Name: Simon Rogers
Hometown: Truro
Course: FdA Teaching and Learning and BA (Hons) Education and Training
Next Steps: Primary School Teacher
My Story
A lifelong ambition to become a teacher became possible for Simon once he realised he could complete his teacher training in Cornwall with the University Centre Truro and Penwith.
Simon explained: “[Teaching has] always been in the back of my mind. I’ve done all sorts of work with children over the years. I’ve been a fencing coach since I was 15, and I’ve always wanted to do teaching. I was on the governing board at my children’s school, and after assisting on a residential trip, it just clicked—this is what I want to do.
“I started researching how I would be able to progress. I did go to uni initially with what I thought I wanted to do for my career; it was a long time ago. It ended up not being what I wanted to do. It wasn’t until this point in my life that I found the FdA here, and I had a conversation with my wife about being able to do it. That was nearly three years ago now.”
Simon enrolled on the FdA Teaching and Learning at the University Centre Truro and Penwith and later progressed to the BA (Hons) Education and Training. For him, the flexibility and local access were essential: “it wasn’t an option to leave Cornwall. I am married with two children. I didn’t have the option of just uprooting my entire family. So having the ability to study incredibly locally, because I live 20 minutes down the road and progress much further than I ever thought I would, is fantastic.”
During the FdA, Simon was required to undertake placement hours, plan and deliver lessons, and complete a mini research project. “That project gave me such a solid foundation for my dissertation this year,” he says.
“My favourite part of the course so far has been the knowledge from the tutors enabling me to plan and use elements from the course within the actual classroom.”
Simon’s journey hasn’t been without challenges. Midway through his studies, he was diagnosed with dyslexia—something that had gone unnoticed for years.
“Student support was amazing. They helped me go through the screening process, and I now have a DSA in place. It’s made a huge difference, especially going into teacher training.”
He also credits the University Centre’s Careers Support Advisor, Louise, for helping him secure his next steps for teacher training. “Louise supported me through the entire application process. Her advice on my personal statement and professional tone was incredibly useful.”
Outside of his studies, Simon is a fencing coach and also competed as part of Team GB: “I’ve been coaching since I was about 15. I’ve coached all sorts of standards. I’m ex-Team GB myself, between the ages of 13 and 21. I didn’t go to the Olympics, but I was all round Europe.”
Simon’s advice for mature learners is to “Be prepared for the workload and make sure you’ve got a good support network around you. It’s doable—but you have to really want it.
“The foundation degree was absolutely fantastic. It meant that I had much more of an understanding of the job I was doing at the time as a teaching assistant. And it gave me a wider understanding of what teachers are expected to do. And that almost affirmed what I wanted to do.”
Now accepted onto a teacher training programme, Simon is well on his way to becoming a qualified primary school teacher—a dream that’s been years in the making.
