The Co-op Academies Trust is on the search for a new chief executive after Frank Norris, who has been has been leading the Manchester-based Trust since 2013, announced he would be retiring next summer.
A former senior inspector at Ofsted, Mr Norris has led the Trust in becoming one of the most successful Multi-Academy Trusts in the country.
The Trust is sponsored by the Co-op Group, and is itself a charity controlled by trustees appointed by the Co-op Group. It receives day-to-day funding from the Department for Education and currently operates 12 academies across Greater Manchester, Stoke-on-Trent and West Yorkshire. These include five primary and seven secondary academies with a total of 10,000 students and over 1,000 teachers and support staff.
Earlier this year, the Trust announced plans to expand from 12 to 40 schools in the next three years, growing to more than 40,000 students and 4,000 staff.
Russell Gill, chair of the Co-op Academies Trust, said: “Frank will be a hard act to follow. He has established the trust as one of the most successful and respected that is not only improving the future for thousands of young people but also playing a key role in the regeneration of the communities in which we operate.
“We are looking for a new CEO, who as well as guiding us through a period of considerable change, will provide strategic leadership, manage risk effectively and demonstrate strong financial acumen in a truly co-operative way.”
All the Co-op academies inspected by Ofsted in the past two years have received a “good” rating. The Co-op Group’s strategy is to take over “predominantly weak schools in economically challenged communities in the North, putting in place ambitious turnaround plans”.
