Author: Jess Staufenberg

Caron Johnson arrived to change alternative provision, and it changed her. After taking her school straight to ‘outstanding’, she explains what she wishes she’d known in mainstream Caron Johnson, executive headteacher at The Rowans Alternative Provision Academy in Kent, hadn’t really intended to leave mainstream schools. In 2010, her then-boss told her about a job […]

Marcus Shepherd fell in love with teaching by accident and was a principal at just 27. He tells Jess Staufenberg why a super-strong mentor is the key for leadership When Marcus Shepherd, principal at the Wells Academy in Nottingham, landed the top job, he made an unusual request. He knew behaviour at the school was […]

Julian Drinkall took on the biggest trust turnaround job going. Here he talks about constraints, innovation, bravery – and why he removed every single chair of governors Julian Drinkall, departing chief executive of Academies Enterprise Trust, was asked to hurry the heck up and start his post early. He was scheduled to begin in March […]

Solving special educational needs provision and scrapping SATs are just a few policies firmly in the sights of ambitious Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper  Unlike the new Labour shadow education team, the Liberal Democrats are standing by what could be quite the vote-winner among teachers: scrapping Ofsted. Daisy Cooper, the party’s deputy leader and education spokesperson since […]

The Department for Education’s former director of schools was in the hot seat during the free school meals voucher fiasco. Now an academy trust boss, she talks about never making assumptions A week before Christmas, Sarah Lewis was sitting down in front of the public accounts committee for a grilling.   In front of her was […]

Almost seven years after Schools Week first profiled Rachel de Souza, we return to find out what she wants to do with the top role for protecting children in the country “We’re like a little republic within the Department for Education!” Rachel de Souza beams at me. The recently appointed children’s commissioner for England is […]

The straight-talking chief executive at Cornwall Education Learning Trust opens up about two years as a regional schools commissioner and sitting behind the closed doors of headteacher board meetings. Lisa Mannall does not scream ‘civil servant’. But, for two years up until 2019, that’s what she was: one of eight regional schools commissioners tasked with […]