These days, schools all over the country are encouraging children to 'Aim Higher' and start thinking about the possibility of higher education when they make their GCSE choices.

But Jayne Winstanley was brought up to believe she should get a job as soon as possible and pay her own way in the world, and "not be messing around at university". And she didn't think she could afford it anyway, so she left school at 16 and took up hairdressing.

Later she became a nurse but dreamed of studying medicine. At 19, Jayne started studying for A Levels to make the dream a reality. But then she got pregnant. Overnight her dream vanished and the reality of looking after her son Josh took over. Over the next few years Jayne was hit by a series of personal traumas. She was forced to confront her life and make some difficult decisions:

"I realised I only had one life and I should stop putting obstacles in my own way – there are enough obstacles in life without making your own," she says. So she completed her A Levels in chemistry and biology and became the first person in her family to go to university when she enrolled at Keele to do a degree.

Jayne admits it wasn't easy and advises anyone in a similar position to prepare carefully: "You need to decide whether to stay where you are or to move away from home. Pick your university carefully – go and visit it, and see the accommodation, whether it's on campus or somewhere more isolated. Find out what support there is – Keele had a creche and the student union had an independent adviser to help me sort things out."

Jayne thought she would be the only single parent when she arrived and felt very self-conscious. But once there she found she was accepted and there were other parents there too. They even started babysitting.

Jayne has an overdraft but confesses that's because she had such a fantastic time. "You have to budget but you can do it fine. I now have friends all over the world and a broader sense of life," she says. "It was brilliant for Josh – he loved living on campus and it has given him a well-rounded view of life too. He wants to go to university."

Jayne is training to become a teacher this year – something that didn't seem possible a few years ago. But she also knows now that it is possible to make dreams come true: "At my graduation I was floating on air.
I thought 'I've done it – and I've got a kid.' It was a great feeling and I would recommend it to anyone."