Sonia Brownsett’s journey after completing her GCSEs at Primet has taken her to the an international boarding school in Norway, to the University of St Andrew’s at the same time as Prince William, to a degree in Speech and Language Therapy before a 20 year career researching the neuroscience of language. 

Sonia, a former Lord Street Primary pupil, earned a scholarship to the Red Cross United World College international boarding school in Norway after leaving Primet. Here she learnt to ski, scuba dive and kayak and made life-long friends from around the world. After returning to the UK, she began studying History and Anthropology at St Andrew’s University before switching to a course in Speech and Language Therapy at Newcastle University.  

After graduating, Sonia worked in London as a speech therapist before starting a PhD at Imperial College in Neuroscience. She has since spent almost 20 years working in universities doing research into the neuroscience of language. Sonia works with people who have had a stroke, epilepsy and brain cancer.  

She said: “I’m now living in Brisbane in Australia and leading a team in the Australian government that looks at the evidence of therapies, from speech therapy to psychology.

“I loved my time at Primet, especially the netball games and after-school sports, Young Enterprise and Whitehough Outdoor Camp in Year 7. Primet taught me how to learn independently, to take responsibility for my learning and to take opportunities that were offered. Growing up in Pendle, and going to school at Primet, made me a lot more aware of how disadvantage can impact a child’s access to education beyond school. 

“If I was to give some advice to current student, it would be to work hard, get the grades that you are capable of getting so that you have more choices about what you want to do next. Go and live in other countries if you get the chance. Ask for help - there are lots of organisations and individuals that really want to support you to achieve and access opportunities.”