Faces behind the frog: Charley Fowler

As part of our 'Faces behind the frog' blog post series, we talk to Charley Fowler about how her background in teaching helps her in her role as a Unifrog Area Manager.
 

What do you find most exciting about being a Unifrog Area Manager?  

I love the excitement when a new partner school comes on board, and we have the first strategy meeting to establish their goals with the platform. It's exciting to help schools take a step back and think about what beneficial changes using Unifrog can bring to their CEIAG programme. Additionally, my partner schools are spread across the East of England and London, and I find it really exciting when I discover cute coffee shops in places that I never would have visited if it weren't for my job. 

As our Gatsby Benchmark Champion, how do you help schools meet the benchmarks? 

As Gatsby Champion, my role is to be as clued up as possible on all things CEIAG policy related. With my partner schools, I'll support them in various ways with this. Often, we'll go through their CEIAG plan with a fine tooth-comb comparing this with the DfE's guidance on meeting the benchmarks. Many of my partner schools are working towards achieving CEIAG awards, so I'll help them by applying my knowledge of how Unifrog relates to the benchmarks and the assessment frameworks for the awards they're applying for.  

How has your background in teaching helped you in this role? 

Before Unifrog, I was an RE teacher at secondary school in Camden, London. Teaching gave me first hand experience of the challenges schools face in a variety of areas, as well as the positive impact good careers education can have on students. Teaching develops your resilience and your ability to empathise with others. All of these things drive me to do a really good job of supporting my partner schools as an Area Manager. I enjoy addressing the variety of issues my schools face relating to careers and destinations, and I love celebrating their successes using Unifrog to combat these. 

What’s your favourite song and why? 

Tough question! I'm all for a girl power anthem. Fighter by Christina Aguilera is one of my faves.