Virginia Barrett

There is no biographical profile available. This one is from the 2024 article Principal CEO Named in New Year Honours:.

“I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who has contributed to this shared journey. I am especially thankful to my teachers at Haringey College, who supported me during my transition when I returned to the UK in 1988.

"I am also grateful to Chrissie Farley, my first Principal at Hackney Community College (HCC), where I returned to the FE sector in 1993 as a lecturer, after my degree. As well as being an excellent diversity role model, she supported my first management appointment in 2000.

"After seven years of teaching, I became dissatisfied with the number of British school leavers arriving at college with poor GCSE outcomes. So, I applied for a 14-16 Year Old Coordinator’s role working with HCC, schools, and Hackney Learning Trust to establish a successful collaborative and accredited Key Stage 3 Options Pathway that annually catered for 100s of 14-16 Year Old Learners. In a similar vein, I went on to work in a number of colleges, eventually moving to Farnborough College of Technology (FCoT), where I have had an extraordinary journey working with staff, colleagues and other partners across Hampshire and Surrey to evolve a more inclusive outstanding college.

"Together we are meeting more learners and apprentices needs, from those with special educational needs and/or disabilities through to higher education, thereby growing FCoT from £15m to £22m over the last six years."