Anne-Marie Forrest

Anne-Marie is a Deputy Principal at Hedleys College in Forest Hall.

Hedleys College is a specialist further education provider that supports 72 16-25 year olds, and Anne-Marie plays a key role in training and supporting staff, reviewing quality and performance and providing overall guidance across the College.

 

Find out about Hedleys College  >

How long have you worked at the Percy Hedley Foundation?

I started my career in Northern Counties School 36 years ago.  

What has your journey been within the Foundation to get to where you are today?

I have had many roles and trained originally as a nursery nurse. I then joined the school as a Learning Support Assistant, moved into a Curriculum Support Tutor role and continued at Northern Counties for 18 years. I joined the College as a Life Skills Tutor and progressed to a Programme Manager. An opportunity came along to be an Assessment and Standards Manager which I acquired and successfully moved from teaching into a management role. From this role I arrived to where I am now which is Deputy Head of College. 

What are some of the biggest changes you’ve seen in your time at the Foundation?

I have seen many changes over the years, education is constantly changing with many new challenges and we have to adapt and change to be fit for purpose. Our numbers at College have grown year on year and I am proud that we meet the needs of such wonderful young people who never fail to inspire us. 

What does an average day look like for you?  

Not sure the words “average day” fits my role as no two days are the same! This is perhaps why I still love my job. It’s the relationships, creativity and diversity of my role that can mean one day I’m chairing a meeting, supporting staff, looking at quality and performance to delivering training and assessments.  

What’s your favourite part about your role? 

Working with such a supportive team and of course seeing our staff and students thrive. 

What is your greatest memory of working at the Foundation?  

So many memories over many years but I love our annual graduation and awards, as it’s the culmination of a very busy year that reminds me of how far everyone has travelled.  

A piece of advice to someone joining the Foundation?   

Don’t shy away from trying new things, grab opportunities to grow personally and professionally and be resilient! The sky is the limit.