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BGU's First Foundation Year Cohort Graduate
Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) recently commemorated a significant academic milestone as it celebrated the graduation of its first Foundation Year (FdY) cohort this year. Beginning their studies in 2019, these students undertook the program that provides an academic pathway for individuals typically excluded from undergraduate programs, expanding educational access. Despite challenges posed by a shift to online learning due to COVID-19, foundation year students from a wide range of subject areas including Early Childhood Studies, Psychology, Counselling, Education Studies, English, Theology, Health & Social Care, and TESOL received their award, with many securing a first-class honours. BA(Hons) Health and Social Care graduate Pollie Simpson shared her perspective: "As a mature student in my fifties, I decided to return to education after a gap of over thirty years. My children had all left home and settled into satisfying and rewarding careers after all graduating from university and I felt it was a good time for me to change direction. "I'm incredibly proud to be graduating with a first-class honours degree and I'm excited about continuing my journey by undertaking an MSc Occupational Therapy (pre-reg) course in January. My own journey has inspired my brother to return to education, and he will be joining BGU on his foundation year this summer."Pollie on her graduation day Kerry Houghton, another graduate with a BA (Hons) in Health and Social Care echoed Pollie's sentiments: "During the Foundation Year, I was taught how to write academically, how to reference, how to think critically, and always check the source. My confidence flourished and I made wonderful friends for life. I also love the community of mature students BGU has. I graduated not just with a degree, but a first-class one! "Without the foundation year, I don't think I would have ever achieved that. CELT [BGU’s Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching] was amazing and nothing was ever too much trouble. I'm 38 now and the Foundation Year and BGU have really changed my life - I've just had an interview for a Master's degree in occupational therapy! The University helped me recognise my potential to chase the dreams I had all those years ago."Kerry celebrates graduation at the cathedral Senior Lecturer for Foundation Year Dr Adam Foxon said: "This accomplishment aligns with BGU's educational mission, reflecting the belief that every student deserves an opportunity to showcase their aptitude. These students have not only progressed professionally and academically but will continue to do so in the future. As the University's motto suggests, the spirit of sharing knowledge and accomplishments is paramount." For further insights into the exceptional journeys of BGU's Foundation Year high-achievers, read Sophie’s graduation story. For those seeking to enhance self-confidence, secure a spot in an undergraduate course, or explore the Foundation Year program, find detailed information on our website. For enquiries, kindly email admissions@bishopg.ac.uk or 01522 583658, or directly reach the Foundation Year team at Foundationyear@bishopg.ac.uk. -
British Psychological Society awards BGU student
Recent Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) graduate Sophie Wilson has received the honour of the British Psychology Society’s (BPS) Award for achieving the best overall grade. Sophie graduated along with the University's inaugural Foundation Year (FdY) cohort with first-class honours from the Psychology & Early Childhood Studies programme. The BPS prize is awarded to those students who were nominated by their institutions after achieving the highest overall score in a BPS accredited degree programme. Sophie not only receives the award, but also a gift voucher, a years' free Graduate Membership of the BPS, and a letter of congratulations from the Society's CEO. Sophie began her post-school education on an apprenticeship when she was 16 years old, quickly progressing into the world of work. From there, she decided to pursue a career in children’s social work. So in 2019, Sophie began her BGU journey, joining the University's FdY programme. This programme offers an opportunity for individuals who don't typically possess the entry requirements for undergraduate study the chance to develop their academic skills and progress on to a specialised undergraduate course here at BGU. Sophie said: "The foundation year was so important for my studies, as it provided a baseline and an understanding of how to complete a university-level degree, and how to read and reference at an academic level. "It equipped me with all the skills and tools I needed to succeed, especially after I'd had a big gap from formal education." Sophie has big plans for the future and intends to pursues a career in children’s safeguarding. If you’d like to learn more about some of BGU’s FdY success stories, click here. For those seeking to enhance self-confidence, secure a spot in an undergraduate course, or explore the Foundation Year program, find detailed information on our website. For enquiries, kindly email admissions@bishopg.ac.uk or 01522 583658, or directly reach the Foundation Year team at Foundationyear@bishopg.ac.uk. -
Academic Assurance Committee
The Academic Assurance Committee acts as an advisory group to University Council, aiding in the facilitation of Council's role in respect of Academic Assurance -
Teacher Trainee Placements - Student Blog
by Annabel Eadie -
Interview with Dr Catherine Lee
Interview with our new Visiting Professor, Catherine Lee on 10th October 2023 by Dr Helen Bushell-Thornalley. -
Routes into Teaching
We have over 160 years' experience in education and offer a variety of routes into teaching, allowing you to train in a way that best suits you. -
Accessibility: Studying with a disability, impairment, medical or mental health condition
This page is to help you navigate the support and accessibility needs you may require as a student at Bishop Grosseteste University. Use the drop-down boxes below to locate the relevant information in regards to Student Advice & Wellbeing, including useful links to the Gov.UK website. -
From Teaching Assistant to Teacher
Have you ever thought about becoming a teacher, but decided against it as you are already in employment and don't want to give that up? We have different routes available to Teaching Assistants who want to become teachers, with pathways that allow you to continue to work while you study and gain your Qualified Teacher Status. Many of our courses offer blended delivery of between four and six sessions a year on campus, with the remainder of content delivered through online sessions and independent study. Regardless of your existing qualifications, if you want to become a teacher, we can help you find your way. -
City of Lincoln's Festival of History
BGU's Professor Andrew Jackson designs content for literary trail! -
An interview with Ann Osbourne
