DCG Success Stories

Derby teaching assistant Chelsea Cooper always wanted to work with children but didn’t know how to go about it.

She found that A-levels weren’t for her and knew she definitely didn’t want an office job. Dyslexic and sometimes shy and anxious, she doubted herself, but found the support and encouragement she needed on a level 3 teaching assistant apprenticeship with Derby College Group.

Now a permanent TA at Brackensdale Spencer School, Mackworth, where she first began volunteering in 2018, Chelsea cannot praise her lecturers at the Roundhouse enough.

She said: “They were so understanding about my dyslexia and gave me some extra help before the lessons began. I always like to get my assignments in on time but they let me have more time to complete them if I needed it. They went above and beyond for me.”

Chelsea’s level 3, which she completed in July 2022, also coincided with Covid lockdown and Chelsea being pregnant with her first child.

She added: “It was quite a difficult time to say the least! My daughter is two now and I’m back at work after maternity leave, but I sometimes wonder how I managed to look after her as a new mum and study at the same time. I must have done alright though as I completed level 3 with a distinction!

“The children I work with are in Year 1, so five- and six-year-olds. Having dyslexia makes me more understanding of children who are struggling with their reading and what can be done to help them if they are dyslexic. I find my job extremely rewarding.”