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22 October 2026

Long Read

Sharing the story of their lives, from the frontline of FE

Rebecca Gater’s book examines the eclectic career paths of FE’s leaders which mirror her own struggle to the top

Jessica Hill

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11 min read
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It was challenging but it’s made me as a person. It made us as a family as well

Rebecca Gater, principal and chief executive, Solihull College and University Centre

Rebecca Gater was already preparing for two of the biggest tests of her professional life when the phone rang.

It was 2022, and Solihull College & University Centre’s vice principal for curriculum and quality had a gruelling two-day interview approaching for the top job. She was also preparing to defend years of doctoral research in her viva examination.

Then came the call from Ofsted. The college was about to undergo its first inspection since merging with Stratford-upon-Avon College four years earlier. Gater was its nominee.

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