Creating brighter futures

By Pat Jones, Principal and CEO, Weston College Group 

I am honoured to share my reflections on the journey of women in leadership, particularly within education. Stepping into this role is both a personal milestone and a testament to the progress made by women in leadership across our sector. 

Reflections on Women in Leadership & Education 

The landscape of leadership has undergone significant transformation over the years. Historically, leadership roles were the domain of our male colleagues, but more and more women are smashing glass ceilings, testament to their dedication, resilience, and exceptional talent, women have steadily reshaped this narrative. Today, more women than ever have taken up senior leadership roles in education, driving change and fostering inclusive environments. This shift has not only enhanced the diversity of leadership but also brought a broader range of perspectives to decision-making processes, ultimately enriching the experience for all. Recently I came across an example that demonstrates the effectiveness of female leaders, research conducted into Swedish politics by the London School of Economics in 2017:  In 1993, Sweden’s Social Democratic party introduced a strict gender quota for its candidates. Researchers found that by increasing the female representation by 10 percentage points, the proportion of competent men raised by 3 percentage points (researchers developed a model which looked at a number of social variables to measure competence). Ultimately, they found that gender quotas increase the competence of the political class in general, and among men in particular. 

Insights on Barriers Faced & Progress Made 

While significant strides have been made, it is important to acknowledge the barriers that persist, barriers that prevent meritocracy from thriving. Women in leadership often contend with challenges such as unconscious bias, lack of mentorship opportunities, and the delicate balance between professional and personal responsibilities. The journey to leadership can be demanding, requiring determination, self-belief and support from allies (both men and women). However, the increasing visibility of women in leadership roles, along with initiatives promoting gender equality, has begun to dismantle these obstacles. The growing recognition of the value that diverse leadership brings to organisations is a sign of the positive momentum we must continue to build upon. 

Encouragement for Women Pursuing Leadership Roles 

Many women have shaped who I am today. One woman in a previous team who was 10 years my junior and who came from a family culturally diverse to my own brought great wisdom when times were difficult, cutting through the noise and bringing clarity to actions. Another colleague was always a person you could turn to, not just for advice, but to share success too, a woman genuinely happy for the progress that you and others made. I will be forever grateful for the allyship shared by these women and hope that I continue to pay this forward with this in mind our Executive team will be introducing a mentoring programme for colleagues who wish to become leaders, further develop their skills, or who are leaders wishing to progress further in at the Weston College Group. 

To women aspiring to leadership roles, I offer this encouragement: your voice matters, your perspective is invaluable, and your potential is limitless. Embrace opportunities for growth, seek out mentors who inspire and support you, and never underestimate the power of your own resilience. Leadership is not solely about occupying a position — it is about making a difference, shaping the future, and paving the way for others to follow. As we continue to champion gender equality in leadership, let us empower one another to break barriers and build a more inclusive and diverse future. 

Together, we can create a world where leadership knows no gender, only potential and purpose. 

Happy International Women’s Day! 

Last month, Weston College was lucky enough to gain funding from the Turing Scheme to take our Performing Arts students on a 15-day trip to New York City, where students not only got to experience all the sights of a big city, but also got to take part in many activities and attractions that have furthered their skills and knowledge of the industry. 

The Turing Scheme is a fantastic programme which offers funding to education providers to support students to pursue study and work placements worldwide. This provides learners with career-building opportunities and international experiences that will enhance their education and enrich them in different cultures. 

This trip was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many of the students who may not have had the chance to leave the UK, let alone travel across the world. Thanks to the Turing Scheme, this trip was extremely affordable, with some students getting to go completely free of charge!

During this 15-day trip, the students’ itineraries were jam-packed! Not only did they take part in a range of Broadway classes with the Broadway Dance Centre, but they also got to watch three Broadway shows which were tailored to each pathway! They saw ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ for the students on the Acting pathway, ‘Death Becomes Her’ for the Musical Theatre pathway, and ‘The Great Gatsby’ for the Dance pathway. This was a fantastic experience that allowed all students to see live performances at a professional level which many of them aspire for.

