Due to a lack of motivation, difficult relationships with teachers and issues in his personal life, Jordy, now 21, was unable to show his full potential while at school. However, Jordy still saw education as “the most powerful tool in the world” and maintained an interest in becoming a teacher.

Attracted by the University’s reputation for delivering high-quality teacher training, he applied for a place at Leeds Trinity and began his teacher training journey in September 2021. Leeds Trinity’s approach of gaining real-world experience through regular professional placements meant Jordy had plenty of opportunities to develop his practical teaching knowledge and skills in schools across the Yorkshire region — the element of the course he says he enjoyed the most.

Unlike his time at school and college, his written and theory-based work also progressed smoothly, resulting in a considerable boost to Jordy’s self-confidence and self-belief. This was also evident in his grades, with Jordy achieving an average score of over 80% for his assignments across his three years of study and coming out with first-class honours.

Jordy said: “I definitely made the right choice in studying at Leeds Trinity. I enjoyed the size of the University as it meant I had plenty of opportunities for valuable one-to-one conversations with lecturers and tutors, helping me learn and develop both academically and personally. I am very proud to be graduating, especially with the classification of degree I have earned. I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in education, so I never thought this would be possible.”

Jordy is now preparing to start work as a year-one teacher at a Cheshire-based school from September and aims to help his pupils prosper by focusing on their wellbeing at an early age.

“For children to perform well academically, they need support socially and emotionally,” Jordy said. “Prioritising a child’s wellbeing during their education, particularly in the early years, is crucial for holistic development and long-term success. Offering emotional support and stability can help foster resilience and emotional intelligence and, in my opinion, enables children to manage stress and emotions effectively and provides a solid foundation for academic and cognitive development. I hope to be a teacher who helps every child in my class, providing them with the grounding needed to achieve their goals throughout their journey in education.”

Anna Park, Senior Lecturer in Primary Education at Leeds Trinity University, said: “Jordy has been consistently positive, insightful, thought-provoking and hard working. His first-class degree is very well-deserved. What has stood out to me is that Jordy fully understands the importance of children reading for pleasure and the many ways this can impact positively on a child's life, this was the focus of his excellent dissertation. He has also been an instrumental Reading Ambassador, representing the University while working with the Open University and the UK Literacy Association to raise awareness of children's literature among our students and future teachers. Jordy is dedicated to being the best teacher he can be, and his pupils will be lucky to have him as their teacher.”

For more information on Primary Education degrees at Leeds Trinity, and other courses available in Clearing, visit the University website.