Staff Profiles

Miss Emma Manktelow - Hairdressing & Barbering Teacher
 
I have worked at the school for a year delivering work ready and occupational competence qualifications in Hairdressing and Barbering, I am also a form tutor. I started my training career 8 years ago with a private training provider, I then moved to teaching in FE (further education) where I spent the 6 years prior to joining the school in September 2008. 
I followed an apprenticeship route after completing School, at this time there was not the option to start studies of the industry until this point in education.   After a few years of working columns of clients in the salon I became a manageress of a salon. At this stage I did further training, completed assessor awards, these enabled me to secure a part-time role with a private training provider visiting salons and assessing students who were completing NVQ’s in the work place. From here I moved onto working at a college part time, this later became full time. I completed a qualification to enable me to teach in further education. My role at the college required me to co-ordinate, assess and verify level 2 programs for NVQ and Diploma awards in Hairdressing and Barbering. 
I have continued to keep up-to-date my knowledge and skills by working on a part-time basis in the Hair and Barbering industry, in addition to attending and completing further formal training. After 19 years in the industry I still have the same passion and ‘buzz’ for the ever changing industry as I did when first starting out as a Saturday girl. 
Mrs Debbie Webb - Subject Leader in Hairdressing & Beauty Therapy
I always wanted to be a hairdresser, to work in a creative and changing environment where I worked closely with people and made an active contribution to others’ ability to ‘feel good about them-selves’. 
 
My School reports always said ‘Deborah could achieve so much more if she was more attentive in class and applied herself more fully’ I guess they were right, had the qualification structures been in place that are being offered by the 14-19 Government reforms now, then perhaps I would have been a more engaged learner at 14-16.  As it was I left School at 16 and entered an apprenticeship scheme with moderate achievements at ‘O’ level and CSE. 
 
Whilst attending college as a ‘day release apprentice’ I remember going back to work and saying to the stylists ‘that’s what I’d like to do one day, teach’, it was a passing ‘flip’ thought really. 
 
Upon completion of my apprenticeship I worked in salons as a stylist improving my skills and knowledge, which lead to my gaining managerial positions. As part of this role I became engaged in the training of apprentices and I enjoyed it. So I decided to become self-employed, changed my working hours and went back in to training to obtain advanced qualifications, assessor and verifier awards and my teaching qualification. I studied for 4 years working it along-side my work role. On completion of my qualifications I gained part-time employment in an FE establishment, which I ran along-side my salon role.
 
The last 11 years have been spent in educational establishments working with Apprenticeship frameworks, full time FE / secondary education learners from the ages of 14 upwards. So I guess that ‘flip’ thought turned into reality. 
 
Since 2004 my posts have been of a managerial capacity successfully running a large department within a College before joining The Knole Academy in September 2008. From September 2009 I will be responsible for co-ordinating, for the West Kent Learning Federation (WKLF), the implementation, in September 2011, of the Hair and Beauty studies lines of learning, the new 14-19 diploma, as the line lead (Domain assessor). Once the qualification lines are implemented the role will be to quality assure the qualifications on this line of learning. 
 
My colleagues and I hope to ensure, as far as is possible, that learners within the WKLF continue to be offered quality teaching and learning, and qualification frameworks that successfully secure opportunity for learners to reach their career goals. 
Mrs Rosina Knutton - Beauty Therapy Teacher
After my training at the London College of Fashion in the late seventies I opened a beauty salon in Sevenoaks where I worked until my family came along. I continued to treat clients as a ‘mobile’ therapist and began teaching beauty therapy at West Kent College in 1990. I undertook many training and development programmes during my seventeen years of service there and was involved in expanding the beauty therapy department. I am now very pleased to be teaching at The Knole Academy with a focus on encouraging and enthusing younger students, helping them develop skills in beauty therapy.