In 1992 the government of the day decided that Further Education Colleges should be removed from Local Authority control and become independent. No one is entirely sure if they mean the same thing to happen to sixth form colleges, or whether it was a quirk of the legal definition. Whichever it was from 1st AprilContinue reading “The Mind Has a Reason for Talking Aloud”
Tag Archives: NewVIc
Like Celine Dion, Karma Chameleon….
In organisations there always seem to be roles that have a high turnover and others that have stability. I was Finance Manager at NewVIc for 14 years. In that time there were six Estates Managers and periods when the role was empty (yet at Monoux Nigel has filled that role for 20 years and itContinue reading “Like Celine Dion, Karma Chameleon….”
And sleep out in the rain
This is about my friend Diane – don’t read anything into the title of the song we are, and have always been, just friends. When I interviewed for the job at NewVic we were shown the room that we would work in and there was Diane. She looked up in bewilderment as this motley groupContinue reading “And sleep out in the rain”
Now if I appear to be carefree it’s only to camouflage my sadness
Now if I appear to be carefree it’s only to camouflage my sadness Smokey Robinson is a genius. Songwriter, singer, producer and one of the two men who created Tamla Motown. Somehow his legacy and influence remains under estimated. Without him (and Berry Gordy) would there have been the Four Tops? The Temptations? The Supremes? Continue reading “Now if I appear to be carefree it’s only to camouflage my sadness”
Do You Ever Wonder Why?
This blog is meant to be a positive thing, not harping on about negative things in life. This will be one of the exceptions. I have already done several posts about people who I worked for that were brilliant, it would be very false if I did not talk about the two who were veryContinue reading “Do You Ever Wonder Why?”
So Where Is Your God?
As I have said before the London Borough of Newham had an appalling academic record in the late 80s. One part of their solution was to close all the school sixth forms (years 12 and 13) and open a dedicated sixth form college. (Even though the term sixth form has been gone for nearly 30Continue reading “So Where Is Your God?”
But I Won’t Go, Go, Go
In 2006 work was close to idyllic. After five years of working for a man whose main aim seemed to be to belittle and cut down his staff (I will talk about him later), I had a boss (Orville Gardener) who was someone you could learn from. I still talk to him even now, despiteContinue reading “But I Won’t Go, Go, Go”
As I Pass a Faded Destination
Autumn 1992 and I had to find a job. I got some serious experience of interviewing (I have already talked about the one where I advised the interviewers about their errors). I had one at the Drama Centre in North London. An offshoot of the Central School for Speech and Drama – at the timeContinue reading “As I Pass a Faded Destination”
Through all the Raging Glory of the Years
Michael is a bigger fan of the Alarm than I am. I could settle for just having one track from them. The Alarm were a group from Wales. When I got the job at Monoux I went for a couple of days to visit and get to know my managers (I had a three monthContinue reading “Through all the Raging Glory of the Years”
All the Commotion
I went to work at Monoux in 2007. I left a grade 1 (outstanding) college in amazing financial health for a grade 3 (requires improvement) college with ropey finances. It was like stepping back in time further than when I had started at NewVIc in 1993 – Monoux’s systems in 2007 were ones that wouldContinue reading “All the Commotion”
Five Miles Out 