An education trust is laying the foundations for future growth by forming a new executive team.
The Emmanuel Schools Foundation has appointed experienced school principals to senior executive roles aimed at shaping its development and maintaining and building on its impressive educational record.
Jonathan Winch, one of the North East’s most successful school leaders, has become executive principal with responsibility for educational standards and outcomes across ESF’s four existing schools – Emmanuel College in Gateshead, Bede Academy, in Blyth, The King’s Academy, Middlesbrough, and Trinity Academy at Thorne, near Doncaster.
As principal of Emmanuel College for the last 11 years, Mr Winch has led the college to its position as Tyneside’s leading state secondary school and through three outstanding judgements by Ofsted.
His new role will also involve mentoring and supporting Matt Waterfield, the new head of school at Emmanuel College, and Gwyneth Evans, principal of Bede Academy.
Chris Drew, who stepped down from ten years as principal of The King’s Academy earlier this year, has become executive principal with responsibility for growth and development.
As well as seeking opportunities for expanding ESF further into the secondary and primary sectors and exploring alternative income streams, he will mentor David Page, principal at Trinity Academy.
The Foundation employs close to 1,000 people and Mr Drew will also seek to identify high calibre candidates for teaching and future leadership roles within the foundation, both internally and externally.
Pat Rowland, who has been with the Foundation for 23 years, completes the executive team as finance director and head of support services with oversight of HR and IT.
Her role involves being lead contact with the Education Funding Agency for all matters relating to the funding of the foundation and its academies, oversight of individual school budgets and tendering arrangements.
Mr Drew said: “The Foundation’s aspirations are to grow from four to potentially seven schools and then to grow further still in the fullness of time, both through schools proactively seeking to join us and the Department for Education identifying schools that would benefit from being part of an established group.
“We are setting both strategic direction and internal infrastructure with the new executive team, sending an encouraging message to our staff teams about our ambitions for the future and the opportunities within the Foundation for them and for our schools.”