Declan Brown started working for Scampton Primary School in 2020 as a PE & Sport and Well-being apprentice. Physical education became a passion for him since school when he did his GCSE in the subject. When he started to think about his career, Declan desired to be in a job where he could help others. That’s when he realised that working in a school was the perfect way for him to get into the sport and help young people.
As an apprentice, he works four days a week at the school and one day a week he receives training from inspire+. inspire+ is a sports charity nationally recognised for its excellence in providing training and incentivising young people to stay active through sports.
In his first year as a PE apprentice, Declan had to get through the pandemic situation and adapt its PE lessons to deliver them virtually to the kids. During this time, he received full support from the school and from inspire+, which training didn’t stop. The training was specially remodelled to help apprentices to deliver virtual PE lessons and give ideas to keep them engaged. Undoubtedly, this was a challenging time, but Declan didn’t let it put him down as he progressed to the next level of apprenticeship with inspire+ in 2022.
Recently, Declan set up a Go Fund account and participated in a half-marathon to raise money for the school council and a local charity. He ended up raising £500; this money will help the school with sports equipment for the kids.
Due to Declan’s hard work and his passion for teaching children, he is now a Level 3 Apprentice – Community Sport and Healthy Officer. In this new role, he started leading PE lessons and planning them by himself.
“I’ve been doing increasingly more responsible jobs, as they know I’m capable of doing this. This helps me to become more confident with what I’m doing and helps me with my apprenticeship as well.”
In recognition of Declan’s achievements, inspire+ awarded him as the Apprentice of the Month in September. He was also honoured with the Highly Commended Apprentice at the National Apprenticeship Award and invited to join the Apprenticeship Ambassador Network.
Steve Bull, inspire+ Head of Education and Declan Brown
To find out more about our apprenticeships, visit www.inspireplus.org.uk/apprenticeships