Linda joined West Suffolk College from 1995 until retiring in 2012. She began her career as a lecturer and progressed to become Senior Head of School for Health, Social Care and Childcare. In the early years, Linda was responsible for NVQs in care, initially teaching a small group of students already working in the care sector. By the time of retirement, the school had expanded to over 1,000 students, offering courses in dentistry, pharmacology, childcare, counselling and various areas within health and social care.
Under Linda’s leadership, the school established strong partnerships with West Suffolk Hospital and numerous employers in the sector. Remarkably, the college achieved the first ever ‘Outstanding’ rating for the NVQ’s in Care within just a few years of Linda joining. This was an accomplishment unmatched by any other college at the time.
During her time, Linda also gained a teaching qualification, key skills up to level 4 and a degree. She credits her successes to the dedicated team of lecturers and assessors she had the privilege to work alongside.
How are you currently spending your time?
I am retired now and doing some of the things I couldn’t do when I was working. I did some assessing for full time students for a couple pf years in my area of expertise. I also volunteered at the CAB in Sudbury for a couple years as well.
Are there any special memories you have from your time with us?
There are probably memories I have forgotten about, but I really did work with some great professionals and had a few laughs along the way such as Colette Burgess, Colin Shaw, Pippa Stanford, Jess Scotford, Beverley Parker and many others – too many to name!
During the last inspection, the inspector initially disagreed with our achievement figures and was reluctant to assign a grade. However, our principal, Ann Williams, stood firmly behind our data. After working overnight, the inspectors reviewed and ultimately agreed with our figures, resulting in us receiving a Grade 1!
Is there a message you would like to share as we celebrate 100 years of our history?
Congratulations to the college and no doubt you are all working just as hard as we did in our time.
What advice or messages would you like to share with future students and staff at Eastern Education Group?
As I said to Colin Shaw when he joined the college, you can go as far as you want at the college providing you put in the effort, have confidence in yourself and go for it. Look at Colin Shaw now!
