College Corporation

I recently joined Wyke Sixth Form College Corporation and am proud to have been appointed as Chair of the Corporation when John Wilson recently retired from the role. I have many years of experience contributing to boards, within the commercial sphere, education and professional regulation. My varied roles with the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants have kept me close to developments in the education sector within the UK and across the world.

I grew up and was educated in Hull and now am privileged to work locally and internationally through my paid and unpaid roles at the Willerby Group, the Chartered association of Certified accounts  (ACCA), the Consultative committee of accountancy bodies UK (CCAB) and Hull Truck Theatre.

My family background is steeped in shipping and I am the first professional in the family, due entirely to the impact that access to good education has had on my life. My career has taken me to  many places whilst working for a variety of organisations, but the Hull area  is where my heart lies.

I am committed to playing my part in the  community of Hull, I know that Wyke Sixth Form College is a shining light within the education sector of the city and East Riding and I am incredibly  proud to be a part of their journey. The idea of education opening the door  to social mobility really resonates with me and is something desperately needed within the Hull area. Furthermore, the fact that the college takes students from a broad geographical area means that the impact and leadership role that the college plays in the area is even greater.

My role at Willerby Group  means that I have responsibility for Company secretarial matters, Finance, IT and People. I represent ACCA on the CCAB board (Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies UK). I regularly communicate with a broad range of stakeholders and regularly join roundtable discussions with government  departments, regulators, researchers and other professional bodies for lobbying and research purposes.

I'm married with two grown up children who both attended school and 6^th form in the Hull area. I love spending time outdoors, whether that's walking with our three dogs or riding a horse or a bike.

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I am a local business owner that employs 52 people. My company, Weldtite is a leading manufacturer, importer and exporter products in the green transport sector. Customers include Decathlon and Halfords as well as some leading supermarkets.

I originate from the area and am an apprentice trained engineer by background. I previously worked and travelled worldwide in various sectors such as construction, engineering and technology.

I bring to the Wyke Corporation a broad base of business oriented skills, as well as a passion for developing excellence in education for the benefit of local students. My daughter attended Wyke and my nephew is a current student.

I am  privileged to be part of our amazing college. Wyke Sixth Form College offers  exceptional sixth form education for the young people of Hull, East Yorkshire  and North Lincolnshire. We ensure that our young people develop the skills,  the character and the confidence to go on to be leaders of our community. Our  students achieve at least as well, if not better, than at any other sixth  form provider in the country. This means that they progress on to the most  aspirational destinations with 51 students moving on to medical courses and 33  students to Oxford and Cambridge over the last four years.

The College  offers a true ‘sixth form’ experience with high quality specialist teaching,  a university style campus and a culture that fosters independence and  encourages students to take ownership of their learning and development. We  believe that our young people do best when supported to make their own  decisions. We challenge our students to achieve better than they thought they  were capable of but we also provide the guidance and support to ensure this  becomes a reality.  

The future of  the college is bright, we have increasing numbers of students wanting to  study with us and we are investing to develop our estate to provide best in  class facilities for academic education.

My career has  seen me study Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford University before  working at a range of colleges across the country as a teacher of philosophy  and a leader of academic education. My mum is from Hull and it gives me great  pleasure to contribute to great education for young people. At Wyke, we  aspire to be a cornerstone of educational excellence in Hull and the Humber  region and I contribute and lead a range of collaborative groups that serve  the local area. I have four children aged 13 and under so I am never  struggling to find something to do!

I do hope you  find the college to be the inspiring a supportive place we aspire to be.  Please do get in touch if you have any feedback or any questions I might be  able to help with.

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I have been a member of the Corporation for over thirty years, having been Chair of the Corporation for thirty-two years. I remain as a member, Chairing the Search & Governance Committee.

I graduated from Birmingham University with a degree in Chemical Engineering.  I worked for Pennwalt Ltd in Camberley, Surrey doing test work on centrifuges before working for UKF Fertilisers Ltd in Ellesmere Port, first in the Technological Department and later in production on the ammonia and ammonium nitrate plants.

I then moved to Hull to work for BP Chemicals, where I worked in production jobs in utilities, and then on the plasticiser plants and the phthalic an hydride plant.  I then became the environment advisor for the site.

