Mathew and Rachel join sixth form team

Mathew and Rachel join sixth form team

Matthew Marshall and Rachel Jablonski have taken up the roles of Deputy Principal and Assistant Principal at the City of Stoke-on-Trent Sixth form College.

For Matthew the appointment marks a return to Staffordshire as a former student of Keele University, while for Rachel it follows nine years at the Sixth form College having originally started as a curriculum co-ordinator in BTEC Sport.

Matthew has extensive experience, having worked as a senior examiner for the OCR and at other three sixth form colleges, most recently in Solihull where he held the post of Assistant principal.

He said: “I’ve always worked within sixth forms because this teaching environment offers the best opportunity for students to enjoy a rich learning experience inside and outside the classroom.

“Sixth Form Colleges are the perfect halfway house between school and university for students, nurturing their personalities as well as their talents and developing them as individuals while adding to their employability skills.

“What is unique to this area and attracted me to the City of Stoke-on-Trent Sixth form College is the culture of community here, both inside and outside of the college.

“There is a good level of communication here between the college, the local universities, local council and schools with everyone working in partnership to genuinely make a difference to the lives of young people across the City and North Staffordshire.

“My main aim now is to take the college from good to outstanding, and to also provide an outstanding student experience from the moment they walk in the door. To offer experiences and develop a culture of learning which allows them to progress into work, training or university and to develop as individuals.”

Rachel Jablonski, is a former Staffordshire University student and Sixth Form College student herself having studied at King Edward VI Sixth Form College.

Her senior leadership role was introduced this year, and Rachel is in charge of curriculum planning and leading the new Futures Programme which ensures students develop essential employability skills.

She said: “I’ve had experience across almost all the college course pathways during my time here and there have been lots of challenges in education, not least the move from modular to linear A Levels and in how we deliver BTEC qualifications.

“My main goal is that when students leave us they have far more than a qualification, they will leave us with confidence, experiences and skills which will help them to flourish in their chosen careers.”

The Sixth Form College is now holding a series of Open Events for students and parents so they can find out more. For more information log on to www.stokesfc.ac.uk or call 01782 848736