If I Knew Then: Julia Gray

Julia Gray is the principal and CEO of City of Bristol College, with more than 20 years’ experience of working in the further education sector. She started her career in teaching after graduating with a degree in equine sports science in Lincolnshire and has since taught in a variety of settings and levels.

Before joining City of Bristol College in January 2023, she was part of the senior leadership team and latterly the interim principal and CEO at Calderdale College in Halifax, as well as being an Ofsted inspector.

How did you start out in your career?

“I had originally intended to study law at university but changed my mind at the eleventh hour to follow my passion into a career with horses. I worked with show horses, event horses and taught riding as a freelance instructor during and after my degree earning not much money so when an opportunity came up for a lecturing job at a land-based college with a steady income, my mum forced me to apply! I loved working in further and higher education and by the age of 25, I had been promoted to head of department.”

If you knew then what you knew now, what mistakes would you have avoided? 

“I have a strict policy of ‘no regrets, only opportunities to learn’. Humans are always going to make mistakes and if I hadn’t made them then, I wouldn’t know what I know now so I wouldn’t be able to avoid anything. Working in education particularly, I think it’s important to understand that we make mistakes and we learn from them. No one arrives as the finished article and we all have a responsibility to teach the next generation.”

What advice would you give yourself when starting out? 

“Trust yourself, remain authentic and be brave. I remember learning quite early on in my career not to listen to the negativity that others can bring. Everyone is on a journey and it’s important to not be knocked off course by someone else’s views. I would advise myself to make my own judgments and trust them.”

If you knew then what you know now, would you still be sitting there?

“Absolutely, without question. I love my job and feel incredibly privileged to be able to do this job on a daily basis.”

What do you know now that you didn’t know then?

“An awful lot! I could probably write a book on this question alone but then half of the fun is in the learning and adapting. At one point in my career, my job title was ‘learning manager’, and a very well-respected professor asked me if that was because I managed learning or was learning to manage. My answer was both! I don’t think we ever stop learning so if you asked me this question in two years, the answer would be the same.”

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received so far?

“‘Be your authentic self’ from a fellow principal and CEO in the north of England. It took me a while to work out what this meant for me but it has really stuck with me and I remember it daily.”

Julia Gray has been the principal and CEO of City of Bristol College since January 2023 – photo: City of Bristol College

What is your business highlight? 

“Gaining a Grade 2, Good, from Ofsted at our recent inspection in January. Every colleague at the college has worked so hard to achieve this and the grade represents their dedication to high-quality education for our students and stakeholders in the city of Bristol and beyond. It was a proud day.”

What is your business low point? 

“There were many during the pandemic but the second lockdown and closing the doors again to students was a very difficult time. I was working at a college in West Yorkshire at the time and I knew how much the students needed the college for routine, for an educational, creative and social outlet and it was heartbreaking to not be able to provide that in person. The education sector went above and beyond during periods of lockdown with many colleagues working twice as hard to ensure that no student fell through the cracks, but it couldn’t replace in-person education and it was a difficult time for the whole country.”

What keeps you awake? 

“Questioning whether or not I am doing the right thing for the students, colleagues and stakeholders of City of Bristol College. It’s a big college and in education you are always striving to improve so it keeps me awake balancing the needs of everyone and delivering on our goal of excellence.”

What’s changed from when you started out?

“The FE sector changes on a weekly basis. I often describe it as a speedboat flying along the waves. It’s exciting, thrilling, quick to change direction but you have to hold on tight and be prepared to feel a bit seasick on the journey! The biggest change is to funding with enormous cuts (actual and/or real-term) to the funding of skills-based post-16 training for at least 15 years. This is a massive challenge and means that every year, we have to deliver more for less. We are very good at diversifying and pivoting the model in the FE sector but there’s only so much cutting of the cloth you can do without expecting proper centralised funding of the workforce of the future. It’s time we shout a bit louder in the FE sector and make our voices heard.”

What’s still on your to-do list?  

“We have some big projects coming up at City of Bristol College. My to-to list is pretty much full with them and delivering excellence in post-16 education to the city of Bristol and beyond will always remain right at the top of that priority list.”

What’s next for you in business and personally?

“What’s next for me in business is living up to the expectations of colleagues, students and stakeholders at the college. It will be my biggest challenge both personally and professionally and one I will work hard to achieve.”

Main photo: City of Bristol College 

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