Leading through challenge and change

Fireside chat with Janet Gardner, Principal and CEO of Waltham Forest College, London

Many of our readers habitually have to lead through challenge and change. In the following interview Janet Gardner shares her personal experiences and insights. Gardner is the Principal and CEO of Waltham Forest College (WFC), a London based Further Education College. The College had previously experienced a threeyear declining trend of quality and student achievement. It had been in financial intervention with Government funding agencies and the College’s bank following a downturn in its financial position to a ‘requires improvement’ financial health rating in 2019. Following a robust and rapid improvement and transformation programme, the College has significantly improved its quality and financial performance. It has achieved its highest ever student results, exceeding national averages (whilst rapidly transforming its financial model leading to an improved financial health rating of outstanding). The College was recently selected as one of only twelve providers in 2021/22 to be National Training Centres of Excellence for World Skills. These achievements are particularly remarkable as Gardner only took over in 2020, during a national lockdown and managed the change during the Covid crisis.