Kirsty Rusdale

BA Early Years Education with QTS, 2008 graduate

'I looked around at other courses, but I could qualify here in three years rather than doing four, so that made a big financial difference. I live locally so I stayed at home and travelled in.

'The main thing about the course that stood out for me was the range of placements. In my first and second year the placements focused on certain areas such as literacy, numeracy, ICT and special educational needs.

'Everyone comes in with different levels of experience, so this helped us get used to being in schools and work together well in different teams. The placements increase through the course, so it gently leads you into being that person and the teacher you want to be. If we had been teaching on our own straight away I felt it would have been too much.

'At first I struggled with my academic writing. I went to student services for some guidance. That brought home a few things that I was doing such as using clauses in the wrong place, and my sentence construction. I took an assignment that I hadn’t done so well on and we looked through it, focusing on what I could do better in future. This really helped.

'I like the fact that Sheffield is a lively city. There's a lot going on for people who like the busy or the quiet lifestyle. I've always felt comfortable, safe and welcome.

'The staff were brilliant. Everyone I know who has studied here has been happy with the support.

'The resources are amazing for practical sessions. They get everything out, and you are like the six or seven year old kids playing with stuff! As silly as it seems you learn more by doing this and relating it to the theory. It's a big eye opener I think.

'It's a really friendly, supportive environment. I loved it.'