Each month, we encourage our tutors and workplaces to nominate any learners they feel deserve to be recognised as our Student of The Month!

If you would like to nominate a learner, we would love to hear from you. Please contact us for the nomination form.

VTS Student Of The Month winners:

Congratulations!

Leanne Lambert

Leanne is completing the Teaching Assistant Level 3 apprenticeship course and was nominated by The Head of School at Ryedene Primary and Nursery School. He says “Leanne is an amazingly positive and hardworking apprentice and member of staff; she always puts the children first. Her enthusiasm and expertise has resulted in the children with whom she works making excellent progress alongside improved confidence and self-esteem. We love having Leanne at Ryedene!”

“She has flourished and delivered high levels of work throughout, and now has the bug to continue learning.” – Leanne’s tutor, Jade.

Katelyn McDonald

Katelyn is completing the Early Years Educator Level 3 apprenticeship course and was nominated by her workplace, Georgie Porgie Day Nursery. Katelyn’s manager says “Katelyn has shown great tenacity with her coursework.”

Charlie Franks

Charlie is completing the Early Years Practitioner Level 2 apprenticeship and was nominated by his tutor, Jane. Charlie has shown that barriers to learning can be overcome by having a willingness to push boundaries and show that you can achieve anything!

He is a valued member of his team and has a wonderful nature with the children he supports.

Lucy Watling

Lucy is completing the Early Years Educator Level 3 apprenticeship and was nominated by her workplace, Nannas Day Nurseries. Lucy has gone from strength to strength over the past year and always goes the extra mile whilst being passionate about her job and the children at the setting. Lucy will always help and is really friendly, with a willingness to help others. Putting her all into nursery competitions, Lucy is very hard working and a great role model! She has learnt how to guide her colleagues, supporting them throughout the day. Lucy was also able to complete her coursework with ease, meeting deadlines and sourcing information where required with very little support. 

Daniella Addlington-Lee

Daniella is completing the Teaching Assistant Level 3 apprenticeship and was nominated by her workplace, Shorefields School. Daniella’s manager says she is “an excellent apprentice with a great passion to learn and develop. Daniella produces really detailed work whilst going over and above what is expected to support the students in the school. She has been excellent in our school and deserves the recognition for her hard work and effort”.

Ella Goldsmith

Ella is completing the Lead Adult Care Worker Level 3 apprenticeship and was nominated by her workplace, RG Care Cherry Tree. Ella has been keeping on top of her work with her tutor Jade, and discusses what she is learning in her apprenticeship whilst applying it to her job role as Head of Care. Ella’s manager says that “she is doing this whilst playing an integral role in the home’s management team, never missing a beat, and keeping on top of her workload whilst being a key worker to two residents!”

Mihaela Sfrijan

Mihaela is completing the Early Years Educator Level 3 apprenticeship and was nominated by her manager at Scallywags Nursery Chelmsford, who says that “Every month Mihaela’s work is completed is at a very high quality. She is very passionate about her role and we always hear her referencing what she has learnt into her everyday practice. Mihaela is a brilliant apprentice and will make an even better qualified practitioner. Mihaela has already said that she is wanting to complete her Level 5!”

Bianca Perera

Bianca is completing the Early Years Educator Level 3 apprenticeship and was nominated by her manager at Georgie Porgie Day Nursery, who says that “Bianca has come on leaps and bounds in the last two months throughout a time in her life which has been extremely difficult. She has been able to continue to apply herself to her course and her job role so much so that we have offered her a permanent position”.

Rheannon Sterling

Rheannon is completing the Early Years Educator Level 3 apprenticeship and was nominated by her manager at The Meads Childcare, who says that “Rheannon has shown great attention to detail in her written work and is an asset to our setting. Rheannon always comes to work with a smile and has an excellent rapport with all the children and has formed excellent partnerships with parents. When staff have been on holiday, Rheannon has stepped up and provided valuable support to all in the setting. Rheannon has completed extra courses to compliment her coursework including outdoor learning which she has enthusiastically implemented in our setting, bringing a fresh approach to bug hunting and outdoor learning!”.

