Lucy – BA (Hons) Education and Training

“If you ever need anything, staff are always happy to help – whether that’s finding books in the library or answering questions about your dissertation or any kind of assignment.”

Name: Lucy

Hometown: Helston

Course: BA (hons) Education and Training

Next Steps: Primary School Teacher

My Story

Lucy began her studies at Penwith College, where she completed a Level 3 Diploma in Childcare & Education before progressing onto a Foundation Degree in Childhood Education. She then came to the Truro campus to study her BA (hons) top-up.

“Penwith definitely set me up,” she explained. “It was very similar to here, so it wasn’t a huge change for me when I came up to Truro to do my top-up.”

The transition between campuses was smooth, thanks to the support she received. “I really enjoyed it,” Lucy said. “For me, Penzance is a lot easier to get to, but Truro have been ever so supportive with the move. All the information I needed was communicated well.”

When deciding where to complete her degree, location and flexibility were key factors. “I could still carry on with my life at home – I’ve got animals at home – and I could work alongside,” she said. “For me, being able to work alongside the University course was quite a big one. Even though it’s a full-time course, the most I’ve been timetabled is two days a week, which worked well.”

Balancing study with work commitments was no small task: “I’ve had two jobs running alongside my degree,” Lucy explained.

Lucy specialised in Primary Education and secured a role at Breage Church of England School. “I’ve had my job in Breage school, which matches with the professional practice side of the course, and then I’ve also been waitressing in the evenings – hospitality, which has nothing to do with the job!”

Placements were a vital part of her degree, and Lucy found the support invaluable: “I’ve been lucky that I’ve actually been employed, but I know everybody else on my course have had more placements rather than jobs and they’ve been ever so supportive,” she said. “If you need a different placement to get a different kind of point of view on something, then they’ll help you find that so you can expand your skill set.”

“Now I’m going on to my Cornwall SCITT,” she shared. “I’m going to have to leave Breage, which is really sad. But the university have been supportive with them and been in contact. With SCITT I’ll have two different placements, and that will give me my Postgraduate Certificate in Education and my Qualified Teacher Status.”

Her ambition to teach began early: “I’ve probably known since the end of secondary school that I wanted to be a teacher.” Lucy said. “Being in college with the placements confirmed that it would be the way forward for me. And throughout the degree, now I’ve got the job at Breage and so on, that’s really opened my eyes to what it’s like and what’s expected. It’s made me think I definitely want to do it.”

She credits the lecturers and support staff for helping her succeed. “They’re really accommodating,” Lucy said. “If you ever need anything, they’re always happy to help – whether that’s finding books in the library or just answering numerous questions about your dissertation or any kind of assignment. They’re always there at the end of a Teams call or an email, or if you pop up and ask to speak to them. And that’s down to the librarians as well – it’s right across the board. They’re really knowledgeable and always around if you need them.”

Reflecting on her journey, Lucy offered advice for future students: “Keep working hard at it and just keep your head down. Make sure you plan time to sit down and do your assignments – don’t leave it till the last minute. And ask as many questions as you can think of, because there’s never a problem.”