Abed Ahmed

Secondary Mathematics - PGCE

Abed has had a stammer from a very young age and will continue to stammer for the rest of his life. He  was worried that this would affect his chances of becoming a teacher. Thankfully, the staff at BCU provided the support he needed and he’s now working in his dream career.

“I always knew teaching was for me. I therefore knew a PGCE was compulsory. The choice to study at BCU wasn’t difficult at all for me. BCU is known to produce great teachers, and I knew I could rely on the support that would be given to me. BCU had a lot of links with schools I wanted to work in. Also, my subject mentor, Don Newton, is known around the country and he was the only person I wanted to work for.

Being a postgraduate student at BCU was amazing. The staff were incredibly helpful and they offered sessions for me to improve my academic writing. There were also many support services to help with our learning too. The workload was manageable, and my lecturers helped me to learn to prioritise properly. Whilst on this course I learnt techniques that I definitely couldn’t cope without in my working life, such as lesson planning, managing behaviour and how to truly thrive as a teacher.

I’m so passionate about my teaching career and want to help people like myself. I have a stammer and often worried this would affect my working capabilities. However, BCU never made discouraging comments and was always so supportive, always reassuring me that it wouldn’t stop me from becoming a teacher.

Since becoming a qualified teacher, I’ve moved up to become Head of Department (for Maths) at KEVI Handsworth Wood Girls’ Academy. I also run workshops for teachers across the country for all matters related to teaching such as Teaching and Learning, SEND and Diversity/Inclusion. At my former school, I also ran support groups for the pupils who have a stammer like me. This led to being named New Teacher of Year at the Times Educational Supplement (TES) Awards in 2019. It was an honour and privilege to win such a prestigious award. It’s dedicated to the students and community I serve.

My latest achievement was being awarded Teacher of the Year at the Nasen (National Association for Special Educational Needs) Awards 2021. The awards recognise schools, individuals and organisations that work to support children with SEND.

To me, ‘I AM BCU’ means being part of a community in Birmingham that helps break down barriers.”