Lyndsay delivers again

Determined student Lyndsay Potts was adamant she was going to pass her end of year exams – and not even starting labour was going stop her!

It was a double celebration for The Manchester College student and mum of seven who celebrated the birth of her daughter Poppy Delia Rose Hassettt along with a grade 6 pass in GCSE English, and passes in Level 2 Social Sciences and Humanities and Functional Skills maths.

Lyndsay, 30, from Ashton, now plans to study Level 3 Diploma in Humanities at The Manchester College and ultimately aims to become a history teacher. For now, she has her hands full with study, looking after nine week old Poppy, and her six other children who are all aged from one and a half to nine years old.

She said: “It was a week before my exams, at 35 weeks pregnant, when I started with slow labour so I was having a lot of contractions and was having to walk around the classroom for relief.

“But I was determined to sit my exams and managed to take them with the rest of my class. Luckily, two days after my final exams, I was admitted into hospital and Poppy was born on June 19.”

Lyndsay is full of praise for The Manchester College and her tutors who provided as much support inside the classroom as outside.

She said: “I’d attended a different college before and didn’t get half as much support as they’ve given me here. They helped me with my studies and any missed lessons, and gave our class extra homework when we asked for it.

“I’m planning on studying my Level 3 Diploma in Humanities from September and I want to be graduating from university in five years before becoming a history teacher.”

English tutor Nicky Smith said The Manchester College supported Lyndsay throughout her pregnancy to ensure she was able to manage her workload and never miss out on any learning.

She said: “When Lyndsay said she was in slow labour during her exam, I think the exam invigilator was more nervous than her! But she has done brilliantly and we are so proud of her.

“The effort that Lyndsay and the rest of her class have put into their studies is amazing. They’ve formed their own study group that meet in the library, and they’ve been supporting each other throughout the course.”  

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