Studying SENI at Northampton
Chloe Williams talks about the best parts of the SENI course and the challenges that she has overcome.
The main attraction of the Special Education Needs and Inclusion course at the University of Northampton was the international opportunities and the strong focus surrounding inclusion, which cemented the decision to accept the offer.
My passion to pursue a career through Special Educational Needs was sparked whilst completing a college placement at a charity that provided 1:1 support for children in mainstream education with SENI and provided early education for children with a variety of needs.
The course constantly meets my expectations by providing interesting information covering all areas of SENI alongside opportunities to develop professional practice through placements.
Over two years of studying SENI I have visited Romania and Belgium to explore their perception of inclusion/ SENI compared to the UK, both were incredibly eye‑opening.
I had a work based learning placement in a hospital shadowing a play specialist, which gave me a prime chance to interview a professional in a setting outside my comfort zone. This greatly assisted in providing ideas for my future career path.
I am sure I can speak for many university students regarding the challenge when learning to balance university assignments, a social life and extracurricular activities; this has been my main challenge.
I personally pride myself on proactively seeking opportunities to develop my personal and professional skill set; this can be reinforced through my choice to learn British Sign Language. I was fortunate enough to get a fully funded place on this course as British Sign Language is thoroughly enjoyable to learn and can be extremely useful in a variety of work places. It is important to consider the high level of commitment that is required each week in order to complete the assessments, although this is outlined before beginning the course. I would recommend the BSL course to all students, as it a valuable skill to gain whilst at university.
Overall, the whole experience of studying SENI at the University of Northampton has gone beyond my expectations and has opened up constant educational pathways.
