Sandie Quinn

I have been privileged to work with young people for over 15 years and in that time I have had many roles, all of them Pastoral.

I am the Designated Safeguard Lead and Assistant Principal at a Lewisham secondary school and I feel passionately that for a young person to fulfil their potential they need to feel safe, supported and listened to. I try to encourage and help every young person I work with see there is always a positive choice to make and even when things may seem tough, with hard work and dedication they will succeed.

There are many things I enjoy in my job but working with families to work out solutions to help benefit the child has to be one of the more rewarding aspects of my job. Being able to help young people through hardships and to encourage them that there are brighter days is something I strive to instil in every student I work with. Being a part of such a strong inclusion team allows me to enjoy my job that bit more as I know that the people I am working close with share the same goals and ambitions as I do.

To be able to provide a safe and inclusive environment for young people has always been a concern of mine and having worked in a Lewisham secondary school for as long as I have enables me to fulfil this want to help young people and have picked up the key attributes that it takes to be successful when working with the younger generation of today.