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One small step towards net zero At Forward Education Trust, we’re considering carefully how we can develop our sustainability journey.  We’re looking at this not only from an organisational perspective, where we have bills to pay, energy to consume and a future to protect.  But also for our staff, children and their families, as we develop our curriculum to share thoughts and ideas about what we can and should be doing. One of our primary goals is to reduce costs,…

I often meet with my colleagues to talk about day-to-day matters and plan for the future. Whenever I have a meeting, I try to focus on making the conversation as impactful as possible for the other person because when it’s meaningful for them, it benefits both of us. I’m not perfect at it, but there are a few things I always try to keep in mind. First, I remind myself that it’s their meeting. My job is to listen. I…

As we work with our children through their education and school life, what we’re working towards are the outcomes and hopes for each of our young people.

As the leader of Forward Education Trust, I try to think hard about how do I get the best out of people? I’m constantly learning, sometimes I get things right, on other occasions I get things wrong. I saw an article recently about the smart questions to ask to keep your best employees.  Several of them struck a chord with me: If you could, what’s the one thing you’d change about our organisation?  This is an open-ended question that can…

We think it’s important that we have good relationships with the parents and carers of children who attend a Forward Education Trust school. Each school will have a slightly different approach that’s adaptable given the needs of the child and their family or care situation.  We like to appreciate each family’s individual circumstances and understand how that impacts on a child while they’re in school and while they’re at home.  We respect privacy and confidentiality, but we also have the…

As a leading multi-academy trust in Birmingham, we’re actively seeking to recruit dedicated and experienced Non-Executive Directors to join our Board of Trustees. With over 400 employees, a responsibility for more than 800 children, and an annual budget exceeding £20 million, Forward Education Trust is committed to providing exceptional education across our seven special schools. The Trust is looking for individuals with a strong commitment to civic duty. Ideal candidates will bring expertise in finance, business operations, information technology, or…

Although I’ve been in this role nearly 3 years, since the start of 2022, I still feel like I’m learning every day, thinking about what it means to be the CEO of Forward Education Trust.

EHCPs is an acronym commonly used, but frequently not clearly understood.  As a Trust, our schools are perhaps more familiar than most with the terminology and what they are, as all children who attend a school that is part of Forward Education Trust will have an EHCP.

The Equality Act 2010 introduced some specific responsibilities for public bodies, including schools, which I’m mindful of when I’m trying to develop the Trust’s approach to equality, diversity and inclusion.

One of the most important aspects of my role as CEO of Forward Education Trust is to ensure I do the best thing for our people. That includes ensuring I listen to and understand what staff say, and I appreciate that as well as being in my workplace, they have a life at home that involves a family, responsibilities and the pressures that we all face in our daily lives.