Studying Special Educational Needs at UoN: Hannah’s story
Hannah talks about her course and the experiences that she had over three years studying Special Educational Needs and Inclusion (SENI) at Northampton.
The first thing people ask when you mention that you went to university is why you chose that course or university in the first place. Open days and UCAS forms at the age of 17 can be daunting and picking the university/town/city that you’ll be spending at least three years of your life in can be a mammoth task. For me, picking my top 2 choices on UCAS was easy, because they were both Northampton. Of all the universities I visited for open days and interviews, Northampton was the university that made me feel at home, where I could see myself living, socialising and studying, all the while being well supported by the friendly and approachable Special Educational Needs and Inclusion (SENI) lecturing team. Another reason to choose Northampton was, at the time, because it was the only university in the country to run a SENI specific course (not joint with education studies or a QTS course) and even today, although there are now other courses around the country, BA(Hons) Special Educational Needs & Inclusion at Northampton offers a unique and specialised insight into all aspects of not just Special Educational Needs, but the concept of Inclusion as a whole.
Whilst on the course, I undertook a range of compulsory work-based experiences as well as voluntary and international work. For my compulsory work-based experience I considered the concept inclusion holistically and decided to shadow the work of a chiropodist, working primarily with older people with hearing needs and dementia. I completed a portfolio study on how the work of chiropody is adapted to the needs of these people. During the latter half of my first year I volunteered with the local Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) group, research that became essential for a later study on Equine Assisted Therapy which was published in ‘The Routledge Companion to Severe, Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties’ (Lacey et al, 2015). Internationally, I was fortunate enough to twice visit Romania for 5 days at a time and also spend five weeks in Hong Kong.
In Romania, I worked as part of a team to plan and deliver creative workshops in a special school, as well as visit a range of provisions of children with additional needs, including profound needs and autism.
My visit to Hong Kong was incredible and made me fall in love with that part of the world. For five weeks in August 2015 I was given the amazing opportunity to live and work in Hong Kong, working in mainstream and special schools to deliver lessons and activities as part of a social enterprise and cultural exchange summer camp. I was part of a team of seven SENI and Primary Education students, working together to provide activities but we worked individually to plan and deliver lessons to our students.
Alongside the teaching, the summer camp also allowed for social time at the weekends and evenings. This meant that we got to visit the Peak of Hong Kong, Tian Tian (Big) Buddha, Ocean Park and Stanley Market amongst others. This trip was way more than a university field trip, it was the trip of a lifetime!
My advice to prospective students at Northampton would be to embrace all the opportunities afforded to you or, alternatively, ask if they can be. Without asking, trips, experiences or knowledge may be passing you by and the lecturing team is a mine full of information just waiting to be tapped into! Embrace all parts of the experience if you can, from sports teams to being a student ambassador or working for the university (I worked as a Residential Life Assistant for two years alongside my studying). Even working for the university will give you a unique insight into other sides of it!
Now four years on from my first weeks at university, having now completed the SENI degree and a Masters degree, I wish I’d known just how quickly those years would go. People always said it but I just didn’t believe them. It really does feel like a blinked during Freshers Week 2013 and then it was July 2016 and I was graduating with a 1st Class Degree. I also wish I’d known to make the most of my summer breaks. I didn’t do anything in the summer between 1st and 2nd year (many of my course mates did camp America or similar) and looking back this was a waste, because there will be very few times in graduate life where you will have three free months! I’d also recommend living in halls so that you’re close for both studying and socialising, getting involved with all uni has to offer and remember that your friends will get you through it, you’re all in the same boat!
Your three years at university will be very much what you choose to make it, but it is also worth remembering that no two person’s university experiences will be the same. Every person adapts to university life differently,you will want different experiences and aspirations upon leaving. I believe this degree set me up for the future both academically and professionally, therefore once I graduated I completed a Masters degree in International Relations at Loughborough University (to conduct further study into international issues and their impact on the SEN field) and I am now working as a Welfare Officer at a Leicestershire Secondary school.
This degree course is unique in its content, its assessment styles (presentations, academic posters, portfolios and essays) and the experiences that it offers. If you choose to study Special Educational Needs and Inclusion at Northampton, you will be enrolling into a very unique and exciting chapter of your life.
