My T Level journey so far : Liberty Humphries and Sydney Smith

Meet Liberty and Sydney. They’re two of the very first students in the country on the brand new Education and Childcare T Level.

Here’s how they have been getting on, four weeks into the college year.

Liberty

I always thought highly of people working in primary schools. After my work experience in a school in Year 11, I admired them even more.

My plan is to go on to university to study primary education and get my PGCE.

The T Level is a fun course.

We’ve decorated display boards, used play dough and made pasta shell necklaces to see how children interact with and learn through play.

We’re learning as well how activities like these help to assess each stage of a child’s development. You can spot the signs of a lack of progress and how to respond in this situation.

We’ve got lots coming up. We’re hoping to go on a trip to Dudley Zoo as part of our employer-set project to come up with in-depth activities and lesson plans that contribute towards a child’s development.

I would definitely recommend this T Level.

It’s a good course if you want to go into early years education or work with children.

Sydney

The first month has been a mixture of practical activities, some forward-planning for an employer-set project and everyone identifying ways to support a child using activity and behaviour plans.

I’m enjoying the course. I love all the creative, hands-on stuff.

I don’t mind revising. So, if doing some exams means a bit less coursework that’s okay with me.

I was nine when my brother was born. I loved looking after him, helping to change his nappies and push his stroller. That was probably the first big influence on my career choice.

Doing some work experience in a nursery in Year 11 also inspired me.

After coming to a college open day and looking at the early years course options, I knew I definitely wanted to come here. I like the smaller class size.

After my T Level, I will either work in a nursery or early years setting straightaway or study child psychology at university.

I’m looking forward to my placement and the new opportunities this will open up.