NAHT deputy general secretary to take up charity CEO role

Nick Brook, the current deputy general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, has announced he will step down from the role in March.

Brook has been appointed chief executive of social mobility charity Speakers for Schools. He will retain his role as chair of the Department for Education’s (DfE) strategic tutoring advisory group.

The former primary school teacher had been in the NAHT post for more than six years.

He had also previously worked as a senior civil servant for government departments including Ofsted, the Home Office and the Training and Development Agency for Schools.

Commenting on the announcement, Brook said: “It is a huge privilege to be appointed as Chief Executive of Speakers for Schools, an organisation whose mission I care deeply about.

“Throughout my career, I have worked to ensure that the least advantaged young people have a better chance to succeed in life, so I am delighted to be joining such a fantastic organisation which is driven by this very aim.”

Speakers for Schools was founded by ITV News political editor Robert Peston in 2010 with an aim to stem educational inequality.

In September, it launched its first national campaign to make work experience a universal right for state-educated young people and better embedded in the school curriculum.

Its chairman, Andrew Law, said Brook’s appointment would “reinforce” its work to “broaden the horizons of young people, especially the disadvantaged”.

“Nick brings and energy and focus that will inspire Speakers for Schools to be the outstanding charity and partner of choice in advancing social mobility across the UK.”

The strategic tutoring advisory group was established by the DfE in November to make sure the National Tutoring Programme (NTP) stays on track.

After being appointed as its independent chair, Brook told Schools Week that the NTP’s implementation had been “problematic”.

“Tutoring is no silver bullet but, done right, it could help significantly more disadvantaged young people to succeed,” he said.

“The potential for good is simply too great for us to stand by the side and watch the NTP struggle or fail.”