Hello, I’m Nicola Bush, Nicky at school. I’m a 57 year old Enhanced Teaching Assistant (ETA) at Villa Real school in Consett. I have been here for just short of 10 years, and here’s what I would like you to know.
Life as an Enhanced Teaching Assistant at Villa Real School.
Working as an ETA at Villa Real School is one of those jobs that’s hard to explain unless you live it every day. Our pupils range from tiny 2 year olds to amazing young adults of nineteen, all with complex medical and/or learning needs – and each one of them is a whole world of personality, strength, and joy. Honestly. I love my job. I’m driven by the smiles we help put on the faces of our children, because those smiles say more than any written progress report ever could.
It’s been said, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Well, in our world it takes an entire army of like-minded, dedicated, passionate people who show up every day ready to give everything they have. What we do isn’t just educational support. It’s so much more. We’re counsellors when someone is struggling, comforters when someone needs a safe place to cry, and advocates when our children can’t speak for themselves. We work with some extremely complex needs, some days the medical side of our role would make even the seasoned professionals pause. We administer medication, manage PEG feeds, handle delicate care routines, and support dysregulation – but always with a smile and a huge dose of care and compassion.
Dignity matters here. Nurturing strengths matters. Helping each child become the best version of themselves for their next steps in life…that matters most of all. And it’s never just down to one classroom, or one staff member. Villa Real runs on teamwork. Our IT department, caretakers, office staff, domestic team and kitchen staff keep everything running smoothly – and all of it is done with the pupils at the heart. Everyone knows every pupil by their first name. Everyone smiles – a lot!
People on the outside sometimes assume we do this for the holidays, but a lot of people don’t realise we aren’t even paid for all the school holidays. And we’re certainly not paid like medics or counsellors, despite completing countless training courses. Low pay for support staff is a problem and we certainly don’t do it for the money. We’re here because we are an army serving children who deserve the absolute best – and we love what we do.
And the smiles we get in return? Worth every second.
Nicky