Reflecting on completing my T Level Course

Marram Al-Halily, aged 18, from Birmingham recently completed a T Level in Education and Childcare at Lordswood Girls School and Sixth Form. Following an industry placement at Selly Oak Nursery she has now secured a place at University College Birmingham to study primary teaching. Here, Marram discusses what it is like to be one of the first students to complete a T Level.

I always knew that I wanted to have a job where I worked with children and came across the new T Level course in Education and Childcare while I was researching my post-GCSE options. The combination of classroom learning with on-the-job training really stood out to me and I thought it would help me get the relevant experience and skills to work in the sector. The practical design of the course also worked well for me because I learn best through experience. I decided to give the T Level a go and I have not looked back since. The last two years have been challenging but it has also been exciting to be one of the first students to tread this path and my course has really helped me grow my personal and professional skills.  

I felt really supported in my first year of the course. As 80% of the course is taught in the classroom, I was nervous that I wouldn’t thrive as much here as I would in my industry placement. I couldn’t have been more wrong! My teachers were enthusiastic and passionate about the modules they taught which really brought our learning to life. My favourite topic was planning and activities as it gave me a great amount of knowledge which I then applied when I was planning activities for my placement. The staff also helped to ensure that my placement opportunity matched my interest areas and existing skills.

My industry placement was at Selly Oak Nursey in Birmingham and worked out to about 20% of my course – I loved every second of it. Teaching at Selly Oak Nursery inspired me to choose my career path as a teacher which is another huge benefit of taking a T Level. I love when you capture a child’s attention through your teaching, and learning on the job about how to do this was really fulfilling. Every student is moderated while on placement – at first I was a bit nervous but my course teacher made the whole process stress free and after a few week’s I enjoyed seeing her at the nursery watching me thrive.

The industry placement is definitely one of the best things about taking a T Level. It’s such an exciting part of the course and working at Selly Oak Nursery allowed me to experience challenges and develop new skills. I was also able to build great relationships with the staff and children which was great for references when applying to university. The placement experience also helped me with my organisational skills as I had to keep up to date with my placement log and college work. Becoming more organised has been a great skill to learn and hopefully will prove useful in any future job.

I remember how tricky it was deciding what I wanted to do when I finished my GCSEs, but I am so happy that I chose this T Level. My confidence has grown so much since my industry placement and I now know that I would love to focus on primary education and can’t wait to move forward with my training.

I am delighted to have secured a place at University College Birmingham in September studying primary teaching and the T Level course will be an amazing base of knowledge for me to build on.

If you are interested to learn more about T Levels visit the Get the Jump content hub on the National Careers Service website which brings together, in one place, all the education and training choices available to young people (including more information on T Levels). Search Get the Jump to find out more.