Basingstoke College of Technology announces permanent Principal

Basingstoke College of Technology (BCoT) has announced Lorraine Heath as its permanent Principal.

Lorraine joined BCoT in 1997 in corporate services before she qualified as a teacher in 2001. She worked in a variety of teaching and curriculum roles before taking responsibility for apprenticeships and employer engagement in 2011. As Deputy Principal for Business, Lorraine was instrumental in expanding the range of apprenticeships offered at the College and has overseen significant growth in the number of learners and employers engaging in apprenticeship programmes.

More recently, as Deputy Principal for Curriculum, Performance, and Innovation – and with five years of experience as an Ofsted Inspector – Lorraine has proven she possesses the national expertise and local lens needed to lead the College. She took on the role of Acting Principal earlier this year when Anthony Bravo retired.

Mike Howe, Chair of Governors, said:

“Lorraine has been a cornerstone of BCoT for almost 30 years. For the last seven years, she has served with incredible dedication and distinction as our Deputy Principal. During the rigorous and transparent interview process, it became clear that Lorraine’s deep understanding of our college culture, combined with her bold vision for our future, makes her the perfect person to lead us into this next chapter. No one understands the heart of this college better than Lorraine, and we are thrilled to see a homegrown leader take the helm.”

Lorraine said:

“I am delighted to be named Principal of BCoT, a place that has been my home for nearly three decades. I’ve seen the College grow and change over the years, serving thousands of young people from our community. I look forward to continuing that positive momentum and delivering high-quality education opportunities that directly equip our students with the specific skills our local economy and community need to thrive.”

Basingstoke College of Technology (BCoT) is a leading further education College in north Hampshire, that offers full and part-time advanced technical and vocational qualifications plus apprenticeships, higher education, professional and leisure courses. It enables students to progress to university, employment or an apprenticeship. It is home to the Thames Water Engineering Room, the Green Energy Technology Centre and the Electric Vehicle (EV) training centre, providing students with state-of-the-art environments to develop their skills to meet local industry needs. BCoT is also recognised as EdTech leader, embedding digital technology and AI into teaching practices for the benefit of students and staff. Most recently, BCoT has developed a new AI tool to help teachers reduce the time spent marking outside of work, improving their wellbeing.