Student Profile: Judith Bennion

BA (Hons) Primary Education

Graduates: 2009

Former teaching assistant and mother-of-two Judith Bennion was one of the first students to study for an Edge Hill degree at the University’s outreach learning centre in Shropshire – allowing her to fulfil her ambition of becoming a teacher without compromising her family life.

She has graduated with a BA (Hons) Primary Education.

Judith says: “I got good A-level results but decided to get married and start my family while I was still young, so I never really had a career as such. When my children started school I became a parent volunteer, and eventually a teaching assistant. The more I worked in the classroom, the more I felt I wanted to take up teaching.”

Like many mature students, Judith needed a study programme that would fit in with family life. She saw an advert for a new course at her local learning centre in Shrewsbury and went along to an open evening to find out more.

She said: “I was really impressed with the Edge Hill staff that I met there and the flexibility of the course. I didn’t have to travel a long way or relocate my family in order to complete my degree. I was able to study part-time over four years and take exactly the same programme as students in Ormskirk, without leaving Shropshire.”

Despite the distance Judith says she always felt like an Edge Hill student. “It was like your normal life carried on but for one day a week you were part of the Edge Hill student community,” she explains. “We often chatted online with staff and students taking the same course in Ormskirk so we felt as if we knew them, and it helped us feel less isolated. Seeing everyone in person at the graduation ceremony was really lovely.

“It wasn’t your typical university experience but it worked for me. It’s been hard work and I’ve had some tough times trying to study, work and spend enough time with the children but graduating made it all worth it. My family were all very proud of me, particularly my parents who thought I would never go back to education.

“It’s been a real journey for all of us but I’m so glad I did it, especially as I was lucky enough to get a job at one of my placement schools. It will feel a bit strange being the teacher, rather than supporting the teacher, but I’m really looking forward to making that step.”