘Life after Levels…’) this straightaway involved redesigning our curriculum for students in Years 7-9, and aiming to improve upon how their progress and attainment would be determined.

"I had a very enjoyable few years in this role, in which time I also began working as mentor for ITT students in English, as well as inaugurating a fledgling Classics department (two classes have progressed to A-Level in Latin, as well as many others completing their GCSE in the subject) before taking on the whole school responsibility of Gifted, Talented and More Able Coordinator. Working with a very trusting Deputy Principal, I was given the time and space needed to conduct a review of GTMA provision both nationally and internationally and this led to our creation of the Hele’s School ‘Centre of Excellence’, an initiative which boosted the profile of this cohort of our students, and facilitated stronger links with universities, local academics and accelerated our students’ participation in ‘super-curricular’ activities.

"Having completed the newly-created MA Ed (Language and Literacy), again with Professor Myhill at Exeter, I have recently been appointed as Second in English at Furze Platt Senior School in Maidenhead, where I am hoping that my departmental, whole-school, and academic experiences, as well as my time spent teaching music and drama, will contribute to carrying out these duties effectively in a new context. Challenges undoubtedly lie ahead, but I remain very grateful to my time in the Exeter Graduate School of Education for standing me in such good stead." 

Date: 13 July 2021