News

Every role at Hampton High holds a story — a skill being developed, a challenge overcome, or a passion quietly driving someone forward.

In this edition of our internal staff magazine, we’re proud to spotlight Mrs Banerjee, a valued member of our support team who has been making a meaningful difference in how we understand and respond to communication needs across the school.

When you first meet Mrs Banerjee, you’re greeted with a warm smile — calm, kind, and quietly determined to make a difference. Over the past few years, her work supporting students with Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) has grown into something deeply personal.

It all began with one pupil - Coan.

Working closely with him opened her eyes to the power and complexity of communication.
“To support him with learning,” she explains, “I first had to learn how to understand and express language his way.”

What began as a challenge soon became a purpose. Step by step, Mrs Banerjee adapted her approach, developed new strategies, and discovered how language shapes every part of a pupil’s experience — their confidence, friendships, and sense of belonging.

Now pursuing higher-level training in Speech, Language and Communication, she continues to share her learning with others — believing that every piece of knowledge passed on can help another young person find their voice.

“Knowledge expands when you share,” she says. And in her quiet, thoughtful way, she’s helping all of us see that the same is true of kindness too.

Mrs Banerjee also recognises the wider value of investing in professional growth:
“Progression opportunities boost confidence and make you more insightful about your role.”

She strongly believes that having clear pathways for professional development within SEND will continue to strengthen the role of teaching assistants — whose expertise can make an invaluable contribution to pupils’ overall progress.

For anyone thinking about their next step, her advice is simple:
“Speak to your line manager. Invest time in learning about what comes next. Having clarity in your mind is really important before making that move.”

Her journey is a quiet but powerful reminder that growth begins with curiosity — and that when we nurture the potential of every member of our community, the whole school grows stronger.