The new boss of Kenton Schools Academy Trust has vowed to raise standards there. Ian Kershaw is CEO at the trust which operates two secondary academies in the Newcastle area - Kenton School and Studio West
He was appointed by the KSAT board on the retirement of his predecessor. Mr Kershaw, said: "I am proud to be working for a dynamic trust board comprising highly experienced educationists, business professionals and university leaders who bring a wide range of corporate experience to their roles."
He added: "The most important thing is to raise achievement levels of the pupils across both schools and keep everybody focused."
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Mr Kershaw said this will be achieved by motivating staff and pupils and hard work. Extra lessons outside normal hours have already been introduced as pupils and teachers play catch up like the rest of the country due to the affects of the Covid pandemic.
"You can't make up time without giving time," he said. In their most recent Ofsted reports, Studio West was rated good while Kenton School 'requires improvement'.
Mr Kershaw said: "Both schools are on a journey. Studio West is already judged a good school and we want to get it to outstanding. Kenton School requires improvement and their journey is to get as quickly as possible to good."
He said he hoped both schools could attain their higher levels within perhaps two years. The trust board has also appointed Lee Kirtley as executive principal to oversee improvements across both academies with a particular focus on improving outcomes at Kenton School.
Mr Kirtley, who has worked in education for 20 years, took up his role at the end of February. Prior to this, he led Manor Community Academy in Hartlepool from Requires Improvement to an Ofsted Good judgement.
He said: “My vision for education is that students are at the centre of everything we do. Staff are supported to improve their practice to enable them to deliver a high-quality inclusive curriculum.
"This enables all students to achieve their full potential. Bringing my vision alive within both of our schools is my absolute priority.”
Kenton School is one of the largest 11-19 academies in the North of England with 2010 places, while Studio West is smaller with around 600 students.
Mr Kershaw is a well-known and highly respected educationist and independent consultant with expertise in leading and supporting complex organisations and improving outcomes for young people.
He has worked latterly as a consultant and from 2014 to 2017 as CEO of Northern Education Trust, where he presided over the growth of the trust to 20 schools, making it one of the largest multi academy trusts in the north of England.
Mr Kershaw said: "I am delighted to be able to draw upon this and share my own experience with colleagues as we seek to expand the number of academies under our supervision in the future and ensure that KSAT becomes a top performing trust.”
