John Hughes, All Saints College, Belfast

www.allsaintscollege.co.uk

Subject or Primary school year: Politics and Sociology

Your place of birth: Belfast

Studied at: QUB and St. Mary's Strawberry Hill

First job: Glass Collector

What it taught me: Earning and having my own money was good!

Family/status: Married with a daughter.

Best advice you could give someone thinking of a teaching career: Have high expectations. Children and young people are so much more than grades and data sets and all can succeed with the right teaching, help and support. This success though comes in all different shapes and sizes - exams, training, employment, personal development - the list goes on.

I attended QUB where I did my degree in French and Politics. I then did my PGCE in 2000 at St. Mary's College in Strawberry Hill, training as a French teacher. I taught in Corpus Christi College from 2006, first as a base class teacher and then took on teaching History, Politics and Sociology. I was also a Head of Year and Head of Key Stage. When All Saints College opened in 2019 I was fortunate to be appointed to the Senior Leadership Team as the Leader of Learning for Key Stage 4. I currently teach Politics and Sociology. The staff and pupils in All Saints are inspirational and drive me to be the best that I can be! I became very interested in teaching using blended learning strategies (using Google Classroom for example) during the pandemic and am currently doing a postgraduate qualification in developing this approach to teaching and learning in 'normal' times. Outside of school I enjoy spending time with my fabulous wife and daughter and am involved in a youth group. I'm also trying to teach myself guitar, again.