ROMANY gypsy Kathleen McCann has become the first person in her family to gain GCSE qualifications and get into college.

Kathleen, who lives in Boscombe, has just started her second year at Bournemouth and Poole College studying health and social care with dreams of one day being a full time carer for elderly people.

While this 17-year-old girl is clearly on track to make her dream a reality - having already got a job working as a housekeeping assistant at a nursing home in Poole - just a few years ago she was close to being thrown out of school for good.

"I was getting into trouble at school," said Kathleen, who attended Avonbourne School.

"I had a bad attitude and very poor behaviour to some of the staff and was on my last warning after being excluded a couple of times already.

"But then when I was in Year 10 everything changed when the school arranged for me to have one to one sessions with the chair of governors Sarah Manners."

Mrs Manners has recently been recognised for her work to ensure every child has the chance to succeed with a new learning resource centre at the school in Harewood Avenue named in her honour.

"She just took it upon herself to do everything in her power to help me," added Kathleen.

"I have dyslexia and at the time thought that the teachers at school were against me.

"My upbringing was also very different to the other kids at school because my mum's side of the family are travellers.

"It's a very different life, not worse or better, but I struggled to find a balance between the two especially as I had to miss school sometimes because of Romany holidays.

"But Mrs Manners was just always there for me and always did her best to understand.

"I know that without her I wouldn't have finished school and now I am the first one in my family to get some GCSEs and go to college.

"None of my mum's family can read or write so they are all so proud of me as is my dad and step-mum."

Kathleen is currently studying for her next set of exams and is determined to start getting work experience as a care assistant.

"I really love my course and can't wait to finally get a job in my dream career," she said.