Initially she came to the UK for eight months as a languages assistant. Now, she has been a fully qualified teacher for nine years and Head of Spanish at the school for four years.

Celia had to pass a rigorous application and interview process to gain her designation in Modern Foreign Languages, which allows her to share her expertise with other schools and settings. Melanie Navarro-Marin, the Brooke Weston Trust Director of Languages, encouraged her to apply for it.

Celia said: ‘Everything I know I have learned from Melanie, she is a role model to me. When she became Head of Department she had so many other responsibilities that I started taking charge with the Spanish and eventually I got the Head of Spanish job. In my SLE role I won’t only be advising on Spanish, it can be other languages or topics as well. I have done similar things, such as assessments for our department and shared assessments for the Trust schools, as well as training on marking for the whole Trust.

This role is about being organised, and planning lessons so if I am out on an assignment then my students back at Brooke Weston Academy will still have the same level of teaching. My heart is in teaching and I like being in the classroom with the students.

‘I am most looking forward to visiting other schools, seeing how they work and see if I can help them to develop in the way they need and having a real impact in the area that concerns them. Sometimes it can be something very simple, like changing the Scheme of Work, or maybe more complex like helping teachers develop their skills.

‘I have a good subject knowledge which is important but I can see problems and I am quick at finding solutions for them. It is about how you treat others and not making them feel that you are there to impose on them or tell them that everything they are doing is wrong. It is about focusing on their strengths and working with them on the areas of development.

‘When I came to the UK I thought I would only be at Brooke Weston Academy for eight months and a maximum of two years in England! I have always loved living abroad, speaking English and getting immersed in the culture, so I didn’t think I was going to be here that long but things just fell into place. I am excited to see what the future brings.’