Reid Hill

Reid is completing the Adult Care Worker Level 2 apprenticeship and was nominated by his manager at Cherry Tree, who says that “Reid has kept consistently on top of his study, and has delivered good quality work throughout, receiving compliments from his tutor. He has made good use of his study time and has supported the home when it has been needed throughout his course. Reid is always here to help his team, which is a great quality to have.”

Marli Jones

Marli is completing the Lead Adult Care Worker Level 3 apprenticeship and was nominated by her tutor, Jade, who says that “Marli goes above and beyond when completing her written work and she works hard to plan days out for her workplace. Marli uses detailed examples within her work and always submits on time. Marli works hard to incorporate the enrichment tasks within her course and is always thinking about further development options.”

Olivia Gibson

Olivia is completing the Early Years Educator Level 3 apprenticeship and was nominated by her tutor, Yvonne, who says that “Olivia sets the standards high with what is expected and is a wonderful role model to other apprentices she is working alongside. As her confidence has grown, so has her progression in the nursery and Olivia has the potential to go far”. Olivia’s workplace have added “Olivia is an amazing addition to our team and is always spoken highly of by both our children and parents. She is always eager to learn and takes on any ideas or suggestions and puts them into her practice”.

Ruby Turp

Ruby is completing the Early Years Practitioner Level 2 apprenticeship and was nominated by her tutor, Amy, who says that “Ruby consistently demonstrates exceptional dedication, a positive attitude, and a commitment to learning. Ruby exhibits a strong work ethic, consistently completing her work on time and going above and beyond what is expected. This growth mindset has allowed her to excel academically, but also to develop into a fantastic early years practitioner who is dedicated, compassionate, and always eager to learn”.

Tilly O’Sullivan

Tilly is completing the Early Years Educator Level 3 apprenticeship and was nominated by her workplace, Scallywags Nursery Chelmsford, who says that “Tilly has shown exceptional dedication and effort this month in her apprenticeship course. She planned and delivered a fantastic activity for the children in her room, which was observed by her tutor and received positive feedback on this. Tilly also prepared very well for verbal questioning with her tutor, making detailed notes to ensure she could answer confidently. We have witnessed significant growth in Tilly’s skills and knowledge, which has positively impacted both her personal development and the overall environment in the room”.

Djaka Diakite

Djaka is completing the Level 3 Adult Care Worker apprenticeship and was nominated by her workplace, Oasis Care Services, who say that “We have received continual feedback from Djaka’s tutor that the quality of work that Djaka is producing is of a much higher standard than that which the diploma dictates. Furthermore, Djaka has shown a high level of commitment to the course, undertaking all her tasks well within the agreed deadlines. Djaka works exceptionally hard, putting in extra hours to ensure that the quality of work that she produces excels beyond the base expectations”.

Megan Baily

Megan is completing the Level 3 Adult Care Worker apprenticeship and was nominated by her tutor, who says that “Megan has worked very hard to complete her course within 1 year, instead of the usual 18 months. She provides excellent support to her service users by arranging enjoyable day trips and organising engaging activities for everyone to enjoy. Every month, Megan diligently works to complete her coursework on time, producing thorough and reflective work on her activities”.

Lucy Jennings

Lucy is completing the Level 3 Early Years Educator apprenticeship and was nominated by her manager at Georgie Porgie Day Nursery, who said that “Lucy is doing an amazing job in our baby room even through a period of transition and staff change. She is unflappable and a great support to her colleagues”. Lucy’s tutor would also like to add that “since starting her course, Lucy has been a proactive learner. She meets all her deadlines and engages well in all teaching sessions, keen to ask questions and to learn more, Lucy is a wonderful learner to have”.

