Having been a Trustee of Brighter Futures from the beginning, I am pleased to be taking up the role of Chair from January 2024 and I will endeavour to reflect the excellent work done by my predecessor. The Board members collectively possess outstanding professional experience and expertise from a range of sectors and a deep knowledge of the social and economic landscape framing the priorities of our family of schools; it is with humility that I embark on the Chairship.
Until now I have been Chair of the Standards and Outcomes Committee, affording me the privilege of working directly with the Heads of each school, to see how the Trust’s support structures have impacted on the experiences of young people and colleagues.
My professional background is one of education leadership, having served as a Secondary Head for 15 years, in Rotherham and Doncaster schools, overseeing significant improvement journeys in each, and semi-retiring in 2019. Prior to that I was a Deputy and Acting Head in Huddersfield, having started in the profession as a science teacher in Nottingham schools. Since retirement, apart from Trustee work, for BFLPT and for the Linacre Institute, I have worked as a consultant on DMBC’s Education and Skills strategy development and as a Quality Assurance Officer for the National Teacher Accreditation appropriate body for Early Career Teachers.
My personal philosophy for leadership is to blend uncompromising aspiration with humanity and respect. In such challenging times I am proud to be part of a Trust which stands on those principles. Notwithstanding the challenges, there are exciting times ahead and I will hope to play my part in ensuring that the Trust optimises for each child, young person and staff member the benefits of the collective and collaborative opportunities of being part of Brighter Futures.