Today is Sunday, 22/9/24, a significant day as it marks the eve of a major milestone in my career. I have just finished cooking dinner and am now writing this blog. Then, I will do nothing for the rest of the day.

As I wake up tomorrow- Monday, 23/9/24- I will be stepping into the role of Director of Safeguarding and student experience for the East Kent Colleges group. The excitement and nervousness about this new chapter are palpable.

Me….little old me….that’s my job now

And I honestly don’t think I will believe it until I am there.
But lets rewind

I have been training for this job (even though I am the first in the role) for the past ten years. If, ten years ago, there had been a director of safeguarding and student experience role within the East Kent colleges, it would have been my focus to get into that role.
It just makes sense to me. After all the work I have done with young people in East Kent, this would be the icing on the cake.

But like I said, let’s rewind.

My first job in this field was in 2001 (I’m so old). I become a lunchtime helper at my son’s primary school. One of my sons was being bullied, and I saw this as a good way to step in and support. I soon became a mentor for a group of boys at risk of exclusion.
Lambeth Academy then approached me to become a mentor. They understood my lived experience in the community, and I was approached to mentor a small group of students.
And then, I discovered that I had a unique skill in terms of safeguarding, a deep understanding of the complex needs of at-risk students and the ability to develop effective intervention strategies.
That’s a lie. My then-boss discovered it. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Since then, I have achieved things that even I can’t believe, including speaking at parliament , co-writing a paper for the UN, and creating my own company, Out of the Shadows.
Do you know I started my first degree in the same year that my mum died? I lost my house, found out I was pregnant, and left London and my whole life for 28 years for good.
I look back, and it’s madness for sure.

I have had what I can only describe as the best summer of my life in 2024. My summer started in March when I went to Iceland for my birthday and spent my 44th birthday on a glacier driving a snowmobile  (I swear if I didn’t have the pictures, I would not believe me). Then I went to Australia…alone. My summer started in March and ended …today.
I got this job ten weeks ago but decided that I would wait to put it out there and have spent the last ten weeks having the time of my life. Like a kid on their summer holiday.

And now we are here. The biggest job of my career, and it starts in the morning! How I will sleep is another story altogether.

I have worked in East Kent for many years in primary schools, PRUS, children’s homes, and secondary schools. I have worked with thousands of children and young people from East Kent.
I spent the last three years working in London. I needed to step away to get that last bit of direction. I worked under Sherry Peck, who I consider to be one of the best CEOs in the business of child protection.

I approached Sherry three years ago when I knew I needed to get a few more things under my belt before stepping up to the next level. She told me to apply for a job. It was the best thing I ever did, and under Sherry, I learned many things.

Sherry Peck is an investor in people. She has the superpower of seeing people’s strengths in a way others cannot. When I met Sherry, I didn’t drive, was still renting, and was lost in terms of direction.
Today, I drive, have my house, and feel that I can take on any job because Sherry supported me in believing in myself.

People are presented to us when we have a lesson to learn, good or bad. And it’s up to us if we engage. Sherry presented herself in my life when I needed her most, not just in work. She has also supported me outside of work on levels I can’t even go on to explain.
If you have ever had the chance to sit and speak with Sherry, it is like sitting next to a fountain of knowledge that cascades expertise and information without missing a beat. So that’s what I did for three years. I sat and listened. I drank it all in and bathed in that wisdom as if my life depended on it because you won’t get those kinds of opportunities too many times in a lifetime, where you have access to someone who is happy to educate and share what they know….without wanting anything in return.

I often thought it must be exhausting to be in her head, but the must also be brilliant place.
I watched her take on people right at the top to protect children. She taught me how to pause and not react with emotion, which is one of my weaknesses.
She showed me how to develop and share my knowledge and helped me develop a new way of thinking.

Most importantly…..She showed me kindness.
She will probably cringe at this (if she even reads this), but I can’t help but express it. I truly wouldn’t be where I am today without Sherry Peck. Her guidance, support, and friendship have been invaluable.

She is retired now (I guess unless she gets bored of living her best life in her sunny garden and decides to pop back). She has earned her stripes tenfold and deserves to rest for an entity if that is what she decides to do.

I  am privileged. She is my friend, so I still get to tap into that knowledge daily. And I do. I can say anything to her, and she will have a solution or even tell me that it is OK not to be OK.
It’s not just me. Many people would not be where they are today if it was not for Sherry, who is like I said, an investor in people.

Sadly, we always have those who don’t appreciate greatness in life. I have had the misfortune of watching people abuse Sherry’s drive to invest in people. Some people need to remember where they come from and how they got to where they are today—or not. It’s up to them. If I could insert a song here, it would be Stormzy’s “Too Big for Your Boots.” Go play it. Loud.

Sherry’s investment in me will be long-lasting. Her investment in me means that I will never be the person I was when I met her. It means that I walk differently, talk differently, and think differently.
I once said that I would back Sherry no matter what. Not to Sherry, but it was said. It was a big statement to make, but that’s how much trust and respect I have for her. Every choice made in the workplace was to benefit the child, and every choice made outside the workplace was made with trust and love. Like I said, you won’t find it often, and I back that. Actions do indeed speak louder than words.

There is a quote that, when I see it, sums up how I feel about Sherry:
“The only people I owe my loyalty to are the ones who never made me question theirs,”

So, thank you Sherry, for being one of my greatest teachers and friends in my life. Big love always. I will miss working for you but think that you deserve to take your own advice for once and……pause (in the sun)

But…. is time for the next chapter.

My lunch is packed ( I forgot to get a lunch box, so I have a rubbish sandwich box)

My clothes are ironed.

I feel sick

I feel like a kid the night before the first day at a new school (which is technically true). What if no one likes me? What if I have no one to sit with at lunch? (I actually hate eating with people…please don’t sit with me) What if I get lost (This could happen never driven there before)
What if my alarm doesn’t go off?
Or…what if it is the best day?

When I wake up in the morning, I will be the Director of Safeguarding and student experience for the East Kent Colleges group (six colleges!).

And no doubt Sherry will text me first thing reminding me to….pause before I speak

Wish me luck