I have lectured for over 10 years on certificate and diploma level environmental management courses at the University of Hull.

After retirement from BP, I started my own business as an environmental consultant but have now converted the enterprise into a small property management company.

I am an experienced and versatile  educationalist skilled in leadership and management, safeguarding, teaching,  and training.

My 38-year career in 11-18  secondary schools started in Peterborough and continued in Essex, the East  Riding of Yorkshire, and finally Birmingham. I progressed through leadership  positions in Science to the roles of Director of Studies then Senior Teacher  for the Technical and Vocational Education Initiative.  These roles involved me in curriculum  development and responsibility for the development of innovative links with a  Special School.

I have spent 25 years in senior  leadership, including headship. My responsibilities have encompassed  curriculum and timetable, pastoral care, staff development, school budget,  premises, and inclusion. It has also included school leadership through a  variety of challenging circumstances including recruitment, personnel  management, finance, monitoring and evaluation, premises management  (including fire and flooding), and safeguarding.

I am experienced in scientific  research, completing my MSc thesis by examining plant communities in Ancient  Woodland. This was followed by developing new techniques for use in teaching  Biology at Advanced Level. My Doctoral thesis examined policy and practice in  the use of Value-Added in education. This led to regular presentations and  training seminars linked with the CEM Centre (Durham University), the  Secondary Schools and Academies Trust, and individual schools.

I was an Inspector for Ofsted for  six years and have inspected many 11-18 schools in the North East. I was a  lead inspector for Independent School inspections. At the same time, I was a  freelance consultant and trainer offering support to schools particularly in  relation to safeguarding, curriculum development, raising achievement,  behaviour management and preparing for inspection.

Outside of education I am Secretary  of my local Parochial Church Council and a member of the Deanery Leadership  Team. I am a keen gardener and have opened my garden for the National Garden  Scheme for the past five years.

I have been a member of the  Corporation at Wyke Sixth Form College since December 2021.

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I have worked at the University of Hull since January 2019 and as CFO is currently responsible for group finance, financial operations, business partnering, enterprise accounting, and procurement in addition to holding responsibility for strategy, planning, business intelligence and the University’s commercial services and commercial relationships.

I also hold numerous board positions including co-chair of the Sustainability Board. 

Prior to working at the University of Hull, I worked in a number of businesses, in different sectors and has over 5 years international experience in the emerging markets; specialising for the last 18 years working in turnaround businesses.

I am excited  to be a part of the Wyke Corporation, with my organisational skills, people  management and business acumen, I believe that I will be able to add great value to the Corporation Team.  

I have many  years of experience relating to business management at all levels of leadership  roles such as Deputising, Business Management, General Management, Project Management, Well-being Management roles and mentoring. During this tenure I  have gained extensive knowledge and experience in many areas such as HR,  Business Planning and Finance, Scheduling, Recruitment, Training and  Development, Health and Safety, Food Safety, dealing with External Visitors  and Local Authorities.

I have always  had a passion for people and their development and have worked alongside young people throughout my 20-year leadership tenure in retail, continuously  developing strategies to continue the successes of people development.

My most  recent position before Wyke, was a Wellbeing Manager which ignited a desire  to continue to work closely, setting foundations and navigating transitional  times, with my teams, at different and often difficult stages in their lives.  I joined Wyke to develop the skills I have acquired over many years in the hospitality and retail industry further. I was interested in joining the  education sector, supporting young adults in the most important years of  their lives, and setting excellent foundations for their futures in their  formative years. This led me to my new role as the Head of Careers and Skills  at Wyke. As part of my new role, I am actively passionate about linking local employers and creating opportunities for students to experience real life projects and workplace experiences and building on the employability skills of our aspirational future workforce.

My education background includes completing my BA (Hons) English Literature and American Studies at York St John University. My course gave me an opportunity to study American Politics and American studies over two terms at Union College New York.

Out of work I enjoy spending time  with my Husband (a very keen golfer) and my larger-than-life Great Dane Woody. We enjoy spending time with family and friends, travelling and  attending live music events.

