TP-14.4

A t the risk of sounding like TroyMcClure from the Simpsons, youmay knowme fromChannel 4’s Gogglebox. I have been truly blessed to share the screen – well, the sofa – withmy dad Sid and brother Umar for over seven years now. It’s been a genuine privilege to be a part of the show and to act as a voice of the nation on both historically definingmoments such as Brexit and new primeministers, to slightly more trivial matters like the reformation of the Pussycat Dolls on XFactor. What youmay not know about me is that I’ve been involved in education for over a decade now. Prior to Gogglebox, I was a secondary business, ICT and computer science teacher and head of department. I made the decision two years ago to set upmy own education business. It gave me the chance to combine my passion for education andmy link to the world of television in a fun and exciting way. Leaving the safety net of a full-time teaching job and leaping into the unknown has been thrilling and terrifying in equal measures. Since startingmy business I’ve delivered talks to children, university students, teachers, business owners, sales teams and everyone in between and have also been able to stretchmy literarymuscles by writing for a variety of publications. I’ve also 48 | www.teachwire.net Baasit Siddiqui is using a decade of classroomexperience and the hook of Gogglebox to raise disadvantaged pupils’ aspirations developed both physical and digital school workshops, all while getting to grips with the inner workings of running a business – corporation tax, national insurance, accounts, setting up a website, getting business cards, networking (oh lord, the networking!) and selling both myself andmy products. Raising aspirations Despite all of these new experiences over the last two years, I’ve never felt completely out of my depth. I firmly believe that working in education for as long as I did developed my resilience, patience, adaptability, communication and yes, even my sales skills, without me even knowing it. Let’s be honest, if keeping a group of students not only engaged but excited about the importance of converting binary to hexadecimal last period on a Friday isn’t salesmanship, I don’t know what is. The main focus of my workshops is raising the aspirations and confidence of disadvantaged students, while at the same time helping to educate them about potential careers and developing their digital and entrepreneurial skills. I’m lucky enough to have the unique hook of ‘being that guy off the telly’ which has helped me develop a rapport with children up and down the country. One of my workshops involves working with students in groups to research, plan and pitch an idea for a television show. The creators of the best ideas across the academic year get the chance to visit London and meet the creator That guy OFF THE TELLY of Gogglebox. To be honest, it’s an excuse for these kids to have a bit of a jolly around London, which they deserve. When developing the idea I knew I couldn’t rely on the fact that I used to be a teacher and am now on television to sell it to schools – there needed to be more to it. Thankfully, this gave me the chance to develop my understanding of pedagogy. Derby, where I live, is an opportunity area. This meant that I was able to visit a fantastic research school – Wyndham Primary – where I got to share my workshop and gain some much-valued feedback. If you’ve not had the chance to visit a research school, I’d strongly urge you to make a link with one, be it physically or through social media. I learnt so much in my short time there that I still use when creating resources, with a focus on supporting our most disadvantaged students. Visiting the school really made me understand the value of CPD; something I certainly took for granted in my teaching role. There aren’t many other occupations that celebrate the development of their employees in quite the same way. Being able to put new theories into practice in the context of your own classroom can be incredibly exciting. Since my business started I’ve developed resources that support social mobility, students “I amso grateful to have been a part of a profession that has not only shaped the lives of the children I have taught, but influencedwho I amtoday”