UP CLOSE: Katy Quinn, principal and CEO of Strode College in Street

Street Nub News aims to be supportive to every element of the community from business and shops to people and charities and clubs and sports organisations.

Everyone is finding it tough at the moment and is desperate to get back to normal.

We are profiling some of these local businesses and groups regularly over coming weeks in a feature called UP CLOSE IN STREET in the hope that we can be a supportive springboard for their full return to business as usual.

Today we talk to Katy Quinn, principal and CEO of Strode College, Street, who talks about her love for the village and thoughts on what college has been like during the coronavirus crisis.

During an in-depth Q and A session she also talks of what changes she thinks need to be done in the education system.

****

Tell us about your career leading up to being principal of Strode, and what were the key considerations about taking on the role?

I've worked in Further Education for more than 23 years now, and in a range of different type of colleges in different parts of the South of England. Before moving into education I worked in the hospitality industry, in hotels actually.

When I became principal and CEO at Strode in June 2017, I was ready for taking on that leadership position. I felt I'd earnt my stripes over the previous decades.

I grew up in Somerset, so Strode was the perfect college for me, in a part of the country that I have always considered home.

Tell us a bit about your personal background Katy and how you ended up working in education?

I have always loved learning, not just the academic side of learning, but personal development, growth and pushing yourself to try and be the best you can be. I remember doing a careers activity at school when I was 15, and being a teacher came out as one of the top recommendations for me.

I've always been a natural leader, even from a very young age when I would help everyone tie their shoe laces at the end of the school day. When I left university I worked in the hospitality industry and became a hotel systems trainer.

That was my first taste of "teaching" and I enjoyed seeing people grow and develop, and learn new skills.

My first role in Further Education was back in 1998 and over the years I have worked my way up through the layers of management. Every role in a college is important though.

People tend to work in Further Education because they are passionate about helping people succeed. That definitely runs throughout everything at Strode.

What do you like about Street? How are you involved in the local community?

Street is blessed with everything you could want. A great shopping village, independent shops in the High Street, great leisure facilities, a theatre, good schools and all located in the most beautiful part of the country.

Oh, and not forgetting, one of the best colleges in the country. Not that I'm biased.

The college is very much at the heart of its community, so my role naturally stretches to include work with local businesses, such as the exceptional apprenticeship training partnership with Burns the Bread, to working with Street Parish Council who have been hugely supportive of our sport facilities and theatre.

The college works closely with local schools too, and these strong partnerships have resulted in award winning provision for example the brilliant apprenticeship programme with Brookside Academy. The college touches so many aspects of the community - our nursery, the hair and beauty salons that are open to the public, our sports facilities and so on.

The coronavirus pandemic has been difficult for colleges - how has it had an impact on Strode?

What a challenging 12 months it has been, for all us, and in so many different ways. And it's no different for us all at Strode.

Disruption to learning for students and staff, new ways of working digitally, no goodbyes to our students, remote enrolment for our new students, virtual open evenings and events with schools, masks, signs and of course, now the lateral flow testing. It's been one thing after another.

But, I am so incredibly proud of all our staff and students who have pulled together to find ways to get through this past year. Our focus is our students and ensuring their futures are not compromised by Covid.

There is an overwhelming commitment throughout the college to this, and in difficult times, this sense of community always shines through.

What businesses do you like and use in Street?

When I can, I pop over to the village, usually for a cup of coffee and a sandwich but undoubtedly ends up with me coming back with something else.

The cobblers is brilliant, he's done a great job on several pairs of my shoes and boots. The garage at the top of the High Street and Burns the Bread.

The lockdown has been very difficult for many people - how do you think that Street as a village has coped?

We've been relatively lucky in the South West, with lower numbers of positive cases than many other large urban centres across the country. That said, there will be many people who will have suffered loss and illness as a result of Covid.

Street came back loud and proud in the summer, with many businesses open and trading. In fact, things kept going pretty much up until Christmas. So, the village has coped well, with a real sense of pulling together and support for each other.

If there was one thing in Street you would change, what would it be?

I can't think of anything actually.

You have worked in education for many years - how has the sector changed over the years? What is the most important thing the government could do to improve education for college students?

I have seen a plethora of policy changes, qualification changes and probably the most damaging for Further Education has been the significant decline in funding.

This has led to the number of colleges nationally dropping from about 350 to 260, mainly as a result of smaller colleges merging to create larger entities that can then benefit from economies of scale. Larger doesn't mean better though.

I'm excited about the future, with an alignment of technical and vocational education alongside academic education and with the introduction of T-levels and the reforms to apprenticeships that have taken place. I don't want us to lose this momentum.

All learning is of equal importance, whether that is someone undertaking an apprenticeship as a route into a career or pursing a degree at university. Whether it is an adult wanting to go back to re-train, or someone wanting to improve their digital and IT skills.

I really hope we see a return to supporting lifelong learning, because for those of us who are older and wiser, one thing we know is that you never stop learning.

If you could choose one famous person to play you in a movie about your life, who would it be and why?

Dawn French. Someone who enjoys a good laugh, is determined and passionate, and has the strength of character to see things through.

Go to the Strode College website:

Check out the Strode College website here.