Bailey Richardson

How did you hear about Newcastle College? Did you attend an open day and if so did you find it useful? 

I heard about Newcastle College online as I saw an advert. I was interested in primary education and I saw that there was a course in Early Years Education, so I went to an open day in March where I heard all of the information I needed from the course tutors. I found the open day useful and that helped me decide to enrol in September.   

What made you decide to come to the college and enrol on the course you selected? 

After I finished my GCSEs, I worked full time in an office and while I did enjoy myself, I couldn't see myself doing that for my entire life, so I decided to have a look around Newcastle College. I found the Early Years in Education course which I thought was really interesting and helped me make the move to Newcastle College. 

How would you describe the advice and support you receive from the College and your tutors? Have you had any support from our Central Support team? 

The advice I have received from my tutors is always well considered and helpful. We do tutorials throughout the year and that is a good chance to catch up with the teachers and review how we are doing.  Because of this, it's easy to see when you're struggling with the course, it's a good support system.  

Do you have any tutors with industry experience? If so, how has this helped you 

I do have tutors with industry experience, some of my tutors have been working in early years for over 20 years, so they are very knowledgeable in the subject. It helps us in the course because they can provide hands on knowledge and genuine advice that comes from their own experience as teachers.  

Did you investigate financial support?  

Yes, the College offers a 16 to 19 learners bursary and that helped me out massively as it pays for my transport costs and pays for a meal a day, which is helpful. 

Have you overcome any challenges while on your course and if so, how has the College helped you? 

There were a few challenges at the beginning of my first year, I was really struggling to manage my time, so I went to my tutors for support. They gave me some really great advice and as a result I was able to plan my week in a way that made it work a lot better for me, so the tutors have definitely helped me out. 

What would you say you enjoy most about your course? 

I enjoy coming to college. I’m only timetabled three days a week and I really enjoy my time here. It's nice as it's not like school in the sense that it's not strict, you can come to college talk to the teachers like they’re friends of yours, and the lessons are all well thought through and well structured, you feel like you're actually learning something worthwhile. 

How do you think the course is benefiting you?  

The course is benefiting me because I get to go on a placement as part of my T-Level. This is giving me hands-on experience in the sector that I want to go into, instead of learning only the theory. You're putting the theory into practise when you're at placement so it's very helpful as it gets you ready for your future. 

Can you tell us about the industry experience you gain from your placement? 

The placement is a key part of my course. My tutors helped me organise it, allowing me to find a nursery near to where I live, giving me an easy commute. It is set out in a way where you're working towards a set amount of hours throughout the course, my course in particular is 750 hours that I will need to do over the two years of the course, and the teachers set out plans where these goals are easily achievable, and there is a lot of room for extra hours which is very useful.  

What would you like to do after you finish this course? 

I think that a T-Level is good for setting you up for applying for university, so I would like attend university to study primary education, and this course is really useful in working towards that goal. 

What are your ambitions for the future? 

My ambition for the future is to be a primary school teacher. To do that I am working on this T-level at Newcastle College then I want to move to university to study primary education for about three years. 

What would you say to anyone thinking of studying a T level at Newcastle College?  

It's well worth your time, it puts you on the right track to whatever career goals you’ve got, they've got loads of course choices so it's worthwhile looking into.