A teaching assistant has held a GCSE alongside his students to give him a better understanding of “the pressures they are putting on themselves”.
Rob Howell, who works at Oswestry School in Shropshire, says students were wondering how he knew what they were going through in exam season.
“I realized in that moment that I didn’t know,” he explained.
If he passes chemistry, Mr. Howell has promised the students that they will take another GCSE next year.
“Now I understand the stress that young people go through when preparing for their exams,” he said.
“The trepidation, the anticipation, the pressure they put on themselves.”
He said the idea of doing a GCSE came to him while discussing repetition and its importance with students, with one commenting: “It’s fine with you sir, you don’t know what it’s like.”
The teaching assistant said, “I realized in that moment that I didn’t know… how could I?”
With the support of the science department, he decided to study chemistry and while he only attended one class per week due to work, Mr. Howell studied at home from textbooks and previous work.
When the students realized he was serious, “they were really supportive and we started learning together,” he said.
He passed three papers in May and will receive his result on August 18 with the students, promising to repeat the subject if he fails.
He said: “If I succeed, I’ve already told the fourth graders that next year I’ll be doing GCSE physics with them – I’ll have to be a glutton as punishment.”
Headmaster Peter Middleton praised his staff: “I take my hat off to Rob and it’s a really brave thing.”
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