Me at home, in a relaxed environment in a state of contentment and gratitude. SP: Thank you for making the time to talk to me this afternoon. It would be great if you could tell us a bit more about your background in equality work. AO: I got involved with equality work through my last Chambers (the offices where barristers work). We worked on opening access to the Bar through mentoring, young people probably from around 15 or 16 years old to encourage them to start thinking about careers at the Bar (i.e. becoming a Barrister) and wider careers in law with the idea that we would mentor them through A levels and university - a commitment of five years. I thought that the scheme would be an important thing to do because of my own experiences at that age group of being told what you can and can't do. I wanted to circumvent that message and say you can choose not to accept that. All the students came from inner city schools in the most deprived areas of London, were on free school meals and they would be the first in their family to go to university. I ended up mentoring a very bright young woman, who was 15 years old when I first met her. It was a pleasure seeing her development from that 15-year-old through to the confident accomplished young woman she became at 23 years old starting her first graduate job. This was a young person who had not thought of going to university until she was accepted into the scheme, let alone thinking of Oxbridge. She ended up going to Cambridge. That was a world away from anything she'd even considered. SP: Reflecting on your own experience, did you have an easy access through education? AO: My early education was without difficulty but when I was in high school, I remember being told that I was overly ambitious. It was the first time that I had odd experience in education. I thought, overly ambitious - isn't that what a 13- or 14-year-old should be? SP: What was it you wanted to do that that made them say that? AO: I said I wanted to be a Barrister. I knew that I wanted to be a barrister at age 7. When I said that I wanted to be a barrister, I suppose that that teacher said ‘you're overly ambitious’ because in her mind, I didn't seem to set the world alight. She had their own narrative about my intellect and where I should be, and in that narrative, it wasn't here. I told my parents and they said, you ‘don't let other people tell you what you can and can't do - you define yourself.’ My second and perhaps most difficult experience arose at the end of my second year of my A levels, when the head of 6th called me into her office and she said, ‘People like you don't go to University of London Colleges- how dare the likes of you apply’. She wanted me to write a withdrawal letter to UCAS, I refused. She then said ‘Well, it doesn't matter if you don't withdraw it, because with the recommended grades I've put down for you, you will never get in.’ She opened her desk drawer, pulled out a piece of paper and slung it across the desk at me and where I had been predicted a grade B, she had written D. I walked away from that in tears, and I thought ‘Well that's her opinion. I'm going to keep pressing on’. I remember her saying ‘You can't do it. People like you don't become Barristers, and even if you manage to get through, it will take you years.’ I replied, ‘People like me do become Barristers, because my father is one and he also happens to have the same skin colour that I do, so I know that people like me do make it.’ I knew that both he and his friends were examples of people like me doing it. That experience left me with a sense that if my parents hadn't told me I could make it, and if I didn't keep hearing that message at home, I would have stopped it in my tracks. How many other young people are told ‘no’ at school? ‘no’ at home and ‘no’ when they step out into the wider world? I had to develop this blind, almost crazy self-belief of I'll get there, it doesn't matter what you say, I'll get there. So that is the reason for my commitment to mentoring these young people. If you can't see it, how do you do it? Seeing someone like me walking into that school and saying ‘Well, here I am’ it helps to challenge those assumptions. Some minority children, who they may not immediately scream ‘genius’ but given the right tools and right opportunity, suddenly they blossom and given a bit of direction can achieve amazing things. They're not even given that opportunity. So, all those things force me to continue that process of mentoring, young women coming through the legal professional, mentoring Black female students. Going into schools so they can see we exist, we are here, and we are here in increasing number. SP: You've talked about your home life as a significant influence. Who else would you identify as inspirational figure? Who else has inspired you to think there is no ceiling to my abilities. AO: I've had two amazing parents. So, my mother who as a young woman was an incredibly feisty character – ‘Don't tell her no;’ she was not going to be dissuaded from doing the things that she set her mind to, and she did not have the benefit of a continuous education. She grew up in a fee-paying system during colonialism and she to wait and to go to secondary school after her older sister. She always wanted to get a degree but selflessly she supported first her husband and then her children with their education and careers taking the back seat. And amongst all of that, the constant refrain from her was ‘don't let other people tell you no, don't let other people tell you that you can't do it.’ And she would only get cross if she thought you let someone else tell you what you could do. She did get her degree and became a lay reader, the first woman to be made a lay reader and was subsequently ordained as a Deacon at the cathedral church in Antigua and then at 65 to be priested (i.e. ordained as a Priest) in the Church of England. That wasn't her plan, but the opportunity came, and she took it. I have great admiration for her. So, I try to say ‘yes’ to things because you never know where it can lead. Those are my key role models. SP: Your mother clearly achieved several academic and professional goals and the thing that seems to be the persistent thread is this idea of integrity, endeavour, and idea of excellence. How have those ideas affected your value set? AO: For me, when I put myself in the position of doing something I either don't do it because I know I can't do it (and I'll have the humility to say I can't) or I put my soul into it because I think part of the integrity is knowing a what your limits are, but also recognising if someone has entrusted you to do something, do it to the very best of your ability. SP: So how did effectiveness integrity impact on you? AO: While it created a certain fuel to keep striving forward it gave me a larger sense of imposter syndrome and when I finally got to that point, I wondered ‘Do I really belong here? Could I really do those things? Am I a bit deluded?.’ That can be so crippling, and I had to pull back to that point of the girl with that blind self-belief. I needed to be that person again. So, the challenge now is, how far can I go? Because I know that there are others who come behind me and they need to believe they can do it too. SP: Thank you for taking the time to talk to me today and to share your thoughts and insights. I am sure we will be in touch again.
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