Alumni Magazine 2010:Layout 1 11/08/2010 11:31 Page 12
Cardiff School of Education
Lord of the Manor
Ben Slade meets HRH The Prince of Wales Ben Slade (BA (Ed) Secondary Drama 1998) became the youngest Headteacher in the UK when he was appointed Principal of Manor Community College in Cambridge at the age of 30 in 2007. Here he tells us about life as the Head of the Manor: I was delighted to have been appointed Principal at Manor and for a day I stood back and admired my name on the letterhead. Then it hit me like a train: the reality of being in charge, the immediacy of being in the National Challenge with targets to meet and the very real possibility of federation or closure if we didn't significantly raise our game. Suddenly this was not just a job (although, in fairness even as an NQT I never thought this!), it was an all consuming, highly demanding career. It has been a real rollercoaster to use a well-worn cliché.
Not a day passes without at least one significant challenge involving personnel or students and their parents. When I pause for a moment I can see we are turning this college around. Results this year will double those I inherited in 2007 and students' attitudes and aspirations are undoubtedly improving dramatically. However we are fighting entrenched negative perceptions and reputations in a two-tier city. On one level Cambridge offers the finest education in the world. However the majority of my students and families feel this is completely out of reach for them. In order to bridge
this gap I am now in the middle of moving to Foundation Status and working with Trust partners. Together I believe we can take the college forward and achieve our goal of becoming ‘outstanding’ in every respect. I remember my time at UWIC with great fondness: Dr Arthur Geen, Jane Davies, Mitch Winfield, Gill Rees and Charlie Harris were all great influences on my short but eventful career. Furthermore, who could forget the call of the catering assistant in the K2 Cafe – ‘one torp with bacon and cheese going cold my love!’
An education recruitment agency with a difference Education Specialists at UWIC is operated by the Cardiff School of Education at the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff. We are urgently looking for qualified teachers to fill supply, part-time, fixed and long term posts in primary and secondary schools across South Wales. If you’re interested in registering for work, or would like more information please contact: tel: 029 2041 6951 / 029 2020 1524 email: educationspecialists@uwic.ac.uk web: www.uwic.ac.uk/educationspecialists
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