Oswestry teaching assistant to sit second GCSE with pupils

After he passed GCSE chemistry, teaching assistant Rob Howell said students challenged him to sit another one

A teaching assistant is sitting another GCSE after previously being challenged to get a better understanding of the pressures involved.

Rob Howell, of Oswestry School, Shropshire, took and passed a chemistry exam in 2022 after being challenged by a pupil.

"The idea was that I would be more useful to them if I had a better knowledge," he said.

He then promised students he would sit physics in 2023 and biology next year.

"I foolishly said 'well if I pass, I'll do physics with you'. And that's where I find myself," the 65-year-old said.

To achieve the chemistry GCSE, Mr Howell sat in as many lessons as he could alongside pupils and worked on past papers.

He said he found some aspects very hard.

"For me it was about the reactions, if you mix this with this, what does it indicate. I struggled. Just memorising that was a problem," he said.

Mr Howell achieved a level five, a strong pass, in GCSE chemistry and said he thought it had given him a better insight into how he could support the school's students.

"We forget the pressures connected to it. What we are trying to do is help them to reach their maximum potential," he said.