Bishop Auckland College ‘superstar’ student lands dream role to help change lives of others

A Bishop Auckland College student, whose parents were once warned she might not survive, is celebrating landing her dream job, dedicating her career to supporting children who face their own unique challenges.

Inspired by the vital educational support she received as a young schoolgirl, 20-year-old Erin McMenamin has secured a permanent role as an enhanced learning support assistant at Walworth Primary in Newton Aycliffe.

The job offer arrived before Erin celebrated passing her T-Level Teaching Assistant course at Bishop Auckland College with a high merit.

Erin, from Newton Aycliffe, wants to help students in a specialist social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) school stems because of the support she had during her own difficult start in life.

“Having needed extra support in primary and secondary, I think that’s why I love working in specialist schools,” Erin said. “I wasn’t in one myself, but working with children with complex needs is easier for me to understand because of my own early years.”

Her mother, Anna, is overjoyed by her daughter’s achievements following a harrowing journey.

“Erin is an absolute superstar and I am so proud of her,” Anna said. “She had lovely support back in the day from teaching assistants, and that has probably, in some way, played a part in why she has wanted to go down this path for a career.

“Erin was born extremely premature at 24 weeks, weighing just 1lb 7oz, and we lost her sister at the time. She was on a ventilator for a worrying length of time whilst in hospital and her lungs started to collapse.

“We were warned that (if she survived) it would be very likely that she would need breathing support at home, however, in the style of Erin, I walked into the hospital room one day during her time at Leeds and the staff had huge grins on their faces.

“She was off the ventilator and I, for the first time after months of her being born, heard her little cry.  Erin has since surprised us many times with her amazing resilience and determination.”

 Erin had delayed development, due to her extreme prematurity.  She struggled to sit up, stand or walk, but her fighting spirit prevailed.

Against the odds, her incredible survival story made local headlines two decades ago when she astounded medics by overcoming a catalogue of severe illnesses.

Born 16 weeks before her expected due date, Erin and her twin sister, Rachel, each weighed less than 2lbs. Tragically, Rachel’s heart failed at Middlesbrough’s James Cook University Hospital and she lost her fight for life after only nine hours.

Erin, however, battled through a four-month stay in hospitals across Middlesbrough and Leeds, overcoming major complications with her heart, lungs, veins, stomach and bowel.

Despite doctors warning her parents that her daughter might not survive or could require a constant oxygen supply, Erin defied every expectation.

And she is now using that same resilience to inspire the next generation in her local community.

“I did a placement at Walworth Primary during the last academic year, and before we broke up for summer, jobs came up,” Erin said.

“I put my application in, got an interview, and now I have got the role.

“I have volunteered in mainstream schools before but I loved the challenge of this specialist side of things at a specialist SEMH school.

“The staff there are so lovely and inspiring to work with, and although it is challenging at times, I have loved that side of it, and find it particularly rewarding.”

Erin’s path to the classroom has been years in the making. She previously attended Carmel College in Darlington for her secondary education and sixth form, achieving merits in her Health and Social Care and Public Services BTECs, before arriving at Bishop Auckland College to specialise in teaching support.

Erin said: “I knew I wanted to do it, but doing two full academic years on placement while at Bishop Auckland College has reaffirmed what I wanted to do.”

Erin spent three days a week at college and two days on placement, praising the college staff as “amazing” as she achieved her goals.

Her success highlights the strong achievements across Bishop Auckland College’s T-Level and BTEC programmes this year, with many students now taking the next steps in their chosen careers or continuing their education.

Erin said: “I can’t see myself wanting to leave Walworth. I love working there.

“In the future, I might like to take up teaching and come back to Bishop Auckland to study, because it is something I do love, particularly teaching the small classes even if I enjoy teaching the bigger classes too. I do like everything about it.”