Nacton great-grandmother gets grade 8 in GCSE English

A 74-year-old great-grandmother said it was never too late to learn new things after passing her GCSE English language exam.

Anne Blowers, of Nacton near Ipswich, Suffolk, sat her O-levels in 1965 and had worked in the family's lorry park restaurant business until 2016.

Now a learning support practitioner at Suffolk New College, she sat the exam this summer, achieving a grade eight.

"Every day's a school day and we're always learning," she said.

Mrs Blowers, who was widowed in 2014, said she had been one project away from gaining a master's degree in art and design in the past, but "life had got in the way" and she helped with the family business.

She wanted to return to work after spending time at home alone through the Covid lockdowns, and was then keen to refresh her qualifications.

"Teaching methods and the curriculum have changed so much that if I'm supporting in the classroom I need to have those skills," said Ms Blowers.

"I absolutely loved it because I'm a creative person. I loved the creativity, loved being able to express yourself and I loved getting that out to the students I support too."

The mother-of-five, who has four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, said she had worked in education "on and off since I was 18", alongside her work in the family business.

This included 25 years as a lab technician.

"I have skills and I do enjoy working with young people particularly, I really do," she added.

"When we had the lorry park I employed a lot of young people and it was great to see them blossom and move on to other things."

Mrs Blowers is now hoping to eventually complete a master's degree.

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