So, I’m saying goodbye to teaching in FE. It’s bittersweet.

At a time when I truly thought that I was done with the whole teaching malarkey, FE provided somewhere that helped me regain my confidence - it was a place in education where I felt that I was doing some real good.

For over a decade, I found a home in FE, an environment where I could fit in and enjoy teaching again.

Most of that enjoyment has been derived from the people that I’ve taught. The vast variety of ages, backgrounds and experience has meant that there’s rarely been a dull moment. I have had preconceptions challenged, been witness to incredible strength of character and had a right laugh along the way.

That’s one of the abiding memories I’ll take with me as I move on: the huge amount of joy I’ve experienced as I’ve flapped about in workshops and classrooms. I hope that, at some point, those that I’ve flapped at have learned something along the way.

Although I won’t be teaching in FE, I’ll always rep for a sector that does so much with so little and has improved the chances of countless students up and down the country. It’s the least I can do in return for all it has done for me.

Here’s to you, FE.

Tom Starkey until this week taught English at a college in the north of England