“I am an experienced senior leader in education with a track record of leading outstanding education performance delivered through financially sustainable approaches. I've primarily worked in Further Education at a range of GFE and Sixth Form colleges across the country, all recognised as Outstanding by Ofsted in the time that I worked there. During my current role of Principal and CEO at Wyke the college has grown by 25%, has improved its financial health from Requires Improvement to Outstanding, delivered over £6m of capital investment including a significant extension to the main building and achieved Ofsted Outstanding in all areas with no recommendations. I have a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics and an 11-18 PGCE in History and Citizenship and taught across the humanities and social sciences, specialising in Philosophy, History, Critical Thinking and Extended Project Qualifications. I am currently working towards the formation of a Multi-Academy Trust with five settings from across the region.
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 11 and under so I am never struggling to find something to do!"
“My role, as Vice Principal (Student Experience), includes maintaining the provision and quality of the safeguarding, pastoral support, careers and UCAS provision. I lead several teams of student support staff, including: learning support, student careers and work experience guidance, safeguarding and our team of specialist progress tutors. I also manage the UCAS application process and I am responsible for ensuring that our library remains an outstanding resource. All of these areas work tirelessly to support our students, specifically focusing on student transition from year eleven to twelve, academic support and guidance, and progression into University or employment. We are proud of the level of support available here at Wyke and we endeavour to ensure that all students have the appropriate care required for them to achieve their potential.
Most of my free time is spent with my family, visiting play farms and soft play centres with my young daughter. I have a keen interest in sport, particularly football and athletics (as a spectator these days). I also enjoy music, performing in a local band.”
"My role as Vice Principal is to ensure that our curriculum is of the highest quality.
I love to celebrate student success. There’s nothing better than seeing students achieve their potential, whether that’s gaining a place at Oxbridge or that prized Advanced Apprenticeship.
Through my role, I encourage our staff and students to push the boundaries. The result – our outstanding academic achievements together with amazing dance shows, brilliant College drama productions, national and international trips, national award-winning teaching, the legendary sports presentation evening, and engaging online exhibitions from our visually creative students. These examples of student experience, combined with outstanding progress, meant Wyke was recognised as Ofsted Outstanding in every category.
Before my current role, I was Assistant Principal for Teaching & Learning, Head of Faculty for PE, Sport, Dance, Performing Art, Media and Film having previously successfully led the Sports and PE department. That same passion, commitment, and teamwork skills that I gained from teaching sport, I use today to drive for even higher standards."
"My role as Assistant Principal is to coordinate our teaching resources in the form of the College timetable. This ensures that every student has a bespoke timetable that supports their selected study and enrichment programme.
With 12,645 possible course combinations, this is a detailed process. Add a single enrichment to a students timetable from a portfolio of over 40 activities, then this expands to over a mind-blowing 500,000 possible options. The size, scope and flexible capacity of Wyke allows 99.9% of our students to be given a timetable that answers their needs.
Previously at Wyke, I was the Faculty Head of Science for six years, teaching A Level Physics and elements of Applied Science alongside my leadership role. Seeing students celebrating their achievements on results day is amazing, particularly when they secure a place at a prestigious university or advanced apprenticeship."
I have proudly worked at Wyke Sixth Form College since 2012; initially appointed as a Teacher of PE straight after completing my Undergraduate degree in Sport & Exercise Science and PGCE at Loughborough University. I have progressed through several roles at the college, including teacher of Dance, Head of PE & Dance, and Head of Faculty for Performance. I have been involved in a wide range of additional Wyke opportunities beyond this, which include many enrichments and trips, both nationally and internationally.
Being a part of the Wyke community has always been a privilege, and as a former student myself between 2006 to 2008, I was fortunate enough to have experienced the life changing education and experiences that our college has to offer. As Assistant Principal, it is my role to ensure all of our students get the best possible extracurricular experience. When a Wyke student finishes with us, we won't have only afforded them the opportunity to leave with outstanding grades, but also have provided them with a wider ‘Wyke Experience’ to enrich and support them to progress into a full breadth of positive destinations in life after Wyke. As well as overseeing the college's vast enrichment and trips provision, careers, UCAS and specialist destinations support, I manage the vocational curriculum across the full range of subjects we offer. It is my responsibility and pleasure to ensure Wyke gives all of our students the opportunity to change their lives and prepare them ready for the world.
"My role as Chief Operating Officer is to lead on the key operational support services within the College including finance, central services, health and safety and the estates infrastructure which incorporates premises and IT. I also work in collaboration with the wider support functions within the College to provide the best systems and resources to ensure that all our staff are fully supported, and that our students have the best possible campus experience.
This is a proactive role and I enjoy working with the amazing teams across the college to ensure we achieve the best outcomes for our students, something I am very passionate about.
Before I started my role at Wyke, I was the Director of Operations and Compliance at The Consortium Academy Trust, prior to this I worked for a local Secondary School, bringing over 20 years of experience in the education operational sector, to the Wyke Sixth Form College."
"I have worked at Wyke Sixth Form College for 20 years and have been very proud to do so. I am extremely passionate about offering the best possible education and experience for our students, which will prepare them fully for their future. It is an honour and a privilege to become principal and I will endeavour to continue to lead the college to become the best Sixth Form College in the country.
Outside of work, I have a busy and active family life, which revolves heavily around sport.”
One of my roles as Assistant Principal is to ensure that our College continues to provide the highest quality of education for all of our students. I work closely with the Vice Principal for Curriculum and our Curriculum Directors to plan teacher development and to ensure the highest standards of delivery and assessment are in place.
In addition to this role, I also oversee the work of our excellent marketing team, who work hard to make sure that there is accurate and up-to-date information about all of our courses, enrichment, our fantastic trips and events on our website and various social media channels.
I attended Wyke as a student between 2005 and 2007, and, after working at other schools in the region, rejoined Wyke as a Biology teacher in 2012. I have held a variety of roles in the college, including Head of Biology and Head of Faculty for Science. My favourite part of the job is seeing the impact that studying at Wyke has on our students – how they gain independence, fantastic outcomes and go on to do incredible things.
