Sharon’s foundation to learning

By Clearing

Sharon Stephenson always wanted to work with children, and fulfilled this ambition when she qualified as a Nursery Nurse at the age of 19. Now, 13 years later, Sharon wants to build on her ambitions and go on to qualify as a Primary School teacher. Sharon’s new career direction will be helped by her new Early Years Sector Endorsed Foundation Degree from the University of Teesside.

This vocational degree has been developed in collaboration with employers, further education colleges, Local Education Authorities and SureStart. (SureStart is a government programme which aims to achieve better outcomes for children, parents and communities). The Foundation Degree is designed to meet the growing need for skilled staff who have an in-depth knowledge of their subject, in addition to relevant practical skills. The degree is awarded by the University of Teesside and delivered at the following Further Education Colleges: Darlington, Hartlepool, Stockton Riverside, Redcar & Cleveland and Middlesbrough.

The course is endorsed by SureStart and is appropriate for assistants who currently work in Early Years education (children aged from zero up to eight), and childcare (students must have access to children aged between three and eight). Successful completion of the course leads to Senior Practitioner status.

Sharon, 32, from Hartlepool will complete her Foundation Degree at Hartlepool College of Further Education this summer. She has worked as a Nursery Nurse at St. Patrick’s RC School in Fairfield, Stockton, for 13 years.

*Sharon said: “I always wanted to work with primary school children. When I first qualified as a Nursery Nurse I was determined to get work and wrote to 52 schools. I love the work, and when I saw the teachers in the classroom I started to think that I could also enjoy that job. I knew I needed to study to progress but didn’t want to give up my job. I started to look at what courses I could combine with work, and a friend who works at The Grange Primary in Hartlepool told me about the Foundation degree in Early Years. The School Governors have given me every Thursday afternoon off for the last two years to attend college, and I received around £900 of funding every year through SureStart, totalling nearly £2,000 over the course.”

The combination of work and study has proved a successful one for Sharon. She added: “I’ve learned new computing skills and am now more confident about speaking in front of a group of people. I’ve put my heart and soul into the course and it’s opened my eyes. For example, I’ve now got a better understanding of new government documentation which relates to schools. We’ve also looked at different learning styles, which I’ve been able to incorporate into the classroom.

“I’d recommend the course to anyone in schools or childcare as you will take existing knowledge into the course, you’re not going in blind. The facilities are fantastic and you get a lot of support from the lecturers.”

When Sharon completes the Foundation degree, she then wants to enrol on the University of Teesside’s Negotiated Learning Scheme. The Scheme recognises valuable skills and knowledge gained at work, which can be used as the basis of a study programme. This programme can then lead to a formal academic qualification, such as a degree. Sharon wants to follow this programme with a teacher training course.

Sharon added: “The Negotiated Learning scheme will enable me to transfer the foundation degree credits to an Honours degree programme. The Foundation Degree is three quarters of the honours degree, as I will have accumulated 240 degree credits.”

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