Staffroom Catch-up: Clare Lloyd, Hereford Sixth Form College

We've been catching up with teachers at schools and colleges around the UK to find out how teaching with Eduqas is working for them and their learners. Clare Lloyd, Head of Department for A Level Religious Studies at Hereford Sixth Form College, shares her experience:

"I have been teaching Religious Studies for about 25 years. We are currently a small team of two teachers with a cohort of approximately 80 - 90 students each year. We moved to Eduqas about sixteen years ago and have never looked back. One of the things our students love about the A level Eduqas specification is that the questions are relatively easy to revise for and interpret. The wording of the specification is detailed but it means that there are no surprises for us because every question is clearly and directly based on an aspect of the specification. This gives our students very clear guidance for what to learn and what to revise throughout the two year course.

I have always found Eduqas to be a very friendly board. Right from the start of our early years teaching with Eduqas, I found that it was always easy to talk to representatives and subject specialists from the board to get expert help and advice. I always attended all the CPD on offer with my head of department because it gave us such detailed help with understanding the way that papers were marked and ideas for resources and teaching strategies. This is one of the reasons why I am very happy to now present CPD for the board between my teaching commitments and I bring my colleague along to get the benefit of speaking with other experienced teachers and subject specialists.

One of the things I have particularly enjoyed about Eduqas is the plethora of resources that are available, both in textbook form and online via the website. One of the most useful things I have found has been the example essays from the Online Exam Review section of the website. These essays with examiners commentary have given us and our students valuable understanding about how their exams are marked and how best to improve. By becoming an examiner as well, I have received the most effective CPD I could ask for as I can now offer my students support with their exam technique from first hand experience as a marker. In addition, I get to meet a wide range of teachers from across the country and benefit from their experience and expertise as well.”