From AS Levels to a BSc - a story of success

Previous qualifications and prior experience

Kerry had 4 AS levels and 5 GCSEs. Her role as a PSCO involved working with the community, gathering intelligence and conducting school visits on her designated ward.

In her application Kerry was very clear about her desire to learn. She discussed the London riots and reflected on her reasons for wanting to gain a deeper understanding of her role as a PSCO. There was evidence of learning and reflective practice in her application and clear detail of the knowledge she had around police powers and working with the community. Kerry used a range of different sources to demonstrate her abilities in problem solving and conducting analysis to inform strategy. Kerry’s desire to increase her learning via academic study was clear and she discussed specific examples highlighting the need for further research and evidence to inform decisions.

The reflective learning Kerry demonstrated in her portfolio (completed once she began the programme) based on her previous experience allowed Kerry to receive 180 credits for her professional learning. This allowed Kerry to enter what would be a 6-year part time programme at the half waypoint, she completed a part-time BSc (Hons) degree in policing in three years. The portfolio involved Kerry documenting an area of police work and discussing where certain academic inputs and theories she had learnt could be used to explore that police practice.

Outcomes

Kerry graduated in 2015. She was awarded the School award for the best dissertation and she is now considering completing an MSc programme on the issues she covered for her dissertation – female involvement in counter terrorism. Kerry has visited two forces to present her findings and has presented within her own force on these issues. Kerry is now a member of police staff in the Metropolitan Police Service.