South Devon College academic joins government advisory group

South Devon College has been recognised at a national level with the appointment of one of its senior leaders to a key government advisory group. The Department for Education has selected Dr Katy Hensby to join 12 other experts who will help shape the future of further education teacher training, ensuring that programmes across the country are built on strong evidence and support the highest standards of professional development.

A leading academic from South Devon College has been selected for a new government expert advisory group.

Dr Katy Hensby who is Senior Head of Faculty, Professional and Community Education, is one of 13 experts handpicked by the Department for Education to help reform further education (FE) training and development.

“I feel very privileged to be asked to have a voice in the arena that I am so incredibly passionate about,” said Dr Hensby who has worked at South Devon College for 15 years.

The expert advisory group will provide advice on the development of new statutory guidance on curriculum content standards for FE initial teacher training programmes, helping to ensure that all teacher training programmes are underpinned by robust evidence of what works.

Having trained and qualified as a secondary school PE teacher, Dr Hensby, is now passionate about supporting teachers to have the best experience they can, and she says being selected for the expert advisory group is recognition of the work being done at South Devon College.

“The approach and the strategy the College has to train high quality practitioners is a testament to them for me being selected.”

However, she says that as a sector generally, FE teacher training has been ignored for too long with ministers focussing on primary and secondary school teacher training and that this is a welcome development for teacher education. 

“We need to make sure that every person who wants to train as a teacher in the FE sector has access to high quality training to support them to be the best teacher and best education practitioner they can possibly be. And I am passionate about upholding that quality.”

Dr Hensby goes on to say that the FE sector values the industry experience that FE teachers have.

 “We need our teachers to share this experience with students utilising the most current and most relevant skill sets so that when they complete their courses, they are ready for the workplace.”

Dr Hensby takes up this new role with immediate effect.