College Websites

Leah Palmer

Leah joined New College Swindon in October 2022 after senior leadership roles at Ofsted Outstanding rated Colleges. Leah has extensive experience of leading and managing a broad range of curriculum specialisms across a range of Further Education and leads with a clear focus on excellent student experience, quality of teaching and learning performance and outcomes.

Leah has worked in the FE sector since 1989 and is passionate about quality education and training and the positive impact education has on the lives and future careers of learners of all ages. She is proud, and feels extremely privileged, to have a positive impact on the education and training of the future workforce to support local skills needs for all stakeholders in Swindon.

She is a published author and holds a Master of Science in Leadership and Management.

Previous Principals/CEOs

Carole Kitching

Carole is a highly experienced senior leader in Further and Higher education and has been a Principal for over ten years. A graduate of St Andrew’s University, she initially trained as an English and Drama teacher before teaching in Greece for ten years where she set up and ran her own English language school. She is passionate about the opportunities colleges offer both young people and adults. She is also committed to ensuring that the college works in partnership with employers and other local stakeholders to meet skills gaps and be a force for driving social mobility.