A British girl has been accepted into university to study psychology – aged just 14.
Millie Smith started home education with mother Kim Smith, 33, in 2020, during the Covid pandemic.
Kim said she realised her daughter felt like she had to learn at school – rather than enjoying it – so decided to let her structure her own days.
Since then Millie, from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, has excelled – and has now been accepted by the Open University.
She will begin studying for a Bachelor of Science in Psychology – from home – in September.
Millie, who has not yet sat her GCSEs or A-levels, will go straight to a degree, which are usually begun aged 18.
It means she will be starting university at the same time as the cohort of students anxiously awaiting their A-level results, which are released tomorrow.
Kim, a home educator, said: ‘I am so proud of Millie and all she’s accomplished.
Millie Smith [pictured right], 14, with mother Kim [left], 33, who home schooled her
Millie has been accepted into the Open University to study psychology aged just 14
Millie was home schooled by her mother during the Covid pandemic
‘It’s been amazing to see her learn over the past few years and grow her independence and passion for knowledge.’
Millie said: ‘I am really excited for this amazing opportunity. I have worked really hard to get to where I need to be and now it’s paying off.
‘It goes to show that in the right environment you can achieve great things..’
Millie returned to school for a period, but after facing bullying and finding the lessons restrictive, her mother Kim pulled her out permanently four months later.
Kim says she wasn’t particularly aware of home education when Millie first dropped out of lessons.
‘To be honest I thought it was all a bit tree-hugging hippie stuff, but now I get it’s about whatever works for you,’ Kim said.
‘We were trying to work with what the school was offering in early pandemic days, but the parents just felt wholly unprepared. We were suddenly expected to be teachers with zero experience, so that’s when I started letting Millie run her own schooling.
‘The school was delighted as she was one of the only students turning in work, even if it wasn’t exactly what they asked for. But when she returned to school, it was a bit of a shock for her.
Millie’s school work can range from researching online to watching a documentary to going outside to perform experiments
‘She was dealing with bullies, which I felt the school weren’t doing nearly enough for, and after being able to structure her own learning, teachers telling her what to learn felt restrictive.
‘Millie deals with trouble reading and writing, and a teacher told her she’d have to choose one to be bad at. After all of this, knowing we could do it at home just as well, I pulled her out.’
Over the past four and a half years, Millie learnt how to structure her own working days and decide what to learn – finding a passion for science in the process.
Kim worked with her daughter on her reading and writing until she could manage by herself, but, outside of that, Kim only helps if asked.
Kim also runs a social club for local children, most of whom are home educated, where they have weekly outings so that the kids can socialise.
She said: ‘It took us a couple months to figure out how our daily life would look.
‘We realised that, once Millie felt proficient in basic reading and writing, and knew how to learn or research things from credible sources, it was better for her to decide for herself.
‘So that means if Millie wants, she can get all her work done in the morning and relax in the afternoon.
Kim said she had never previously considered home schooling
The Open University doesn’t have any age restrictions or require any GCSEs to apply
‘And work can look like anything from researching online to watching a documentary to going outside to perform experiments.
‘I started up a social club for kids in the area, both home educated and not, to organised meet ups so the kids can get as vibrant a social life as possible.’
Millie became increasingly interested in psychology over the past two years and took a free introductory course on the topic on Coursera.
From this course, her interest solidified and she applied to some local colleges offering programs for 14-16 year olds.
However, Millie found the course unorganised and unfulfilling, so decided to look at universities instead, despite the fact that but Millie didn’t have any GCSEs to apply with.
That’s when the pair came across the Open University, which doesn’t require any GCSEs or A Levels to apply and has no age restrictions.
Kim said: ‘I remember when I first came across the Open University, I almost didn’t believe it. I even called them up to check if our situation would work, and they said yes!
‘Millie had already been answering university-level science questions, so I knew she was capable.
‘As a young applicant she did have to prove she was mature enough, so we got letters of support from our local authority, from places she’s volunteered and from other kids she’s helped tutor.
Millie will complete the course module by module and will finish with a Bachelor of Science at 18
‘She had to do a questionnaire and an interview over video call, as well as an assignment where she had to explain a psychological effect in 250 words or less.
‘Millie passed all of these with flying colours- to the point where they only took a morning to read her assignment before accepting her.’
Millie now looks forward to starting her course, which she will take from home module by module until she finishes the course at 18.
Kim said: ‘It’s all super exciting. They have to take it module by module, so she’ll be assessed at the end of each module to see if she can continue.
‘But we’re not too worried about that right now. I think it will be a great experience for her.’
