Jill retires after nine fantastic years

"It’s been such a great honour and privilege to have been Principal of Blackpool Sixth for the past nine years. I knew even before I was appointed to the role that Blackpool Sixth is a very special place with fantastic students and staff and a proud history of providing education of the highest quality. During my time as Principal, my awareness of all this has deepened and has been joined by a huge appreciation of just how close the college is to the hearts of all those who have studied here, worked here or have had their children study with us.

In my role, I have benefited massively from the support of the many thousands of people who support the college in so many ways, including our highly talented and dedicated staff, directors, parents and carers, school headteachers and staff, employers, local authority staff and colleagues in other colleges. I want to thank everyone who has helped me guide the college through the past nine years, which as we all know have included some seemingly insurmountable challenges such as the pandemic which had such a devastating impact on our communities here in the Fylde Coast.

There have been many highlights from the past nine years, far too many to do justice to here. These have included important milestones for the college such as the completion of the £29 million building and renovation programme in the summer of 2015 and the achievement of ‘Outstanding’ in all areas in our Ofsted inspection in late 2021. The college has received many further accolades for the excellence of our work during this period, such as being selected as BTEC College of the Year in 2020.

What matters most to me, however, is that during this time our college has helped well over ten thousand young people through the crucial post-16 phase of their education and has supported them so brilliantly on to whichever next step they chose to take, whether that be university, apprenticeships or other forms of employment. Each August it has been an amazing pleasure to see our students receive their results and share the news with their families that they have achieved what they need to move onto the next stage of their lives with pride and confidence in themselves.

In talking to students and staff, I so often find myself returning to our mission statement which is inspiring learning, developing character and building futures. I truly believe that what Blackpool Sixth and our incredible community does so brilliantly is to make those words a reality for our students.

I will take with me so many happy memories of my time at Blackpool Sixth. I wish the college’s new Principal, Nicola, every success in helping to lead the college through the coming years. I wish everyone associated with the college in any way all the very best in your endeavours."

MEET OUR NEW PRINCIPAL

Nicola Craven joins us from St John Rigby College in Wigan and has over 20 years’ experience working in sixth form education with several years’ senior leadership experience leading on curriculum and quality.

Nicola said, “I am delighted and proud to have been given the opportunity to lead Blackpool Sixth. The college has an incredible commitment to providing the highest standards for students and the local and wider communities it serves and this is enabled by the impressive facilities and highly qualified, experienced and dedicated staff.

I will lead Blackpool Sixth with an unwavering focus on meeting the needs of all students and ensuring the college continues to provide each student with access to an exceptional learning experience so they are fully equipped with the knowledge and skills they require to be able to succeed in their lives beyond college. I can’t wait to be part of the college's next phase of its success”.