Teacher’s tribute to school pupils at her graduation ceremony
A newly qualified teacher crossed the stage of her Staffordshire University graduation ceremony this week accompanied by 30 pupils from Gladstone Primary Academy.
Aimee Robinson, 34, from Meir was working on placement at the school in Longton when she asked the pupils to draw photos of themselves for her dress which she wore to her graduation ceremony at the Kings Hall, Stoke-on-Trent.
She said: “I showed them the stage that I had to cross to get my certificate and I said to them that because they’d helped me to become a teacher, I wanted them to be part of my graduation. I then set them to work on drawing pictures for my dress.”
Aimee was nominated by her lecturers to give the student vote of thanks and used the occasion to thank the pupils and young people who had been part of her journey.
She said: “I want to say a thank you to the children I have taught whilst on my training journey. As you can see, I have a memento of them here today – they have drawn pictures of themselves on my dress.”
“And a special thank you to my daughter Lillie who is here today to celebrate with me. If it were not for her, I would never have made the decision to start my university journey, she has been an absolute superstar in understanding when I needed time on my laptop to complete assignments.”
Aimee, who has graduated with a PGCE (Primary) has now secured her first job at a Year 2 class teacher working at Belgrave St Bartholomew Academy in Lightwood.
She said: “I have always known I wanted to be a teacher. I just didn’t have the confidence to go for it when I left college all those years ago.”
Maria Scrivens
Communications Manager
t: 01782 294375
m: 07766 520339
e: m.c.scrivens@staffs.ac.uk
Staffordshire University’s ambition is to become the UK’s best modern university. An institution with a strong civic mission, it has committed to being a ‘catalyst for change’ for students and businesses, positively impacting wider society and the regional economy.
Staffordshire University was named a Top 5 university in the UK and ranked Top 10 for job prospects in the StudentCrowd University Awards 2022 – based entirely on student reviews. It also ranked Top 10 for Social Inclusion in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023.
The 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF) classed 68% of the University’s research as world leading or internationally excellent and 87% of its ‘research impact’ was judged to be outstanding or very outstanding.
Substantial investment in innovative technologies and teaching environments ensure next generation courses and education are delivered across all three campuses in Stoke-on-Trent, Stafford and London.
