Lauren choosing university after completing Access course

Nursery nurse Lauren Gill is weighing up five offers of university places after completing an Access to Higher Education course at Bishop Auckland College.

The mother-of-three returned to learning last September after more than a decade once her children, aged three, six and nine were all in full-time education.

And as she approaches the end of her Level 3 course, Lauren is now planning her dream move to university, with offers including Durham University and York St John University.

The 33-year-old, from Low Etherley, Bishop Auckland, had always wanted to develop her career and it was the one-year fast-track course at BAC that is setting her on her way.

Lauren left Staindrop School with 11 GCSEs and initially went to sixth form. Leaving after a year, she came to BAC and completed a full-time Level 3 course in Childcare and Education.

This included a work placement at Buddies Nursery in Bishop Auckland, which led to Lauren’s first job as a nursery nurse.

After five years there she moved to another nursery in Staindrop, now sadly closed, and worked there for over six years.

With her children now all at school, Lauren felt the time was right and returned to the college last September, enrolling onto the Access to Higher Education course.

She said: “I love this course because the people, the discussions and debates are really interesting and all of the tutors are really understanding and give you lots of support.

“Whilst the course is not easy, I find that I am doing it for me now and therefore I make time for it. I would really recommend the ‘Access’ course for anyone like me who always want to develop their skills further and study higher.”

Lauren said she has had five offers from universities including York St John and Durham: “I attended an open day at Durham last week and really enjoyed it; the degree course in educational studies felt right.

“Although I am yet to make my final decision, I can’t believe that under a year this course has enabled me to achieve my goal of finally going to university.”

Thinking about getting back into education?

Would you like to do an Access course but you aren’t sure if you’re ready? If you would like to prepare yourself for study but would prefer a taster before you commit to a full year our Pre-Access course could be perfect for you.

The eight-week course runs on Friday mornings from 9.15am to 11.45am from April 19 until June 21. You can get to know your tutors and familiarise yourself with some of the subjects including sociology, psychology and biology and study skills for Access to HE.

The cost of the course is £100. Find out more and apply here: https://bacoll.ac.uk/Courses/BACP4653-23A