Class of 2020: Miles Clayton

Dedicated lecturers in the Department of History have inspired Miles Clayton to train as a teacher at his former sixth form college where he hopes to prepare school leavers for their own university experiences.

“Observing some extremely clever and articulate academics at Essex made me realise how important a good teacher can be in somebody’s education,” said Miles, who is graduating with a BA in Modern History.

Miles will return to the Simon Langton Girls’ Grammar School in Canterbury, where he completed his A Levels in the mixed sixth form, to train in the classroom as a history teacher. He will also complete a PGCE, alongside the school-based training, through Canterbury Christ Church University.

Miles singles out Dr Jeremy Krikler and Professor Lucy Noakes as stimulating and supportive lecturers who have inspired him to pursue a teaching career.

“Jeremy’s enthusiasm and skill for teaching illustrated to me how a good teacher can help an interest in a subject develop and flourish,” he said.

“The assistance I received from Lucy for my dissertation was invaluable, and helped me realise how big an impact a teacher’s help and devotion can have on a student.”

Miles will teach history to year 8 and 9 pupils at Simon Langton Girls’ Grammar School and will also help lead a scholars’ reading group with sixth form history students to help prepare them for studying history at university.

Miles, who also enjoyed playing for the University of Essex Cricket Club and working in the market intelligence department at the Students’ Union whilst at Essex, said: “The entire History Department at Langton Girls were fantastic. They taught me fantastically at Sixth Form and were the reason I went on to study history at university, so to go back and work with them will be both a pleasure and a great learning experience.”