Schools and Education Awards 2021: Jon Jones

Graduate, Jon Jones’, has cerebral palsy, which affects his coordination and fine motor skills, but he has never let his condition hold him back.

He graduated from our Early Years Education and Practice degree last summer, proudly fulfilling his lifelong dream of working with children and currently works in a nursery.

“I have always had a passion for helping young children develop and helping them to learn through play. The BA (Hons) Early Years Education and Practice course gave me the knowledge and work experience I needed to put my degree into practice. I learnt so much during the three years and loved every minute! The course is recognised by Social Care Wales too. This means that graduates achieve Early Years Practitioner status alongside their degree.

I had the opportunity to undertake a different placement each year. These were such good experiences to see exactly how elements from my course fit into real-life education. There were challenges, of course. Behaviour management can be challenging in schools sometimes. However, the teachers were so supportive and welcoming. They understood the position I was in as they have been there themselves.

I love my job. I go to work with a smile every day. I think my dream job would be as a teacher or teaching assistant in an early year setting, but I really love working in the nursery.

My advice to anyone with a disability, who aspires to go to university, is to go for it. USW gave me the software to assist my studies and the support I received was incredible. If it is your dream, just go for it."

If you want to follow in Jon's footsteps and help to inspire and shape our future generations, find out more about BA (Hons) Early Years Education and Practice (with Early Years Practitioner status).