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Meet Our Early
Years Students

Natalie

Foundation Degree in Early Years

"I really like the way the Foundation Degree is structured. You get a good grounding in all the theories and concepts first, and then you start working in greater detail. The teachers are great at making everything relevant and in helping you to apply what you’re learning in your setting as you go along, so that you and your setting are able to benefit from your new knowledge and understanding straight away.

The students in my group have a range of backgrounds, which is good because it means we can all learn from each other. The teachers are incredibly experienced, but very approachable at the same time. I’ve learnt a lot from them, like how to be self-reflective and how to keep challenging myself as a practitioner. The content and the standard of the course and the assignments are definitely designed to be challenging, but it gives me confidence to know that our tutors are always there for us.

As well as studying for my Foundation Degree I work in a multi-disciplinary team for a children’s charity, and I have three children of my own. The balance can be tough, but the staff at Nescot are really mindful of that in the way that they set assignments and arrange our timetable."


Jake

Level 3 Childcare & Education

Jake’s interest in working with young children springs from spending time with four much younger cousins. Despite not being able to complete a work placement while at school (due to Covid), he researched the sector and was in no doubt a Childcare course was the right choice for him after finishing GCSEs.

“My ambition is to run my own nursery,” he explains. “To do that I need the practical experience which this course will help me develop, alongside the qualification and understanding of how children learn and legal requirements, which we learn in classroom sessions. I’ve just started the course and it is a high standard, A Level equivalent, so I have the option of going on to University. I’ve got a lot to learn but I’m already enjoying it. I think I have empathy with young children and will be good at helping them deal with unexpected challenges.

I’m the only male in our group of 20, but the whole class are very supportive and I feel included and comfortable. It doesn’t matter if I’m the only male – I think you should study what you want to do, and I enjoy working with children.

I think it’s really important for more men to get into childcare – we are role models and it is good for schools and nurseries to have a balance of sexes.”


Sharon

Foundation Degree in Early Years

"The teachers expect a lot from you, but they’re there to help you achieve it. I’ve got quite a lot of practical experience in working with children, but doing my Foundation Degree at Nescot has given me a lot more underpinning knowledge, and it’s helped me to think in more depth and more critically. It’s already given me a lot of confidence in areas like safeguarding, and what I’m learning is having an immediate impact on the children I’m working with, as well as helping to upskill my colleagues. To anyone thinking about studying at Nescot I’d say: Go for it. Studying in the department will definitely challenge you, but it will shape you into a far more developed and thoughtful practitioner."


Alan 

Foundation Degree in Early Years

 "The best thing about our course is the teachers. They’re really knowledgeable and they have so much experience, so they can always tell you about what they’ve done or seen professionally. They’re very supportive, but they always push you to do better and be a better professional, and they’re really good at getting the best out of us. The class is full of people on different career paths, and we’re encouraged to draw from each other’s experience – what someone has experienced as a nanny, for example, might be different from what a Special Needs Coordinator has experienced. I did an apprenticeship at Nescot, so I was really glad to have the opportunity to study here again. I’m doing the Foundation Degree at the moment but I’m planning to do the top-up to convert it to a full degree. I’m planning to work as a teacher in the future, and I know that this qualification will help me to get there.”


Photograph of a Nescot student

We’ve learnt a lot, from how children grow and develop to how to give them a healthy diet. My work experience as a learning support assistant has given me the chance to use what I’ve learnt, and it’s helped me to become more confident too.
Mia