Student, 71, eyes GCSE after passing maths course

A 71-year-old woman said that "age should not stop you learning" after deciding to go to college and achieve her first ever qualification.

Kin Alderson, a former care worker from Ipswich, missed out on an education when she was younger.

She enrolled on a free maths functional skills course at Suffolk New College and is now considering doing a maths GCSE after passing the year-long programme.

"When I found out I'd passed I thought that someone had made a mistake," she said.

"My message to others is that education is always there - age is giving people a barrier, but it should not stop you learning. So, enjoy the ride and take the plunge."

According to UCAS, nearly 40% of UK undergraduates are mature students (aged 21 and over).

And according to the Higher Education Statistics Agency, more than 244,000 mature students were enrolled in UK universities in 2021-22.

While Alderson is not an undergraduate, like university, she said her experience at college gave her the opportunity to meet people from all different walks of life.

"When you come into the building it is like a big social gathering – it's like a society, she said."

"I think without the college, people will be lost as there is nowhere for them to improve themselves."

Alderson's teacher, Kristian Sanderson, said there was "no age barrier to learning".

"It's a great achievement for Kin," he added.

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