Danielle Ferrari

Danielle is completing the Level 3 Early Years Educator apprenticeship and was nominated by her tutor, who said that “Danielle puts 100% effort into all her coursework, enrichment and observations, she pushes herself to do the best within all her written work, and her practical observation, discussion and verbal questions. Danielle embraces her enrichment module and takes on board all of the topics, considering how she can protect herself online and she has used the careers worksheets to consider different paths she could take in her career. Danielle is always keen to meet her deadlines, and be prepared for all verbal questions, discussions and observations of practice”.

Hannah Darnell

Hannah is completing the Level 3 Early Years Educator apprenticeship and was nominated by her employer, who said that “I would like to nominate Hannah for her exceptional dedication and hard work. She consistently puts 100% effort into everything she does, whether it’s her day-to-day tasks or her coursework. She is doing an amazing job in our baby room, and we have received fantastic feedback from the key children and their families. She has built strong, trusting relationships with the children, which is evident in their positive interactions with her. Hannah’s constant smile and cheerful attitude create a warm and welcoming environment, and she is always willing to lend a helping hand to both her team and the children. We are excited to watch Hannah continue to grow in her role and are confident that she will make a fantastic level 3 practitioner!”

Anabelle Desvaux

Anabelle is completing the Level 4 Lead Practitioner in Adult Care apprenticeship and was nominated by her tutor, who said that “Anabelle puts 100% into her written work and enrichment tasks each month. She works hard with me to plan and complete all observations needed towards her course, she always supports her team and her service users and is working within their best interest. Anabelle is always trying to improve and push herself to excel further”.

Amy Wood

Amy is completing the Level 4 Lead Practitioner in Adult Care apprenticeship and was nominated by her tutor, who said that “Amy sets the standards high with what is expected at work and is a great role model for newer members of staff. Amy goes above and beyond completing her work each month, she always completes work in a timely manner and Amy has been working on the distinction criteria to plan and prepare her for end point assessment to hopefully achieve a distinction”.

Wafa Hussein

Wafa is completing the Level 3 Early Years Educator apprenticeship and was nominated by her workplace manager, who said that “Wafa joined our team on 4th January 2024 and immediately settled in. From the start Wafa has shown she is focused and driven, she can prioritise time for tasks and ensures she completes tasks set in a timely manner. Wafa is such a warm, caring and approachable person and the children absolutely adore her. She thrives on making others happy, sharing positivity and never complains about anything. Wafa knows her key children, their starting points, their next steps, progress they have made and what she would like them to achieve next”.

Emma O’Donoghue

Emma is completing the Level 3 Early Years Educator apprenticeship and was nominated by her tutor, who said that “Emma goes above and beyond each month with her amazing written work. Her work is always well detailed, well researched and uses her own knowledge and skills from her setting to enhance her writing. In practice, Emma is always professional and caring, she has amazing bonds with the children in her care who all clearly adore her and engage well with her. Emma also showed calmness and composure during a recent VTS Ofsted inspection, and took the time to engage with the inspector. Emma is a wonderful practitioner and fantastic student”.

Emma Murrell

Emma is completing the Level 3 Early Years Educator qualification and was nominated by her workplace director, who said that “Emma has been part of the Pumpkins family for nearly 30 years. She first joined us at just 16, after facing discrimination elsewhere. Another setting suggested that, because of her needs, she might be “better suited” to working in a supermarket. Emma was heartbroken by this, but she never allowed it to deter her from the career she was determined to pursue. Now, in her 40s, Emma is fully first-aid trained, Level 3 safeguard qualified, and currently working toward her Level 3 childcare qualification. The children and staff absolutely adore her, and she is truly one of Pumpkins’ greatest assets. Over the years, Emma’s confidence has grown a hundredfold. Her decision to take on this qualification is a testament to her strength, bravery, and determination. Pumpkins simply would not be Pumpkins without her!”