Steve Blakelock, assistant headteacher at Wootton Bassett School in Wiltshire, is to take semi-retirement this summer. From September, he plans to teach sixth form students two days a week. Three other colleagues are also retiring: Graham Short, PE teacher and head of transition, who has been at the school for 26 years; Kevin Eames, former head of English, who leaves after 27 years; and Isobel Moore, stepping down as head of languages to work part-time after 30 years at the school.
Sir James Sassoon, formerly managing director of the Treasury’s finance and industry directorate, will take over as chairman of the Ifs School of Finance from Donald Brydon in December. The retiring chairman has headed the organisation since 2006. Sir James, 53, is a director of the Nuclear Liabilities Fund and the Merchants Trust. He is now a member of the economic recovery committee of the shadow cabinet. Before joining the Treasury under Labour he spent 17 years at UBS Warburg, latterly as vice- chairman of investment banking.
Isle of Wight Council has appointed Deborah Cameron interim assistant director of its children and young people’s services, with special responsibility for safeguarding. Ms Cameron was a director of social services for Newham, in east London, for 10 years and more recently
chief executive of Addaction, the UK’s largest specialist drug and alcohol treatment charity. She was a foster carer and adopted two children aged of 14 and 17.
Simon White has joined Suffolk County Council as interim director of children and young people. He has previously worked as director of social services in Camden, north London, and was chief executive of Waltham Forest in north-east London. He has also held consultancy posts in Hackney, east London, Lewisham, south-east London, Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire councils.
Wokingham Borough Council has appointed Andy Couldrick general manager for children’s services. He leaves Oxfordshire as the council’s head of service, children and families in September, after being instrumental in leading the implementation of its children’s centre programme. He originally qualified as a social worker and has more than 25 years’ experience in children’s services in West Berkshire, Milton Keynes, Reading and Berkshire.
Paul Ennals, chief executive of the National Children’s Bureau since 1998, was knighted in the Queen’s birthday honours list. In his work for the charity, Mr Ennals has looked to improve the lives of disabled children, children in care, bereaved children, and other vulnerable groups through play provision and by supporting children’s participation in service planning.
Before heading the NCB, Mr Ennals was director of education and employment for the Royal National Institute of Blind People, which provides support for the blind and partially sighted.
Winningform
Last week was an extraordinary one for St Anne’s Catholic Primary in Chelmsley Wood, Solihull. First, Joy Senanayake, a teaching assistant, won the regional Teaching Award, making it through to the national final to be held in London. Second, Ann Conway, the school’s crossing patrol warden, was appointed MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours. And third, Leighton Smith, a Year 6 pupil and goalie in the school and district football teams, won the English Schools FA under-11s seven-a-side trophy with Solihull at Wembley. One week, three winners; all are pictured below.
