Now in second year at university, Casey, originally from Portstewart, reflected on her mindset when deciding to leave school:
“I received good GSCE grades and was able to progress to sixth form at school, but I didn’t like the subjects I was studying,” she said.
Since Casey had always wanted to become a teacher, she prioritised this goal and investigated what she would need to progress to university and do a teaching degree.
She decided to leave school and attend Northern Regional College to do Level 3 Diploma in Children’s Care Learning and Development, which is a vocational course designed to equip learners with specific skills and knowledge required for working in Early Years.
Casey admitted that while it was a difficult decision to make, it was the right one for her.
She explained: “Leaving my friends at school to start a new course at Northern Regional College where I wouldn’t know anyone in my class was difficult but, after looking at the content of the Level 3 Diploma and the different subjects I would be studying, I was really excited.”
The BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma is recognised as an academic equivalent of three A levels but Casey was also impressed by the professional practice opportunities offered by the vocational course which gave students valuable experience of working in different workplace settings.
She continued: “The placements supported my journey to becoming a teacher as they gave me a good insight into what it was like to work with different age groups. This helped me realise what my favourite age range and decide what I wanted to focus on at university.”
“While on placement, we were encouraged to create activity plans and took part in observations and created assessments for the children. This experience has been vital to my success at university.
“Professional practice has been my favourite module to study, alongside special needs. The passion I have towards this specialism has given me an opportunity to work with children with additional needs, such as muscular dystrophy and autism.
Casey’s hard work and commitment to her studies have paid off handsomely as she was the recipient of two scholarships: a High Achievers Scholarship for her BTEC Diploma results and an Excellence Scholarship, for her work outside of her BTEC studies, which included her time spent with children of different abilities and disabilities.
Looking to the future, Casey hopes to work as an early year’s teacher and after she graduates, intends to continue with her professional development to learn more about inclusion and special need in education.
She said studying Children’s Care, Learning and Development at Northern Regional has had an “astronomical impact” on her understanding and ability to train as an early year’s teacher.
“I passed all my first-year modules, receiving firsts in some assignments and completed placements where I was able to develop further the skills I was taught and then practiced while I was doing the BTEC Diploma.
Casey added: “I still refer to the notes I’d taken during my BTEC course even now to help me with current subject knowledge and assignments.”