To further enrich themselves in the history of performing arts and experience all the city has to offer, the students took part in a range of activities: from a backstage tour of Radio City Music Hall, a guided tour of the Lincoln Centre, and visiting the Museum of Broadway, to attractions like ‘The Ride’ where they experienced flash mobs and pop-up shows, Summit One Vanderbilt observatory, and the powerful 9/11 Memorial Museum.

Outside of these amazing activities, students also got the chance to see the tourist sights of New York and indulge in the different foods. However, according to the group, majority would agree that the Cheesecake Factory was ultimately the best they tried!

Joe Miller, one of our Performing Arts lecturers at Weston College who attended the trip with the students, was astounded by their progression over the duration of the trip, adding, “it was so amazing to see how the students progressed in not only their techniques and their performance, but also seeing their independence and confidence grow with everyday tasks. 

We wanted to encourage independence for the students in a big city by getting them to chat to workers and people themselves, as well as independently navigate groups to places we’d been to give them a sense of accomplishment and confidence–it was amazing to see the personal growth in such a short space of time!”

This trip was not only important for personal growth, but also professional growth. Getting the chance to witness and work with many other performers and professionals throughout the trip gave the learners a better understanding of how competitive and tough the industry is and how much hard work and resilience is required to make it.

According to Joe, the impact of this trip has already been reflected in their hard work since arriving back home. He has noticed more rigorous training and a focus on techniques in order to improve their skills and pursue their careers.

This fantastic trip would not have been possible without Joe Miller, Jade Hicks and Annette Milburn who all supervised and helped to organise the trip to make it the most fulfilling and memorable experience for the students as possible.

If you’re interested in applying to one of our Performing Arts courses in September, click here.

This week, Emma Pattinson and Abi Steven from North Somerset Council Parenting Team visited our Year 2 Early Years T Level learners to discuss the impact that a child’s environment can have on their development.

This workshop focused on Parental Conflict and the impact on children, adolescent brain development, and trauma informed approaches. These are all very important topics for the future generation of early years educators to understand and be aware of.

During an Early Years course, students are taught how to approach and talk to students, however they are less likely to be taught about how to interact with parents and families. Abi and Emma helped to build the students confidence with this by answering questions and discussing different home environments.

The session began by looking at the types of childhood trauma and the impact this trauma can have on a child’s development, not just mentally but holistically. Not only this, Abi and Emma also explained how children’s brains develop throughout their adolescence.

It is important for our Early Years students to understand that children need a supported environment, and their brain development can be impacted and have long term effects if they are exposed to an environment with regular conflict and trauma. It is also important to recognise children as individuals and that they are all different, therefore signs of trauma will not be universal and could appear differently depending on the child.

When discussing Parental Conflict, Abi organised her discussion in an engaging True or False format to get the students involved and thinking hard about the questions. The students seemed nervous and apprehensive to begin with but gained confidence in their answers as the session progressed.

They discussed the signs to look for when identifying a child suffering with family conflict as well as the distress and trauma that could accompany this. Abi also brought up statistics regarding parental relationships and the impact this could have on children which surprised some students.

As a final interactive task, Abi and Emma handed out large posters to the students, with the titles Social and Emotional Development, Physical Development, Academic/Cognitive, and Behaviour. The students were asked to fill out these sheets of paper with everything they knew regarding the impact that conflict and trauma could have on these topics. This was a great way to test their knowledge and encourage them to work together to fill in any blanks.

This was a very informative guest lecture as it made the students consider external factors that may explain certain child behaviour. This is a key part of being an early year’s educator as it is important to have a holistic approach to teaching and provide additional support to any children who may be experiencing family conflict or trauma.

Thank you to Emma and Abi from the North Somerset Council Parenting Team for taking the time to visit our students and deliver this impactful guest lecture.

If you are interested in joining one of our Early Years courses in September, click here.