NSCG Principal to retire at the end of this academic year

Dear students, parents and carers,

I hope this update finds you and your families well and enjoying the early spring sunshine. I write today to inform you of my decision to retire at the end of this academic year. Whilst it will be incredibly difficult for me to leave Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group (NSCG), I feel the time is right for me to enjoy my retirement. My entire career has been served in the public sector, with 13 years in the NHS and 33 years in further education, 20 of which have been at Newcastle College, and latterly NSCG. I am one of the lucky people who has always enjoyed coming to work each day and I feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to work with a truly dedicated and talented staff team whilst leading this amazing institution.

The College has been on an incredible journey during my tenure. I have taken great pleasure in seeing thousands of young people develop and flourish as confident, successful young people and I am proud of the part I have played in making NSCG the ‘Outstanding’ college that it is today.

The College is in a fantastic position, with outstanding financial health, record numbers of applications and excellent achievement rates that place us in the top 10% of colleges nationally for learners aged 16-18. With a number of significant new projects already underway, including the construction of a brand new £30m Skills and Innovation Centre at our Stafford campus, and the recent announcement that a NSCG-led bid to bring a prestigious new Institute of Technology to Staffordshire was successful, it now feels like the right time for me to pass on the baton to someone who will lead the College through its next exciting chapter.

I will of course be supporting the Corporation Board in the search for my successor, but my primary focus for the next few months is to continue to lead NSCG with passion and commitment, ensuring we finish this academic year strongly. It’s a great job and I will enjoy every last day until I finish at the end of August.

We have a busy few months ahead, completing assessments, preparing for exams, achieving the best possible outcomes and supporting our learners to make informed decisions about their next steps. I’m personally looking forward to an action packed summer term, with the Association of Colleges Sport Championships, where we have a record number of NSCG learners competing, school leaver and adult open events, NSCG experience events, end of year celebration awards ceremonies, our higher education graduation ceremony and exam results days to name but a few - I do hope to catch up with some of you personally at these events. If not, I will be in touch again during the summer term with a further update on staffing and plans for the 2022/3 academic year.

As always, thank you for your continued support.