Sir Steve Lancashire, the founder and chief executive of the REAch2 Academy Trust, is to step down next year.
The trust’s board announced today that Lancashire, who has run the 60-school chain since its foundation in 2012, will step down as CEO from September next year.
REAch2 is the largest primary academy trust in the country, and operates in 18 different local authority areas.
The trust board said it would be working over the next six months to “identify a successor”.
Jeremy King, chair of the board, said: “Although we are sad to see Steve leave, REAch2 schools are in a good place with 87 per cent judged as ‘good’ or better by Ofsted, compared to 17 per cent when they joined the Trust.
“The trust is in a stable position with a positive trajectory and trustees are feeling confident about our ability to continue to deliver with a new CEO at the helm.”
Lancashire said REAch2 had been “my joy and my passion”.
“Having dedicated my professional life to the academies over the last 10 years I feel that the trust is at a point of success and stability that means this a good time for me to hand over for a new CEO to take the helm.”
He said the trust had a “wonderful team achieving amazing things, and I leave REAch2 in a great position to continue to develop and deliver exceptional outcomes for children”.
Lancashire said he hadn’t “yet made plans for what I will be doing next, but REAch2 will always be a part of me, and I look forward to seeing the Trust continuing its current path of success”.
“The support, camaraderie and professional generosity that people have shown makes me humble and so proud to have had the privilege of leading the organisation.”
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