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Valentine’s Day rendezvous with Queen for principal  COLLEGE
principal Frank Mc-Loughlin is preparing for a very special Valentine’s
Day date — with the Queen.
For on the day itself Frank is heading to Buckingham Palace to pick up
a special award for his work.
He has been honoured with the prestigious Queen’s Anniversary Prize
For Further And Higher Education.
He collects the prize as principal of City and Islington College in north
London and his success in boosting the study of science at a time when
the subject is in decline nationally.
Frank became principal of the college where he first worked as a lecturer
more than 25 years ago in 2002.
Under his leadership it has become one of the most highly-rated education
establishments in the country.
It was rated outstanding by education watchdog OFSTED in 2005, became
a Beacon College the same year and is the first further education college
to win the Queen’s Anniversary Prize twice.
Frank was born in north London — the second of five children.
His father moved to London from his home in Co. Mayo during World War
Two to join the Land Army.
His Co. Cork-born mother arrived after the war to work as a nurse and
the couple met at the Galtymore Irish dance hall in Cricklewood.
Frank attended St. Joseph’s RC Primary and Cardinal Hinsley Secondary
schools in Harlesden but left to join a junior seminary run by the Montfort
Fathers which was set in the New Forest in Hampshire.
Having decided the priesthood was not the right path for him he left and
studied A Levels at evening classes — doing well enough to take
up a place at Leeds University to study politics.
He then trained to be a teacher and having seen how further education
had benefitted him pursued a career in lecturing in colleges.
City and Islington now employs 1,000 staff, has 5,000 full-time students
and 10,000 taking part-time courses in five specialist centres.
It works with young people and adults from the most disadvantaged communities
in inner city London.
More than 1,000 progress to university every year.
Frank and his wife Fiona have two children — 20-year-old Bridie
who has followed him to Leeds University where she is studying philosophy
and Patrick Christy who is studying A Levels.
Both are aficionados of traditional Irish music — playing the flute
with Bridie taking part in Fleadh Cheoil national competitions.
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