Head of Student Experience at Banbury and Bicester College, Amanda Cherry, has worked across the breadth of our Oxfordshire college network. Here she reflects on 30 years in education and the people and places that have shaped her career.
Can you explain your first few years working for our group of colleges?
Mandy: I decided I wanted to get into education and do a training course, so I came here, and took my Learning Support course alongside GCSE Maths. I secured a work placement in our local primary school.
While I was on the course, the manager of the Foundation department came in and talked to the group about the work that they do at the college. They asked if anyone wanted to put their names into a job bank – and I thought, that sounds interesting! A job bank was a collection of names, so that if the college needed additional staff, they would phone you.
I put my name down, and in that September, I finished the course and got my GCSE Maths. I got a call from the manager, who asked me to come for an interview, with a view to taking on a temporary job. I came in and started that day, supporting students with learning difficulties and emotional and behavioural difficulties.
For the first year, I worked on a temporary contract, before I became a permanent part-time Learning Support Assistant (LSA). As my children got older and went to primary school, I upped my hours and eventually became Lead LSA at Banbury.
An opportunity then came up for me to line manage the Group Learning Support (GLS) teams, so I oversaw the Additional Skills Mentors, LSAs, Study Coaches and had budgetary responsibilities.
From there, I undertook teacher training before becoming a Course Leader in Oxford, and later, a Programme Manager for Foundation Studies. I did that for many years before I transferred to be a Programme Manager for Construction and Engineering at The Leys College. I remained there for nine years before transferring to Banbury, first as a Faculty Manager for Engineering, Construction and Motor Vehicle, and then finally, as Head of Student Experience. I’ve enjoyed all my roles, but to finish my career in this role is lovely.
Why’s that?
Mandy: Because you get to work with all of the students – you’re not faculty bound. You’ve got the freedom to work with all the students and staff. I’m an extravert, so the idea of having a role where I can encourage people to come together is really quite exciting. To shape things and create too. It really aligns with the values I have, and I love being close to the ground, to the people, and the students.
Can you talk about your highlights over the years?
Mandy: So much of it has been rewarding, but especially when The Leys College won the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) cup. I worked with our engineering groups, who not only have to complete the engineering task that’s been set by REME, but also have to display interpersonal skills and teamwork.
The Business Engagement Specialist (BES) and I did some training with the students. Their engineering knowledge was brilliant, but what they didn’t understand was that they would get points for wearing a suit, or smart clothes with shirts and ties, and if they were able to show that each had an individual role and how those roles fitted together.
The Business Engagement Specialist and I worked through the soft skills with the group, and on the day, they turned up in their smart shirt, tie trousers and shoes. They really took it seriously – and they won. That was a really proud moment!
REME commenting to the students: ‘It’s good to see how you’ve presented yourself, and to see that you’re working as part of a team’, suddenly made what we were saying real – and that was a change, not only for that project, but also for how they approached interviews in the future.
You’ve been described as having a very holistic approach to your role. Can you speak about this?
Mandy: I’ve been fortunate in the roles that I’ve had. When I started at The Leys College, there were questions – what does she know about construction? Of course, I knew nothing about construction! Nothing at all.
What I wanted to do there though, and what I feel that we achieved there, was bringing people together so that they benefited from each other. Linking people together, having that overview of ‘it needs all of us’ – a team is not one person. If we’re going to make something extraordinary, everyone needs to share a vision, a purpose.
Emotional intelligence is really important. I’m not the most academic, but better at the emotional side – identifying what people need, whether it be learners or staff. What do they need to be happy? It’s usually the same stuff.
I’ve always had an open-door policy and hoped that I’m approachable. I think to myself, what do we as humans need? We all share common needs, and we need to meet those.
What’s your favourite thing about working with young people?
Mandy: Young people are funny, and they ground you. I learn something every day. They refresh you and keep you thinking. They throw curveballs, and you think: ‘Hang on a minute: why has it always been that way?’
I may help them make a wiser choice in the world – or I may not. If I can offer a counter narrative, and it works one time out of a hundred, that’s brilliant. It’s not about lecturing students, but giving them an opportunity to hear something different, and to see that there might be a different route.
Can you talk about some of the shifts you’ve seen in education over time?
Mandy: Technology has been a huge change. Years ago, we went from paper registers to electronic registers. When I first started, I had memos on pieces of paper on a nail on my desk! Then we shifted to emails.
Moving forward, with the way AI is progressing, already you don’t have to think about an email. You can put it into ALIA (Activate Learning Intelligent Assistant), and it will write it.
I use it if I’m inducting a brand-new member of staff. Whereas before it would have taken me a day and a half to put together a plan, I’m now saying to ALIA: ‘Create a two week induction plan for our new councillor, ensuring that you bring in the attributes of the organisation and the compliance modules’ and it writes it within minutes.
What has made you stay at the organisation so long?
Mandy: I’ve stayed because I’ve had the opportunity to do different roles, each helping me develop new skills and a fresh perspective e.g. understanding budgets and finances, line managing different teams, various personalities, developing leadership skills. I think the main thing is the students, they’ve made each role purposeful, they bring fun and I learn something from them every day!
What are you excited about in the future of Banbury and Bicester College?
Mandy: The potential for growth, for working closely with employers and specifically French theme park creators, Puy du Fou, because every course we offer funnels into their plans. I hope to see new facilities and expansion that means the college meets the needs of the local area well into the future.
