NEET's
Speakers
Roy Blatchford Roy Blatchford is Director of the National Education Trust (Reg. Charity No. 1112893), an independent foundation dedicated to improving the quality of education nationwide, shaping its future, and working to help close the achievement gap. Previously he was Her Majesty's Inspector of Schools (HMI) in England, with lead responsibilities for school improvement and for the national inspection of good and outstanding schools. Roy has inspected and reviewed over 300 schools (primary, secondary, special) and colleges in the UK, USA, Middle East and India. Roy was Principal (1999 - 2003) of Walton High & Walton Learning Centre in Milton Keynes, opened in September 1999 and described by OFSTED as 'a first class centre of learning - innovative and inspiring'. He was Founding Director (1996 - 1998) of Reading Is Fundamental, UK a non-profit organisation developing children's reading and family literacy. From 1986 - 1996 he was Headteacher of Bicester Community College, an Oxfordshire comprehensive school serving 1200+ 11 - 19 year old students. He spent thirteen years teaching in inner-London schools, youth and adult services, and has for twenty-five years been a trainer and speaker with schools, parents, governors and Local Authorities on literacy, raising student achievement, school improvement, leadership and innovation. He has served as a government adviser. Roy has worked with HM Prison Service, the NHS and the Arts Council in a number of voluntary capacities. He is the author/editor of over 150 books and is a regular contributor to the national press. |
Nick Donlevy Nick Donlevy joined the Department for Education and Skills in 2003 to work on the London Challenge Programme and has since worked in a number of areas including helping to write the white paper, higher Standards Better Schools for All and taking the subsequent Bill through Parliament, that eventually became the Education and Inspections Act 2006. From later summer 2006 Nick worked in the Education Team at the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit focusing on the Government's secondary and post 16 targets. On returning to the Department for Children Schools and Families, from the PMDU, he established the 14-19 Regional Advisers, before recently becoming the head of the 14-19 Targets Team in Young People's Participation and Attainment Group. Nick is also chair of governors for the Federation of Kingswood and Elmwood Primary Schools in Lambeth, London. |
Dr Beverley Burgess Following five years working for the Further Education Funding Council and two years working at Birmingham University, Beverley joined the LSC in November 2001 to lead on provision for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Whilst in this post, Beverley led for the LSC on the independent review of its funding and planning of provision for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities which lead to the report Through Inclusion to Excellence. Subsequently, she led for the LSC in the development of its first ever strategy for this area of work – Learning for Living and Work which was published in October 2006. For the last two years, Beverley has worked on the implementation of the government’s 14-19 reform agenda and currently leads for the LSC on increasing young people’s participation in learning and in reducing the number of young people not in education, employment and training. |
Professor Les Ebdon CBE Professor Les Ebdon CBE took up his appointment as Vice Chancellor of the, now, University of Bedfordshire, in 2003. Since then he has led the University through a successful development programme, which has seen significant growth in student numbers to over 17,000 and a merger in August 2006 with the Bedford faculty of De Montfort University to form the new University of Bedfordshire. He is active regionally as the Chair of the Association of Universities in the East of England and as a Director of the Bedfordshire and Luton Economic Development Partnership. Nationally, he is the Chair of the university think-tank - Million+, a Board member of the Universities and Colleges Employers’ Association, a member of the Universities UK Board, Chair of the Universities UK Student Experience Policy Committee and a member of the Universities UK Health and Social Policy Committee. He serves as a member of the National Council for Educational Excellence, is a member of the Parliamentary University Group Council, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts. He also serves on the Editorial Board of the Times Higher Education and two international learned society editorial boards. He was recently awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science by the University of Plymouth and was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the New Year’s Honours List 2009. |
