Angela Dobbs

Following the completion of my degree in Art and Design, gained at Brighton, I held a number of different jobs – freelance illustrator, art director for a business to business mailing company, and team leader at a corporate entertainment company – before deciding on a future in education.  I completed my PGCE at Leicester university, attracted by their excellence in multicultural inclusive approaches.  I then learnt how to really teach and adopt creative approaches by working with dis-engaged young people in state secondary education.  During this time, I had opportunity to work with new initiatives with both delivery and  monitoring of pupils’ learning, working alongside DfE representatives and Pearsons Awarding Body.  After 6 years, I was tempted into Independent Sector Further Education, with a position of art teacher at St Piers College, Young Epilepsy, working with young people with a range of learning disabilities and associated conditions. I remained at St. Piers for 11 years, developing skills and approaches to allow these young people to succeed in accredited learning and allowing them to follow aspirational pathways.  During this time, I took on a senior role, overseeing vocational learning. In 2016 I joined the team at St. John’s College, initially as Pathway Leader, and then as Head of Learning for Accreditation and Curriculum.  I strive to support our teachers to be the best they possible can, and to deliver outstanding and inclusive learning.  Away from work, I still maintain my own creative practice and continue to be a believer that educational should be available to all.