Meet Becky Sargeant, Leek College's New Campus Director

I’ll be working closely with staff at Leek College to embed the NSCG culture, values, expectations and standards, while also acting as a central point of reference and support for the team.

One of my key responsibilities is to review the current curriculum offer, alongside our Deputy Principal, Shelley Brown and make recommendations to strengthen it, ensuring we’re meeting the needs of our learners, parents and the wider community.

The role also involves acting as a key ambassador for the college, upholding the highest standards of professional conduct and actively promoting the Leek campus and NSCG as the “first choice destination” for students in the area. This will include ongoing liaison with schools, parents and external partners.

As part of the wider NSCG management team, I’ll also be helping to promote the college’s vision and mission, championing corporate responsibility and ensuring that the campus remains actively involved in college life, particularly around inclusivity and widening participation across all programmes.

I am an experienced Curriculum Manager with 19 years of service in the Further Education sector and specialise in the management of vocational programmes. I hold qualifications as a lecturer, assessor and verifier, and my background includes working in both the education sector and accountancy sector. I have worked for a small number of FE colleges and a private training provider, however most of my career has been with NSCG.

My first impressions of the Leek campus were really positive. I love its location at the heart of the community and I love that the staff share my values of being hard working, kind, respectful and that there is a genuine desire to do the right thing for the learners. 

There’s a lot of work ahead to restore Leek College to its rightful place as the first-choice destination for students, but it is absolutely an achievable goal and I can’t wait to get stuck in. 

I’ve really enjoyed getting to know everyone and exploring all that the Leek campus has to offer. Every day has been different and has brought new challenges, but I’ve loved every minute of it.

One of the highlights so far has been the Experience Day. It was a great to meet our new students and see the lives we’ll be helping to shape and transform.

Integrating a new culture is never easy, but so far any challenges have been met with integrity, honesty and a big smile.

I cannot wait for the Leek campus to be fully embedded into the NSCG family. I’m especially excited to look at the curriculum offer and make sure we’re delivering the right qualifications that truly meet the needs of our learners. It’s an exciting time.

The best advice I’ve been given is to ‘never ask someone to do something that you wouldn’t be prepared to do yourself’. I genuinely live by this motto. I understand that my actions and work ethic are how I will be judged, so it is important to me that I lead with the best example I can.

I am loving Ted Lasso at the moment. I am a massive football fan, so watching this programme summed up a lot of things I love about the game. I am not ashamed to say that I have learned a lot from his character for this new role.

I am also loving Slow Horses too! I have watched the programme and I’m now reading the books.

I used to be the feet in the classic sawing-in-half magic trick! I have to be careful what I say due to the Magic Circle protocol…

Life is what you make it and things do work out in the end, but maybe not how you think they will. Disappointments and bumps in the road are not the end of the world but just the start of another journey.