An unmatched drive to improve the world for young people

I am currently Head of Civics at Saint Mark’s Academy in Merton, and importantly, I’m a graduate of the UCL Institute of Education (IOE)’s Citizenship PGCE. It was the most consequential and transformational year of my life; I didn’t know it at the time, but my PGCE was just the beginning of a partnership that stands as a testament to the power of high-quality teacher training. 

In my third year as a teacher, working in the very school where I completed my first placement, I became a mentor for the Citizenship PGCE. I was keen to take on the role, because I had benefited firsthand from what it can achieve. My mentor had overseen the introduction of Citizenship at Saint Mark’s, and in its first year had brought me in as a PGCE student to grow and support the new department. When she left, I was determined to continue her work.

Perspectives as a mentor

Since then, through the partnership with UCL, I have mentored six outstanding teachers into the profession. Two of them, Tania and Ross, went on to secure jobs at the school, allowing the Citizenship department to grow bigger than ever, with 200 students studying our relatively rare subject under the guidance of specialist teachers. This in itself is an extraordinary thing that would not be possible without the Institute of Education.  

I have also delivered teaching about political literacy in a simulated classroom experience at UCL, as part of the intensive training and practice elements. My work led me to a role on the Council for the Association of Citizenship Teaching and to the ACT Citizenship Mentor of the Year award last year. It has come with countless other opportunities too, from contributing to the IOE blog, to writing for Teaching Citizenship to sharing my experiences with current and future mentors. 

The local benefits

All this to say, I mean it when I say that a partnership with UCL is a truly special thing. I have seen it first hand over the last five years, on both sides of the mentor/mentee relationship. It has enabled a school in a highly deprived area, where the rate of Pupil Premium students is double the national average, to train and develop a full team of expert teachers to offer world class Citizenship education to young people. In these turbulent times, with votes at 16 in our future, I’m sure I don’t need to tell you how significant an achievement this is. 

I believe that partnering with UCL is one of the best decisions any teacher can make in their career, and a huge opportunity for any school looking to grow and upskill its staff body. Just ask Saint Mark’s Academy!

Mackenzie Dawson-Hunt
Head of Civics at Saint Mark’s Academy