WILTSHIRE College’s recent turnaround in performance is a welcome tonic not just for its students but for those who see the importance of having a thriving education base in the region.
Few would have given the college any chance of being recognised as “good” by Ofsted just a short while ago and much praise needs to go to Amanda Burnside, who as acting principal has guided the college to its new level.
It’s even more heartening to learn that Mrs Burnside has now been officially appointed to the role of principal and the drive for improvement will go on.
Today the Journal reports on the Salisbury campus’s bid for new investment which will give the decades-old building a complete overhaul. It hopes a £14m injection will give the site an upgrade that students will love.
And there is every chance that the Local Enterprise Partnership will include it in their next round of funding.
The secret of the success is change management. A change of strategy, style and approach and the lesson is that much can be achieved in a short amount of time with the correct approach.
It is the same approach proposed by Alex Tregellas in his route-map to improving Salisbury. His report – revealed in detail for the first time by this newspaper – requires a delivery team to pull together a host of changes that would brighten Salisbury, spark innovation and provide aspiration for all those who live in the city.
As Wiltshire College has shown, a little ambition can go a long way.
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