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I am an Ordinary Member of the Corporation at Wyke Sixth Form College, having originally joined as a Parent Member whilst my son was a student.  I work full time as an ICT Strategic Solutions Analyst with East Riding Council and have many other interests. I enjoy networking, the gym, swimming, travelling, and hiking. I also enjoy camping and holidays abroad and coming from Mauritius, am a fluent French speaker and writer. I am always keen to empower people to become independent learners and am passionate about self-development and constantly look at ways to contribute my thoughts and ideas to improve things.

I also volunteer with Beverley Barracudas Swimming Club as a Swimming Judge Level 1 officiating at swimming galas countywide and at Hull Vineyard Kids Church once a month as a helper in the 8-11 group. I support Kingston Upon Hull Hockey Club where my son plays hockey and have travelled the country to support his development in both swimming and hockey I believe I am very organised, independent, enthusiastic, and a problem solver, very often thinking out of the box solutions and adapting to the environment in which I find myself.

In one sentence, I love trying new skills, discover hidden places and enjoy any cuisine.

I am a versatile professional with over 15 years of proven track record in Finance, Internal Audit and Compliance leadership roles.

My areas of expertise include Corporate Governance, Risk-based Internal Audits, Treasury Management, Financial Accounting & Administration and Risk Management.

I am a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA).

I earned a Distinction in my Master's degree in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science from the University of Hull and have a Master's degree in Diplomacy & Strategic Studies from the University of Lagos, Nigeria.

I am passionate about youth development and participate in youth mentorship programs. I love the uniqueness of Wyke Sixth Form College in providing a one-of-a-kind experience to students leading them to becoming ready for the world.

I became an independent external member of Wyke College Corporation in November 2021.

I have worked in the higher education sector for more than 20 years, mainly in teaching and research positions. What drove me to join the Corporation is Wyke’s commitment to  “academic excellence” and career opportunities for young people in Hull, East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire.

I was fortunate to witness extremely bold, innovative and aspirational student-centred learning and  assessment events organised by Wyke which convinced me that the college is genuinely committed to setting students on the path to achieving the  outstanding educational and career outcomes.

I am keen to bring my skills and experience to policy and decision-making processes in areas that would influence, and ensure, that young people of this region benefit from the best educational outcomes, which is the reason I am serving on the Corporation.

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I became an independent external  member of Wyke College Corporation in November 2021.

I have worked in the higher  education sector for more than 20 years, mainly in teaching and research positions. What drove me to join the Corporation is Wyke’s commitment to “academic excellence” and career opportunities for young people in Hull, East  Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire.

I was fortunate to witness extremely bold, innovative and aspirational student-centred learning and assessment events organised by Wyke which convinced me that the college is genuinely committed to setting students on the path to achieving the outstanding educational and career outcomes.

I am keen to bring my skills and  experience to policy and decision-making processes in areas that would  influence, and ensure, that young people of this region benefit from the best educational outcomes, which is the reason I am serving on the Corporation.

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It gives me great pleasure being part of the Wyke Sixth Form College Corporation and playing apart in ensuring all the young people at Wyke make good progress and achieve positive outcomes which support them onto further study, and employment.

I currently work for Hull City Council in the position of Head of the Virtual School. In this role I have a duty to ensure that all our Children Looked After are in education and learning, working closely with all schools and colleges both locally and nationally. I am passionate about supporting this group of young people to help ensure they have successful and healthy futures.

Prior to undertaking my current role, I have worked in the Further Education sector as part of senior leadership teams over the past 30years. I have also worked in a consultant capacity supporting schools and colleges city wide to develop and implement quality assurance processes within multi agency delivery partnerships.

As a headteacher I also participate in a regional network as well as providing feedback to the DfE on policy development for the education of Children Looked After and Previously Looked After. A key part of my work is to collaborate with a wide range of professionals, especially social care, to help ensure full engagement and attendance in school. I have experience of working closely with Special Education Need teams both in the City and across the country as many of our young people require additional support and interventions to best meet their learning needs.

Outside of work I ama keen golfer (very average!) and enjoy playing in my spare time with my sonand friends. My other passion is my Cockerpoo Mickey who enjoys long walks withhis ball!

I am in my 4th year of working  at Wyke and my current roles include being Deputy Head of PE and Sport and a  cross-college role of TLA: Digital Lead, and have recently joined the  Corporation as a Staff Member.

