Laura Bean

At 41, with five children, including four with disabilities, Laura Bean from Canterbury (pictured) left school at 16. She worked in various roles within the property and recruitment sectors, as well as attending college in her 20s, before initially signing-up for some free legal courses.

Laura said: “It was to see if I could manage learning something without detriment to my parenting quality and time; my studying has always had to be something that takes second place. When I started the full OU degree, I had four children under four. As they have grown and their needs have changed, I have had to adapt when and how I study.”

Two major incidents threatened to derail her OU studies. Laura, who has her own disabilities, said: “One was during the first year when my five children and I had to live with friends for a few months while I arranged a new home. I had a box with all my study materials that came out through the night when the children were sleeping.

“And, in my second year, my mum was diagnosed with lung cancer. During my final year, an operation to remove the cancer went wrong and she was in a coma for six weeks. I had to travel to London from Kent most days to be with her. During this time, I studied on the train there and back, enabling up to three hours’ study time.

“The OU were very supportive; my tutors, and all staff I encountered, were friendly, knowledgeable and very professional. My main support was my specialist mentor arranged through the OU and we met virtually on a weekly basis for the three years.

“There were many opportunities to engage with other students and tutors despite being ‘distance learning’. Results days were always a highlight, not just to know the grade, but to receive the feedback as a both a confidence boost and a tool for the next assignment. The graduation was amazing and I believe a very important part of the process.

“The flexibility of the OU, being able to pick up where you left off, track your progress, and vast choice of tutorials were all great tools to help overcome my fear of lack of focus. I lacked confidence in my own ability and was genuinely so surprised with my grades every time.”

Laura is now studying for a Master of Laws (LLM) with the University of Law, in the field of Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain Technology, and has been awarded a Lord (David) Blunkett Widening Access Scholarship to cover some of the tuition fees.

She added: “Don’t let anyone, or anything, stand in the way of you bettering yourself. Becoming a mother is my proudest achievement but gaining a first-class honours law degree with very minimal sleep is a close second! It has given me a wealth of knowledge which I hope will benefit my children and other people in my life.”