Personal statement and cv

Personal statement for Emily Arnold

For the past 4 years I have been studying at chicken shed theatre company and working for Enfield council play development team at an after school club and during the school holidays. I have also completed NVQ level 2 in play work and am due to finish level 3 in May/June 2011.

I have grade C in Maths GCSE and grade A in English.

I am competent in using most IT based software including ms office, ms excel. Ms Power point.

 Whilst working with Chicken Shed I have experienced many different opportunities in delivering workshops to all types for ages ranging from 0 to 21 years old.

All of these workshops  delivered I have created myself or in a group to entice  children/ young adults in a creative and imaginative manor, to help provide better understanding of certain subject areas including social i.e. inclusiveness, communication or simply to learn through play using their imagination and creativity.  (All of this meets the curriculum according to their age for example Early Years Foundation Stage or National Curriculum).I now have a significant knowledge of these curriculums.

 Another example of these workshops would be when I planned prepared and delivered a series of workshops to home educated children. The purpose of these workshops was to enhance their social skills and to reintroduce them in to a group situation.  It also provided the opportunity for them to express themselves in a physical, vocal and creative manor without the threat of the “school” environment.

Whilst working with both these establishments I have gained great experience with working with children from a wide variety of backgrounds, cultures and with varying needs. These needs have included children with physical disabilities including wheelchair users, medical needs, children with autism, behavioral needs, Downs’s syndrome, children from main stream schools and home educated children.  I have the ability to work with these children on many different levels, working with them to develop their communication skills i.e. sign language, listening skills, being in small groups, learning to work with other children, enabling them to feel comfortable in a larger groups, creating movement with them, working under pressure and to a time scale, providing consistency for their behavioral needs, interaction and encouraging children to understand other peoples individuality, diversity and differences. 

At different stages at my time studying at Chicken Shed I have supported staff and peers delivering/ teaching to all groups of children. Every week I was part of the support team for the children’s theatre ages 5-13 years. My role towards the children was to support/ help with understanding during the session and help with any additional needs within the group. I also supported the staff member delivering the session, working as part of the team to ensure the children were safe at all times, whilst not restricting how far they can be encouraged to develop their own abilities and working quickly and effectively if anything needed to be adapted at short notice to suit specific need/abilities of the children/child.

 My latest role working for Enfield council was as Deputy Play Leader.  My role consisted of working closely with the Senior at the setting and the other play workers, communicating at all times with the team to ensure the children’s safety, creating activities to keep the children’s interest, setting up the setting so that the children have an understanding of the rules, daily routine and fire drill, filling in accident sheets, completing medical forms, keeping records of the children’s needs within the group i.e. allergies. Communicating with parents, careers and other professionals, carrying out Health and Safety checks, taking the register.

Whist under taking my Play Work level 2 and 3 qualifications it was part of the criteria to undertake and record observations of children including mapping them to the early Years Foundation Stage frame work.

As part of my job role as a play worker I was obliged to undertake training every year. I have completed first aid, epi pen training, arts and crafts, health and safety, child protection, level 101 and 102 BSL (sign language), team building.

I feel that having extremely good communication skills is a key element in the way that I work with children and other staff members. I understand that by communicating with a child/children in the right manor can improve their understanding of tasks that may be given or simply to build the foundations of a good relationship with the child, showing that they can trust me and come to me with any worries or concerns they may start to feel at the setting but also to enjoy me teaching them new things.  It is also as important with the people I work with.  I feel that I have the confidence to share my ideas within a group and to put forward views and ideas that I may feel need to be adapted to suit the child/children’s needs. I also pay the same respect to the people I work with. I believe that if we all work together in this, we can work effectively and efficiently to suit the best needs of the children, also to create and happy, hard working environment.

Having completed child protection training and completing observations, it has enabled me to look at situations that may possibly occur in a setting I.e. the change of behavior in a child/ bruising in unusual places etc. I have previously encountered some of these situations in the past and I have ensured that they are dealt with the up most importance of protecting the confidentiality of the child and his/hers background. 

I am able to work independently planning and delivering activities. I use my initiative to create fun and exciting ways of learning, looking at the best ways to engage the children either one on one or as a group. The way I like to work when it is possible to do so, is to do things physically. I have learnt that if children are physically engaged it keeps them mentally engaged in the subject matter. By acting, being vocal and physically moving the children learn to have fun with their learning and create a better understanding.

I have a sound knowledge of equal opportunities. I have learnt this through my courses and my work with Chicken Shed whom base their ethos on inclusiveness. Putting this knowledge in to practice for example, at the after school club/holiday play scheme all the children are encouraged to play with their choice of activities/equipment regardless of age, gender, culture etc.

Throughout my work with children and young people I am very aware of health and safety in the workplace. I am able to carry out daily risk assessments, fire drills, register, and plan and carry out outings and all the health and safety requirements surrounding these trips. 

I regard change as an essential part of life experience and am able to manage this in a positive manner. I am calm, patient and have a good sense of humor this has helped me to deal with situations in my working environment.  

I am committed to my own personal development; my ultimate goal is to become a Primary School teacher.

In order to achieve this goal my aim is to obtain employment as a Teaching Assistant in order to further my skills and gain knowledge as part of a school team. I also feel that I can bring the skills I already have to the team and therefore contribute to raising the achievement of the pupils.