A MOTHER-OF-FOUR who returned to education after a 20-year break is now heading for a career in the classroom herself.

Pauline Dixon, from Moorside, near Consett, returned to her studies three months ago at the age of 41.

After passing the National Tests for Numeracy up to Level Two, she had now been accepted onto a Skills for Life course to train as a teaching assistant with West Derwentside SureStart, where her youngest child uses the creche.

Ms Dixon sat her tests online at The Phoenix Centre at Moorside Community Technology College, using Derwentside Training's mobile testing centre - which meant her results were available within two minutes of finishing the test.

She said: "It has been more than 20 years since I last studied for anything and the literacy and numeracy courses have helped to refresh what I learned in my school days, as well as teach me some things which were new.

"Some of the maths looked like Greek to me."

She added: "It would be nice to be able to use these skills both at home, with my own children, and to get a job in a nearby school."

Ms Dixon also passed a landmark test for Derwentside Training, the 500th by its trainees.