Schools boss ‘will turn things around’

The new leader of a chain of schools that has battled controversy since its temporary boss was paid £127,000 for five months’ work pledged to turn things around but warned it would take time.

THE NEW leader of a chain of schools that has battled controversy since its temporary boss was paid £127,000 for five months of work via his private company has pledged to help turn things around – but admitted it will not be “an overnight fix”.

Chris Pickering, 62, inset, has taken over at the Wakefield City Academies Trust (WCAT) after interim chief executive Mike Ramsay stepped down earlier this month. In January, The Yorkshire

Post revealed WCAT paid the equivalent of more than £25,000 a month for the services of Mr Ramsay between March and August last year.

The cash was paid to Hi Tech Group Ltd, a company controlled by Mr Ramsay. The firm was also paid to provide IT services to the trust, which runs 21 schools.

WCAT said Mr Ramsay’s pay was in line with market rates and proper tender processes were followed when awarding contracts.

But a fortnight ago, the trust announced Mr Ramsay had stepped down and a new CEO had taken over “with immediate effect”. Mr Pickering, previously the CEO at Diverse Academies Trust in the East Midlands, said he is determined to improve teaching and learning across the group. He added: “It’s all about the future. “Within the corporate body and the academies, my first impression is that there are many highly committed, quality staff who will be right at the heart of moving the organisation forward. Our focus will be very much on the quality of teaching and learning, on children’s personal development and welfare, safety and safeguarding and communication.”

Mr Pickering said the trust was looking to achieve consistency across all the academies.

“The challenge is to quickly build the capacity within the trust and the academies to effect rapid improvement. That will involve identifying where there is expertise across the trust and harnessing it to provide challenge, support and, where necessary, intervention to raise standards. It’s not going to be an overnight fix and colleagues here and in our academies need the support, confidence and commitment of our communities to help turn things around,” he said.

“For our staff, we will be looking at high-quality professional development and career opportunities. We want a multi-academy trust that is led, managed and run by the people who work within it.”

Mr Pickering’s career began as a teacher at Danum School in Doncaster. He was headteacher at Sheffield’s Westfield School before he moved to Tuxford School in Newark, turning it into an Ofsted-rated ‘outstanding’ provider of education. He became executive head of Tuxford and the National Church of England Academy Trust in 2007, before becoming CEO of the newly-formed Diverse Academies Learning Partnership in 2011. It has grown to nine academies, including seven secondaries, and will increase to 14 by September.

Mr Pickering said: “My deputy has taken over as interim CEO at Diverse while I focus completely on this role. We will maintain a significant relationship between the two organisations, sharing best practice, resources and improving capacity at WCAT.”

He added: “I’m determined to make a difference for the children and staff at WCAT.”