Fiona Blacke Fiona Blacke is a professionally qualified youth and community worker with a Masters degree in Community Education. Born in London the bulk of her professional practice and experience was gained in Scotland in both rural and urban settings, initially as a grass roots worker. Latterly she moved to regional and then national roles supporting policy and practice in the spheres of staff training and development, adult learning and finally youth issues. In 2002 Fiona and family moved to Tees Valley where she took on the role of Chief Executive of Connexions and in 2004 she joined the LSC as Executive Director in South Yorkshire and, following their restructuring, Regional Director of Learning Planning and Performance in Yorkshire and Humber. She played a leading role regionally and locally in the LSC’s work around the 14-19 agenda. She took up the post of Chief Executive of The National Youth Agency in August 2007. Since coming to post she has begun to fulfil her ambition of visiting every local authority area in the first eighteen months in post. She is highly visible in the youth sector serving as a member of the DCSF 14 – 19 Stakeholders Group; the Aiming High Stakeholder Group; Expert Group on the Children’s Workforce; and the Children and Young People Interagency Group. Fiona is an active supporter of the End Child Poverty Campaign. She proactively promotes integrated working and the place of youth work in ensuring young people develop to their fullest potential. Fiona is the mother of 4 with an age range of 10 – 25. She is passionate about her family, young people and social justice and a committed gardener and cook when her workaholism permits. |
Susan Anderson After leaving University Susan worked in retail management before joining the CBI. She was appointed Director of Human Resources Policy in June 2000 taking responsibility for education and training issues as well as employment policy issues at UK and international level. Susan moved to take responsibility for educational and skills and public services in July 2008. Susan is also a Council member of ACAS (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) and a Commissioner on the Low Pay Commission. |
John Hayes MP John Hayes was elected as Member of Parliament for South Holland and The Deepings. Conservative Parliamentary candidate for Derbyshire North East in the General Elections of 1987 and 1992. Councillor, Nottinghamshire since 1985. Conservative spokesman on Education since 1988 and Chairman of the Conservative Group’s Campaign and Political Committees. John has been Secretary of the Agriculture Select Committee and Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Backbench Education Committee. He was a Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Party until July 2000, after which he became a Front Bench Spokesman for Education and Employment. In September 2001, he was appointed an Opposition Whip. In July 2002, John was appointed Shadow Minister for Agriculture. In November 2003, he became a Shadow Minister for Local & Devolved Government, with responsibility for Housing and Planning. In May 2005, he became a Shadow Minister for Transport. Since December 2007, he has served as the Shadow Minister for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education. |
Chris Roberts Chris Roberts is Assistant Director for Young People at Bradford College, West Yorkshire. Bradford College is one of the largest GFE Colleges in the country as well as one of the largest HE providers in the sector. Since his appointment to the post in 2005 Chris has worked to develop effective and responsive partnerships in the College and across the Bradford Metropolitan District, to radically improve the participation and outcomes for young people. Key strategies have included re-engineering the curriculum, new customised provision, flexible delivery, and highly targeted IAG and learner support. |
Eddie Stride Eddie Stride is the CEO of Tower Hamlets based charity City Gateway (www.citygateway.org.uk), an organisation he has passionately led for 5 years and grown from just 5 staff to a team of over 30. Together they are working to bring hope to the local community by engaging, mentoring & training disadvantaged young people and women. Having been born in the Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel, Eddie has lived in Tower Hamlets his entire life and inherited a passion from his parents, who are also heavily involved in community regeneration. He has a passion to see inequality reduced both in the UK and across the world, and has a particular interest in exploring new ways in which we can do things differently to help achieve this goal. His work in Tower Hamlets not only successfully pushed a CSR agenda before the topic was mainstream but has also led to the establishment of a number of social enterprises, giving local people real chances of employment and development. Eddie studied Geography at Cambridge University and wrote his dissertation on some of the issues affecting the East End of London as years of decay have collided head-on with fresh investment and development of the area. He has now been married 3 years and loves travelling, writing & recording music, playing football and being involved in his church, where he manages the church football team. |
Paul Fletcher Paul has worked for Rathbone since 2000, initially as Development Manager for Special Projects, since August 2005 as Assistant Director for Inclusion and Participation and from June 2007 as Director for Youth Engagement. He has extensive experience working with young people with offending backgrounds and youth justice agencies; he recently led the highly successful National e2e Offender Pilot. Before joining Rathbone he worked for 20 years for Manchester and Salford Education Departments delivering face to face youth work before moving on to developing and managing services for excluded and disengaged young people. |