Former pupils return to Pakefield Primary as trainee teachers

Fran Harding and Ellie McComb are completing their teacher training at Pakefield Primary, a school near Lowestoft in Suffolk, England.

Both women previously attended the school as children before returning to the institution to work as teaching assistants while pursuing their teaching degrees. Harding, who attended the school in the late 1980s and early 1990s, spent nearly 20 years working in primary education before deciding to become a qualified teacher.

McComb, who attended the school during the 2000s, stated that the teachers at the school inspired her to enter the profession. The pair currently balance their coursework with their practical training placements at the school. Ryan Stevens, the head teacher, plans to tell the students about the pair to demonstrate how hard work can lead to professional goals.

While a training placement does not guarantee a permanent job at Pakefield Primary, Stevens noted that there may be job opportunities within the Active Learning Trust, which manages the school and three other primary schools in the Lowestoft area.