Name: Chloe Mansell
Subjects studied: T Level Early Years Education and Childcare & Assisting Teaching
Former school: Richard Lander
My Story:
After attending Richard Lander Secondary School, Chloe was eager to come to Truro College so she could remain with her friends and enjoy the busy buzz of campus life. She has always wanted to work with children, so she was thrilled when she discovered that Truro and Penwith College offered the T Level in Early Years Education and Childcare & Assisting Teaching, which includes a lot of opportunity to gain experience.
Chloe explained: “It’s quite a practical course, and you go out on placement quite a lot, so the experience of working with children will be helpful for me in the future.
“I think if I just did A Levels, I wouldn’t have had the same level of experience of working with children, and I have enjoyed that [aspect]. It’s been helpful because now I know I definitely want to work with children, so it has solidified my choice.”
Chloe completed her placement at Threemilestone Primary School in Truro, which included block placements where she worked at the school for four weeks straight. Chloe highlighted the block placements as a particular strength of the course and said: “[The block placements] are good because we build more of a relationship with the children, more than we would if we were there for just one day a week.”
Along with the children, Chloe also built-up good relationships with the staff during her placement at Threemilestone Primary School. Chloe commented: “My class teacher was really lovely, and the Teaching Assistant was really friendly, so I’ve got a good relationship with them. When we got assessed in placement and did exams, they were really helpful and supportive. They gave me ideas and helped me with stuff. All of our lecturers [at College] are very supportive. They’re all friendly and approachable, we get along well with them. If we have any questions, we’re not scared to ask.”
After completing her T Level, Chloe is taking a gap year to travel, and then is planning to attend Bristol UWE University to study Psychology and Criminology, Chloe added: “After that I’ll do my masters in Psychotherapy and get a job from that, hopefully!”
When asked if she has any advice for new students, Chloe says: “Do a course that you know you’ll enjoy. If you know that you want a certain job when you’re older, look at all the options and if you don’t know what you want to be, choose subjects that you enjoy!”