Four primary school headteachers have been awarded MBEs in the New Year Honours List.
The serving heads are among 57 people working in or with schools who have been recognised in a list that included a knighthood for an academy trust chief executive and a damehood for a professor of social mobility.
Remi Atoyebi, the head of Osmani Primary School in east London for 20 years, was “gobsmacked” when she found she had been awarded an MBE for services to education.
Thirty-five per of pupils at her school are eligible for free school meals and 99 per cent speak English as a second language.
Atoyebi has worked hard to widen pupils’ horizons through programmes such as partnerships with City firms. The school also runs a range of classes for parents, including English and computing workshops, and a volunteer scheme to help parents gain work experience.
As a member of the BAME community, Atoyebi is “deeply committed to inclusive leadership” and has coached and supported more than 50 people from BAME backgrounds to reach senior leadership roles.
News of her MBE “still feels very surreal”.
“I’m deeply grateful, and I’m humbled,” she said, adding the recognition is “not just for me” but for staff, pupils, parents, and Osmani’s governing body.
Edison David, the executive headteacher of the ‘outstanding’-rated Granton Primary in south London said he was “deeply honoured” to have received an MBE.
‘I share this honour with all teachers from overseas’
“It has been a privilege to serve children, families and school communities in this country for nearly two decades”. He moved to the UK in 2001 and is believed to be the first person of Filipino heritage to receive an MBE for services to education.
“I share this honour with all overseas teachers and leaders who contribute so much to the fabric of British education,” he said.
Vanessa Langley, the head of Arbourthorne Community Primary School in Sheffield for 18 years, said she was “elated” to have received the honour, which she dedicated to the community.
“Genuine inclusion for learning sits at the heart of what makes us special,” she said.
“We’ve got 38 languages spoken here, 45 per cent of the children on the special education needs register, 70 per cent entitled to pupil premium and 44 per cent global majority. It’s a vibrant and energetic environment.”
Tackling hardship in wider community
Ofsted described the school in 2022 as “a place of joy, inclusivity and learning” where “everyone is valued”.
The school redistributes surplus food, grows produce on-site for families, and runs a community kitchen for parents.
“Parents have some very challenging circumstances,” said Langley. “Unless we address the needs of the community…it’s very difficult to get the outcomes that we’ve been looking for.”
John Francis Towers, the head of the private Barrow Hills School in Surrey, also received an MBE.
Meanwhile Rebecca Bollands, head of Earlson Primary in Coventry, was made an MBE for services to cultural education.
She has helped create cultural opportunities for thousands of young people, particularly those “who would not otherwise” have them, through roles at the Coventry Cultural Education Partnership and the Royal Ballet and Opera.
She described the “transformational” effect of the arts, and importance of ensuring access for disadvantaged young people. “Going into our heritage places, cultural places, theatres, that’s something that they have a right to as well.
“It’s about that accessibility – them realising actually I’ve got as much right to be in these buildings as all these people with tons of money and…advantage.”
Knighthood for trust CEO
Dr Stephen Taylor, the chief executive of the 35-school Cabot Learning Federation (CLF) and chair of the Queen Street Group of academy leaders, was knighted for services to education.
He paid tribute to those at CLF and in the wider sector “whose work and successes have inspired me over the years to strive to do my best for the children we serve”.
He was “extremely grateful for this honour and look forward to sharing the news with colleagues and sharing the experience with my family, whose support I never take for granted”.
Sonia Blandford, professor of social mobility at Plymouth Marjon University and founder of the school improvement charity Achievement for All, was made a dame.
She thanked “all my colleagues, friends and family for your support and kindness throughout my career”, adding: “I am proud to be a member of the teaching profession.”
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