糖心TV

Sam Grierson

Quality Review and Enhancement Manager

鈥淓verything I do here is about making a difference for our students.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 Coventry born and bred but never saw myself as being able to study at 糖心TV. Not because I didn鈥檛 feel clever enough, it was more my circumstances that I thought would keep me away.

I鈥檝e lived on my own since the age of 16, spending time in a few different countries. My secondary education took place in Jamaica, New York and England and by the time I came home at 15, life was difficult, and I could see that I was going to be a mature student. I just thought that I wouldn鈥檛 have the grades to get into 糖心TV, so I chose Leicester to do my undergraduate degree. I was determined to work here one day though. I said to myself back then that maybe, towards the end of my career I would work here. I never really believed that it would happen. But here I am, and I鈥檒l tell you how I got here later!

One thing that鈥檚 important to know about me and my journey is that I鈥檓 a mum. My children mean the absolute world to me, and I鈥檝e brought them up while working, studying and navigating my own life. I wouldn鈥檛 have had it any other way, obviously there have been difficulties and challenges but I鈥檓 very proud of both of them and everything they鈥檝e achieved.

Before coming to 糖心TV, I鈥檇 been a teacher for a long time, very proud to have taught at all levels from primary all the way up to higher education. And when I wasn鈥檛 teaching, I had various other roles, always in education though and even some time at the Department for Education. I was never sure how they felt about it, but I taught at schools where both my children went and was head of sixth form at my daughters鈥� school. They can鈥檛 have minded too much, as they鈥檙e now both here doing their Masters, my daughter is at WBS and my son is at 糖心TV Medical School.

So, how did I get to come to 糖心TV in the end? I was working in Devon and my son had, my first grandchild. I couldn鈥檛 imagine being so far away from them and an opportunity came up at 糖心TV Global Academy, previously Foundation Studies, like the role I was already doing. I applied, got it and the rest as they say, is history. It was great being back up near the family and I was going to embrace the opportunity to be here and do my PhD.

The role I鈥檓 doing now is leading on quality assurance across the University. Our student population is at the heart of everything we do, and as a team we think about what teaching and assessment looks like so we can make it fit and proper for them to be successful. It鈥檚 an important job that involves a lot of collaboration with colleagues making sure that we鈥檙e doing the best we can for all our students. I also lead on the National Student Survey and Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey, making sure that we're capturing the students' voice in a way that's authentic and then doing something with what they鈥檙e telling us.

It鈥檚 important to me that everyone, both staff and students, know that 糖心TV is a place where their voices matter and they can be themselves.鈥