In these days of SMS, CAS and Tier 4 we sometimes forget that we are in a noble profession; that of educating the young of this world; guiding them towards a brighter future in an often seemingly darkening world.

The educational world has recently come through a perfect storm of greed and sharp practice by unscrupulous men, resulting in the lowering of standards and the cheapening of the once peerless prestige of education in this United Kingdom.

It is the ambition of Alfred the Great College to go some way to raising the bar of excellence once again. I make no apology as an Englishman, proud of my country and my heritage in seeking a return to the standards that made this little island a world leader in so many areas of civilisation.

Here on our Barbican campus at Glasshouse Yard we are seeking to create a flagship college, an example of excellence to follow and to emulate.

It is our intention to draw a blue print of academic creativity that we can use to found a worldwide network of academic institutions linked directly and indirectly to Alfred the Great College and which will mirror the values and standards we are determined to uphold.

It is of course through economic viability also that we will succeed where others have failed. It is my belief that the strength of any institution must be judged not only on the quality of its product but also the solidity of the financial rock on which it stands. In simple terms, we all need to earn a living and by grouping together we can offer prospective students an education of the first rank, a guarantee of choice and quality that shines out like a beacon revealing the flaws and deficiencies of many of the inferior colleges that surround us. This should greatly increase all our revenues.

The tightening of UKBA and immigration laws is designed to protect the interests of overseas students and raise standards. Let us grasp this opportunity to improve the qualities of our service and thereby prove a greater draw to students who wish to come and study in our institutions, spurning the cheap and outdated attractions of inferiority and crass commercialism.

Our College is named for the only King in English history deemed fit to deserve the epithet ‘Great’. Although cast by circumstance as a soldier, Alfred of Wessex was a civilised man, his example shining bright amidst the gloom of the 9th century dark ages. He re-founded a London devastated by the Danish invader, is credited with the creation of the first English navy: a scholar he codified the laws of the English and ordered the translation into an early English of many of the great classical texts.

Originally destined for the church he is a saint of the Catholic church. His passion for education, especially in a time of great military turmoil, has certainly inspired me in naming this College in his honour and set me on an ambitious path to humbly follow where he led.