Thinking of studying Mathematics or English at the OU and need advice

B/G
I am 25 with 2 kids and have wanted to do a degree pretty much since my first kiddo was born when I was 19. I’ve got GCSE’s (Almost all B - A grades) across the board in Math, Eng, Science etc. I did 3 A levels in Photography, Psychology and English lit managing to get a C grade in English lit. Photography and Psychology I regret taking as they don’t have much relevance (now) to what I want to do. I look back and think if I had studied harder which I didn’t do at the time I could have gotten better grades.

So I’ve not been a student for a long time now, I have been raising my kids and working various job roles p/t and f/t now (cash office, retail, supervisor, catering etc).

I want to do a degree mainly to boost my job prospects but also for personal fulfilment. I’ve been looking at studying part time with the OU either Mathematics or Eng. I am looking at the prospect of becoming a teacher in future. I have done a distance learning course before and completed it in full (level 2 accountancy) so I know a little about what it’s like to do a distance learning course while having kids.

I have a few questions ..

If I were to study mathematics seeing as I didn’t study it at A level would it be a good idea to take an access course or study it at A level as a distance course before taking on a degree?

My strongest subject area has always been English lit at school and I know I could have gotten a better grade at A level if I had studied harder when I was younger. Does anyone have any advice on taking an Eng Lit and Lang degree?

I am thinking of becoming a teacher in future and I think (correct me if I’m wrong) that there is a higher shortage of mathematics teachers than there are of English teachers and that is why I’ve considered mathematics as a degree but also because I think I’d enjoy doing it. Has anyone here done a degree in either Maths or English with the OU?

Does anyone know what job prospects there are for OU graduates as a whole? I need to do a distance degree as I have 2 children and need the flexibility.

Can anyone advise on funding? I am planning to continue working part time but every little helps!

I wanted to ask about the experience of anybody who is studying at the OU currently or previously or who knows anybody who is or has. What is it like and did you enjoy it?

Thank you for any advice in advance ☺️