Interim CEO Dr Jason Jones says his major priority will be the students when he takes the reins of the Lighthouse Learning Trust.
He takes over at the trust, which comprises Richard Taunton Sixth Form College in Southampton and St Vincent Sixth Form College in Gosport, on July 20 from outgoing CEO Angela Berry, who has taken up a new post in Cambridgeshire.
His arrival coincides with the appointment of new Chair of Trustees Tina Turner, who succeeds Zoe Huggins after nine years in the role. She said the trust decided to appoint an interim to give it time to conduct a thorough search for a permanent CEO.
“It’s an exciting time at the trust and I am really excited by the opportunity to help shape the future of an organisation whose values align so precisely with my own,” said Dr Jones, who has worked in education for more than 30 years, including senior roles at Richmond Upon Thames College, Farnham College and most recently The Guernsey Institute.
“Right at the centre of my priorities is going to be the learners, they are absolutely at the core of everything that we do and our role as a sixth form academy trust is to consistently improve life chances for the young people and the adults across the communities we serve,” he said. “Every decision we make, everything we ever talk about should always be made with that primary objective in mind.”
He said his priority will be to lead a review of the way the trust delivers its teaching on the back of an Ofsted inspection at Richard Taunton, and a potential Ofsted visit to St Vincent.
The report into Richard Taunton praised its inclusive culture and support for learners, while identifying achievement and attendance as areas for further development. “My immediate priority will be to get under the skin of those areas,” he said. “Right from the start, I need to understand the context behind the progress that we’ve already made towards addressing them.”
Mrs Turner paid tribute to Mrs Berry’s contribution as CEO and said it was an easy choice to appoint Dr Jones as her interim successor. “I want to thank Angela for her outstanding leadership and commitment,” she said. “Throughout her time with the trust, she has led with a clear belief that every young person should have the opportunity to thrive. Her dedication has helped shape our success, and we are grateful for the strong foundations she leaves for the future.”
She said choosing Jason as Angela’s successor was an easy decision. “We felt Jason was a great fit for us because he is so passionate about inclusivity and on improving education for all,” she said.
“He is a great communicator, very analytical and he impressed us with his ability to understand the organisation. We have no doubt he’s going to be able to hit the ground running and move us forward.”
Dr Jones said he has been encouraged by the staff he has met so far. “They have been absolutely fantastic, so committed to the mission and just such lovely people as well, which helps,” he said.
“You can’t make an impact without building relationships and the key to that is listening to people, and trying to get an understanding of what makes them tick. That really helps when you’ve got to hit the ground running.”
He said he has also been impressed with what he has seen of the two colleges. “They are great set-ups and I can see that the trust is in a really strong position,” he said. “I’m just really looking forward to getting started and I feel very privileged to have been given the opportunity to work with everyone here.”
