Leading Catholic Schools and Sixth Form Colleges
in the 21st Century:
Opportunities, Rewards and Challenges
The aims of the conference:
- To share and celebrate successful leadership and to support governors and others with responsibility for appointments and succession planning in fulfilling their roles
- To support prospective applicants for headship posts in Catholic schools, including those not currently teaching or leading in the Catholic sector
- To encourage creative and distinctive solutions to the challenge of securing heads for Catholic schools
The speakers and presenters:
Steve Munby has been Chief Executive of the National College for School Leadership since March 2005. Steve began his career as a secondary school teacher in Birmingham, later moving to the North East of England where he worked as a teacher and then as a lecturer. In 1987 he became a consultant on assessment and records of achievement working for the nine North East LEAs, before taking up a post at Oldham Borough Council in 1989 as an Inspector within the Education Department. In Oldham he went on to manage the Advisory Service before moving to Blackburn with Darwen as Assistant Director in 1997. From 2000 to March 2005, he was Director of Education and Lifelong Learning in Knowsley. Although he has a background in school improvement, his particular expertise is that he has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of Newcastle United Football Club.
Fr Michael Holman SJ is the provincial of the British Jesuits. He succeeded
Fr David Smolira SJ in 2005.
Fr Holman studied at Heythrop College, University of London; Campion Hall, Oxford; The Weston Jesuit School of Theology, Cambridge, Massachusetts; and Fordham University, New York, and holds degrees in Philosophy, Theology and Education Administration.
He has worked in Jesuit schools in Glasgow, Sheffield and latterly at Wimbledon College where he was headmaster for nine years until July 2004. Fr Holman also has pastoral experience in the field of Ignatian spirituality and spiritual direction.
Of his appointment Fr Holman said:
Becoming a Jesuit is the best thing that happened in my life. I am proud of the considerable contribution of British Jesuits have made and are making to the Church and wider society in the United Kingdom, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Guyana.
The particular gift we Jesuits bring is our rich tradition of Ignatian spirituality. This enables men and women from all walks of life to encounter Jesus Christ right at the centre of their lives and inspires them to live the Gospel more generously in response to the love they have experienced.”
Kate Griffin is Head Teacher of Greenford High School, a large multi-ethnic, mixed comprehensive in Ealing. Greenford is a Language College and as a high performing specialist college has also become a Training School and a Leading Edge School. There are 500 students following Post-16 courses and they have an opportunity to follow access, intermediate and advanced level courses.
In addition to her work at Greenford she was President of ASCL (then SHA) from 2002 to 2003. Recently she has concentrated on leadership development and international matters being a London Challenge System Leader, and an NPQH tutor. Having represented ASCL on the Councils of the European School Heads Association (ESHA) and the International Confederation of Principals (ICP), she commenced her term as President of ICP in January 2007.
At Leicester University she obtained a B.Sc in Mathematics and Psychology and PGCE; her M.Ed. was awarded by Newcastle University. She is a member of the LSN Board, the DfES Head Teacher’s Mathematics Reference Group and the CES management committee and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
She is married and has two sons.
Olivier Mythodrama was founded six years ago by theatre director Richard Olivier (son of Laurence Olivier and Joan Plowright), with the aim of developing authentic leaders in all kinds of organisations. The group has worked with leaders and aspiring leaders from private and public sectors, including health and education, and has won widespread acclaim. In this session participants will be introduced to the story of Shakespeare’s most inspired and inspiring leader, Henry V, tracing the king’s progress as he responds to challenges from within and without.
Bishop Peter Doyle was consecrated Bishop of Northampton in June 2005. He has a keen interest in education and is a member of The Bishops Conference Department for Education and Formation. He is also a member of the management committee of the CES. He will be attending the National Conference on Wednesday 9th May 2007.
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