On Friday the 26th of April I had the opportunity to interview Satwant Deol, the Principal of The Henley College and was able to hear her inspirational journey first hand. 

Satwant Deol joined The Henley College in 2016 as the principal from Highbury College in Portsmouth but her story began much earlier…

At the age of 10 Satwant moved to England from India without knowing a word of English. It was a difficult time for her but with her determination and the help of a particular teacher who saw her potential and kept her behind to teach her English she soon became fluent in English. 

She left school at 16 with no qualifications, to work for the Navy Army Institute before studying Physics, Maths and Chemistry A levels, followed by studying Computer Science at the University of East London. She worked as a software engineer, followed by, then becoming head of computing development at Coventry university whilst studying part time master’s degree at Aston University. It was unnervingly common for Satwant to be the only woman in board meetings, which she comments ‘’that although this is slowly getting better we still have a long way to go to reach gender equality especially in the computing industry.’’ It was in this job and her studies that Satwant learned and perfected her skills of computing, innovation, creative development and communication which she was able to bring to her job as Principal. 

After working at Coventry University, Satwant went on to work in many other colleges as a lecturer, researcher, developer, manager and a Vice Principal. Satwant is an innovator and has led on many innovations, including the development of online learning and student portals to support teachers and students and make university and colleges more efficient.

After doing this vital work Satwant left to do consultancy and through her vast network, worked in several colleges where she helped with merges and improved the students’ quality of learning. She then moved to Highbury college where she was managing director of the company which developed a brand-new Solent Marine Academy, before joining The Henley College in 2016. 

At Henley College, Satwant played an essential role in helping the College to recover from a large deficit which has resulted in the college being able to thrive and flourish and not merge with another. Satwant was a strong believer in The Henley College’s independence and so she started the uphill battle of getting the College back on track with the help of her hard-working colleagues. With the leadership of Satwant and support of her colleagues, The Henley College has grown in student numbers by 25%, achieved a very good Ofsted grading with outstanding features and financial health of outstanding.  

It’s easy to see how much The Henley College, the staff and most of all students means to Satwant. Due to her childhood and the education in particular that she received from an early age she is determined to improve education and help young people, women in particular, reach their destinations. Satwant told me how she loves coming to work and she wants The Henley College to be a great place for young people to study, flourish and progress. 

When asked about the advice she would like to pass on she said how important it is to ‘be true to yourself’ and ‘stay committed to justice for all.’ 

The College is sure to feel the loss when Satwant retires at the end of this academic year. She stated that she will miss the young people the most and their creative minds that are encouraged to push boundaries. When she retires, she’s planning on going travelling and hopes to mentor future principals.