FED Ambassador: Trish Franey has been actively involved in the development of leadership and school improvement initiatives at local, regional, and international levels for over twenty years. Under her leadership, a failing urban Primary Community school was transformed and awarded Beacon school status within 3 years. The school was also showcased nationally by the DfES as an exemplary whole school staff development strategy centred around improving the quality of learning for all pupils. Subsequently, as Director of an Education Action Zone she successfully led and managed a disparate group of challenging schools and once again provided the DfES with positive evaluative evidence of the EAZ initiative.
Her passion for learning networks was realised through her senior roles at the National College for School Leadership, in particular her contribution to the DfES Primary Learning Networks programme and the Networked Learning Communities initiative. This led to a LA role focused upon building capacity for improvement through schools networking together. This strategy included Trish’s pioneering work on the commissioning of services to ensure that the quality of provision met the needs of every pupil. Internationally during this period, Trish contributed substantially to school improvement initiatives in Australia, Bermuda and Chile.
In considering possibilities for a reframed educational system following the pandemic, Trish would like to see a greater emphasis on the quality of Early Years provision. In particular, the development of language and communication as fundamental life skills. She believes that these provide the essential foundation for educational attainment particularly when combined with the building of resilience and the enhancement of psychological well-being.
