Leeds City College has appointed its new Executive Principal

Diana Bird, currently the Principal and CEO at Shipley College, is to succeed Bill Jones in the role. The move follows an earlier announcement that Jones will take over as CEO of the college’s parent organisation, Luminate Education Group, from January – following the retirement of current chief, Colin Booth, at the end of this year.

Bird, who was born and raised in Leeds and has more than 20 years’ experience in further education, is relishing taking up her next challenge – and has a strong vision for the role.

She said: “I’m driven by creating environments where students and colleagues can genuinely thrive. Leeds City College’s values of kindness, aspiration, collaboration, respect, inspiration and celebration of individuality really resonate with me – they are things I try to live through my own leadership.

“I’m very much looking forward to meeting new colleagues from across Luminate Education Group, and to reconnecting with those I have worked with in previous roles.

“The group is entering a period of change within its leadership team. My focus will be to provide steady, values-led leadership through this change, building on the excellent work already underway across the group.”

Bird’s educational career started as an ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) tutor, when she taught for two hours a week at her local FE college. That quickly transformed into a full-time role in community based adult education.

She went on to hold a variety of roles – including Lead for Initial Teacher Education, Director of Education and Head of Department for English, maths and ESOL – which included spells in higher education and the voluntary and community sector.

Her heart, however, ‘definitely belongs to FE’ and she says she is excited to be joining Leeds City College (and Luminate) at a time when ‘the sector is finally being recognised by the government as central to economic growth and opportunity’.

She said: “The Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper and qualification reforms addressed in the Curriculum and Assessment Review present real opportunities, and as one of the largest education groups in the country, Luminate has a responsibility to help shape the national response. 

“My focus will be to ensure the college supports the group to play a strong, confident role in these conversations.

“I am really looking forward to having the opportunity to be an ambassador for the college and to nurture really strong partnerships that expand opportunities for individuals, businesses and communities.

“One of the things that most attracted me to this role is that I will have responsibility for teaching, learning and assessment (TLA) at executive level. I believe that every student deserves the very best experience we can give them and outstanding TLA is at the heart of that.”

Jones, who has been the college’s executive principal and group deputy CEO since 2015, said: “We are really looking forward to welcoming Diana, who demonstrated a clear vision for the future of the college during our rigorous interview process, to the Luminate family.

“As a passionate advocate for FE with a wealth of experience, we are certain she will help guide the college as it rises to the challenges – and opportunities – that lie ahead.

“We are confident she has all the attributes needed, working in collaboration with our campus principals and industry partners, to align our vision and culture with Leeds and the region’s ambitious growth plans to ensure we are producing students equipped with the skills our employers need.”

Luminate Education Group teaches more than 30,000 students across its three FE colleges, and also has two sixth form colleges and two higher education institutions.

The group maintained its ‘Good’ Ofsted rating following its latest inspection earlier this year