Following her passion for supporting children with dyslexia, Polly has gone from nursery practitioner to a first-class graduate and teacher trainee.
Polly never thought that she could go to university. But with a passion for wanting to help children with SEN, she embarked on her academic journey and is now progressing to a postgraduate degree.
Read her story here.
A passion for supporting the next generation
"Before coming to university, I worked in a nursery for five years after studying childcare at college. I worked with children with SEN and wanted to expand my knowledge on how to best offer support.
"I have dyslexia and wanted to learn more about this and how I could support children going through similar experiences to myself in school."
"I saw that CCCU offered an array of Education courses, with one particularly focusing on SEN and Inclusion Studies, which was perfect for me.
"When I came for an Open Day at Canterbury I fell in love with the campus – I loved that it was so close to the city and the freedom this would give me."
Having the support to succeed
"Studying at Canterbury Christ Church University has been amazing - my course tutors were supportive, not only with essays but preparing for the future as well. I really enjoyed learning something new and being able to carry out my own research as part of my dissertation.
"Due to my dyslexia, at times I struggled with proof-reading my work and reading the journals. But I was supported by the University’s disability team, who provided a dyslexia tutor and technology that read books to me.
"Without this, I don't think I could've achieved the grades that I did achieve. With this support, so many barriers were knocked down and I could access the education easily.
"I've also really enjoyed being part of the School and College Engagement team as a student ambassador and being able to support the next generation of children to learn about higher education.
"Not only was this role paid, but I worked with a fantastic team of staff and students to help support children in schools, which is ultimately why I chose to study this degree."
Progressing to postgrad
"My next step is teacher training at an SEN school. I never thought I would be able to be a teacher because of my dyslexia. But I have much more confidence now and feel I have control of my future.
"Thanks to the support and guidance given to me by the University, I've already achieved so much. Continuing on to a postgraduate course was never an option before I became a part of CCCU.
"Now I have the passion and the knowledge to support children with special educational needs thanks to the help from CCCU."