A giant in the world of education in Northamptonshire retired at the end of the year after an outstanding career spanning more than four decades.
Northampton College Deputy Principal Patrick Leavey became a teacher 43 years ago and progressed to Curriculum Manager and Head of Faculty at the College of North West London. For the past decade he has been a leading figure at Northampton College and has overseen its Further Education, Higher Education, and Apprenticeship curriculum.
In November, Patrick’s outstanding educational leadership was recognised by the Northamptonshire Education Awards judges who named him winner of the Lifetime Achievement category in light of his innovative work, advocacy and career achievements that have improved the education sector.
Before Christmas, during a moving presentation, a bench created by Carpentry teacher Tim Chisholm and his team was given to Patrick to thank him for all his hard work.
Principal Jason Lancaster said: “Patrick’s relentless dedication to improving and maintaining excellent teaching and learning standards has created an exceptional student experience and enhanced our reputation for quality and success.
“His open-door policy and approachable nature have cultivated a supportive and inclusive environment which was recently recognised by the judges of the Northamptonshire Education Awards.
“Patrick’s passion for construction and the built environment led to the establishment of our £4.75 million Advanced Construction Engineering Centre in 2019 which is creating a sustainable, long-term, and modern construction industry workforce.
“Under Patrick’s leadership, our student outcomes have also continually improved, with the College’s National Achievement Rates Tables ranking rising from the lower quartile to 5th out of 225 colleges.
“His contribution to Northampton College has been inspirational and we will continue to build on his outstanding work.”
Patrick said: “When I came for my interview here, I said if I got the job I would stay for two years – 10 years later I’m still here. Being at Northampton College has been so rewarding and working with all the staff and students has been incredible.
“This College is one of the best in the country and it’s an integral part of the fabric of the local, regional and national Further Education community.
“In my retirement I’m looking forward to working on my new house, learning to play the piano, playing golf and travelling but I’ll also be keeping a watchful eye on Northampton College and all the amazing things it is going to do.”
Other significant projects during Patrick’s time as Deputy Principal include the creation of the £6.3 million Digital Academy at Booth Lane, new initiatives in International Supply Chain Logistics, developing a revised strategy to improve GCSE maths and English performance and taking the College from an Ofsted ‘requires improvement’ rating to ‘good’.
Patrick has been instrumental in shaping Northampton College’s curriculum in response to the Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) and he has championed the green agenda, launching initiatives such as the 'Big Rig,' a day-long teamwork challenge where students design and install a hot water solar thermal system on a large scaffold system.
He also led the development of a Green Skills Centre at the College’s Booth Lane campus, focussing on low-carbon and retrofit technologies, preparing students for a sustainable future.