Prior to Wyke, I worked at a  General Further Education College as a Sports Development Officer. I started  my teaching career at Wyke as an ECT and during the last 4 years have built  exceptional relations with my Colleagues which I believe will enable me to  add real value to this Corporation role.

I am extremely passionate about TLA  and developing people so that our young students experience the very best in  our curriculum delivery, providing them with supported challenge through  every step of their journey with us.  I am proud to be a part of an  Outstanding team providing our young people with all of the opportunities to  be successful in their next steps.

In my spare time, I play football  for Bridlington Town and enjoy spending time with my partner, our  2-year-old son and our German Shepherd Dog. 

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I have a BA Honors degree in Home Economics and a PGCE in Secondary Education and I was a teacher of 11-18year olds, teaching Home Economics, Food Technology, Textiles and GNVQ Health and Social Care.

I then had a complete career change to join the family furniture removals business. I'd been helping out during school holidays and the overseas side was expanding, so I joined the company to develop the International side. My father subsequently retired, so I became MD, until we sold the business, as I had started a family. I returned to teaching for a short while. However, with 3 children under 5, the work/life balance wasn't right, so I had a career break to look after my young family, before returning to secondary school, but this time as a Food Technician. I have always had a passion for education and learning.

Whilst running the family removals business, I was very involved with The Mover’s Institute (TMI), which is the training body of the National Removals Association. In 2004, I was invited to be the Chairman of TMI and led a group on a Study Tour to South Africa, as part of this. So I understand and appreciate how much time, effort and work go into the fantastic trips Wyke offers the students!

I became a Corporation Member at Wyke 6th Form College as my eldest studies here and really enjoys it. Having previously been a Governor for a primary school, whilst working in industry, when I saw that Wyke were recruiting a parent governor, I thought I would like to be involved. In addition, with a wide range of skills and understanding acquired by working in education, being part of the TMI, managing my own business and organising a busy family, I was keen to get involved to give something back, and help Wyke continue to develop further.

Outside of work, I am interested in anything food related, which does include visiting various afternoon tea establishments, as well as undertaking food preparation and cake decorating! I also spend time walking my gorgeous cockapoo, spending time with the family (including trips in our caravan) and I also enjoy singing.

I am  a Chartered Engineer with a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Imperial College in London. My 26-year career has taken me all around the world; I have worked in engineering, reliability and HSE roles in diverse  cultures. I currently run a team of IT developers and engineers for bp.

Having  lived across the UK, I moved to East Yorkshire in 2006 and have never looked back.

I  was the first generation of my family to attend tertiary education, and I  believe that everyone should be able to maximise their own potential that is  unlocked through education. I was thus very impressed with the culture and vision of Wyke Sixth Form College when I first came to visit as a parent of a potential student.

I  have two sons, one of whom is currently studying at Wyke college.

I am very grateful that I have an opportunity to contribute towards sustaining and improving the college for future generations of students.

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I am the Headteacher of Kelvin Hall School, a secondary school in the local community. I have a strong connection to Wyke 6th Form College, with many of our students continuing their education at the college.

I grew up in Hull and studied Chemistry at the University of Hull, and then went on to complete my teacher training there as well. Since then, I have worked in various schools in our city, holding a range of school leadership and school improvement roles.

My particular interests include curriculum development, teaching and learning, finance, and developing people.

I'm pleased to bring my experience to Wyke and to serve as a Corporation Member.

I look forward to supporting the college in achieving its strategic goals and serving the local and wider community.

I am an ex-student of Wyke who left in 2017 to pursue a career in Accountancy and Finance. I now have almost 8 years of experience specialising in Charities and Trusts, but have a wide experience in audited financial  statements, accounts preparation and finance decisions. I am also in the final stretch of my ACA exams and expect to be a chartered accountant by the end of the year – all being well!

I am very passionate about Wyke, I would not be where I am today without my time at Wyke. I was extremely fortunate to learn about an opening for the position  of being a Corporation Member of Wyke and I now sit on the Audit Committee.

I hope to bring as much as I can to the role whilst also learning and soaking up the experience, but most importantly help to ensure every student at Wyke enjoys their time as much as I did.  

In my spare time I love going to concerts, reading and have a special love for Harry Potter Lego! I also dog sit on the side so most of my weekends are spent with a different dog, going on a new adventure and exploring a new part  of the local areas.

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