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My path to The EverLearner
Leaving the school environment was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I had spent most of my late teenage years and early adulthood wanting to be a PE teacher and having to leave that behind after only six years due to mental health issues, was an extremely challenging time. As I am sure fellow PE teachers can understand, not being able to take sports teams or to have that close camaraderie with students is something that I still miss dearly. The annual ski trips, the sports tours to various locations were all parts of the job that we definitely take for granted.
Fancy dress on a school ski-trip to La Plagne!!
Where next?
After leaving my position as Head of Year and Teacher of PE and Maths, I was still determined to be involved in the education sector. I, therefore, took the decision to start my own tutoring business, teaching both Physical Education and Maths privately to students. This was an extremely different experience for me but something I really enjoyed.
It gave me an opportunity to take a deep dive into Edexcel, AQA and OCR exam boards and analyse their specifications and exam questions with a much greater level of detail, whilst also developing strong relationships with my students. It took me a long time to adjust my mindset and to realise that, whilst I wasn't teaching in a classroom, I could still be of value to the education sector. This, by far, was my biggest obstacle and I spent a long time yearning to return to a school setting knowing, however, that deep down it wasn't the best move for me.
Still looking to mix PE and Maths together whenever possible!!
Being paid to write GCSE PE quizzes - it's too good to be true!
When teaching GCSE and A-Level PE in the early 2010's, I was always a keen watcher of James's videos and often, when working with students individually as a tutor, I would point them towards The EverLearner. However, when I was teaching a student full-time in 2019 and 2020, I decided to contact Elle to ask for a mini subscription, so that my student could make full use of their free COVID offer. From there, I stumbled across James's advert asking for content creators and this was something that I couldn't wait to give a go. Having a Mathematical brain, I decided to do a 10-minute video on acceleration in sport and I was asked to come on board to start making content!
My lesson for The EverLearner application process!!
I would love to be part of ExamSimulator!
Towards the end of last year, I received an email from James, stating that they were looking to hire a PE teacher to join the team full-time. I decided to have a chat with James (which ended up lasting for 1hr 30 - he does like to natter 😆) and came away from it thinking 'I have to give this a go'. More than anything, it was the passion and vision James had for Physical Education which really sold it to me. As a lover of theoretical PE, this was music to my ears!
(Read about James' vision for PE here: https://blog.theeverlearner.com/en/blog/creating-the-everlearners-new-examsimulator)
James mentioned this new product that they had been building called 'ExamSimulator' and I immediately thought that this could change the educational industry as a whole. It was an extremely tough decision to step away from a tutoring business that I had grown considerably over four years, but this felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and, when offered the role, I was delighted to accept!
Being offered my new role!
A month in: time to help teachers with providing evidence!
My first month at The EverLearner has been certainly eventful. Due to the new COVID restrictions, demand for our products is higher than ever. The team I work with are incredible people and always looking to help teachers and students, wherever possible. They have made my first month extremely welcoming and I always feel very supported. I have been able to jump straight in and write hundreds of GCSE PE exam questions for EdExcel, AQA and OCR - ready to be integrated into our ExamSimulator product.
See me in action here: Analysis of GCSE EdExcel PE FITT question for ExamSimulator
ExamSimulator in action!
I strongly believe this product is going to be vital for teachers to use in the upcoming weeks and months to provide evidence for the Centre Assessed Grades. ExamSimulator provides teachers with the ability to instantly set exams, support their marking process by highlighting correct responses and get analytics and feedback that are detailed enough to use immediately for Centre Assessed Grades. I feel proud to play a small part in this, and also rather excited to continue on this journey into A-Level PE and beyond!
Find out more
The new ExamSimulator is available now for OCR GCSE PE, AQA GCSE PE and EdExcel GCSE PE, with all other Physical Education qualifications following soon.
You can add ExamSimulator to your account by clicking on "Assignments/Exam" at the top, then clicking on "Exams" and submitting a request, or you can contact the team directly:
