Welcoming our new Director

1st July 2015

SCHOOLS NorthEast, the first and only UK regional network of schools, proudly announces the appointment of its new Director Mike Parker.

Mike joins the organisation at a very exciting time, following a period of constant development and success that has seen SCHOOLS NorthEast strengthen its regional and national reach. He currently lives in Durham and has worked in the town for a number of years.

A former journalist and external affairs specialist, Mike has extensive knowledge of membership networks, national and regional public policy engagement and organisational support.

Mike worked as a national journalist for the Press Association and as a Business Editor; he headed up media and external affairs at the North East Chamber of Commerce and one of the UK’s largest social housing providers, Home Group, and he also previously ran his own public relations business.

Mike said: “It is a great privilege to lead the UK’s only regional schools network at a time of dynamic change in the education sector. Schools nationwide are under immense pressure to deliver at the highest level while facing challenges on many fronts. Against this backdrop, we cannot lose sight of the huge effort and fantastic achievements of our region’s schools in preparing and developing young people and offering them bright futures.

“The North East is fortunate to have such committed head teachers that have engaged proactively for the past seven years in developing a regional network which is at the forefront of helping schools to improve and share knowledge. My team will continue its focus on ensuring schools get the support they need and help them to be recognised as exemplars in their sector.

“Within days of the General Election, the Government tabled its Education & Adoption Bill. We will be strong advocates for the region in Westminster to ensure the Government is mindful of the impact of future legislation on North East schools.”

David Pearmain, Chair of SCHOOLS NorthEast, said: “Beccy Earnshaw was our Director almost from the start and she gave us the SCHOOLS NorthEast that we are so proud of today.

“She was always going to be very hard to replace when she moved to London this year, which is why we had an exhaustive search to find the right director.

“However, in the end we found our man and he found us. The Trustees and I are delighted to welcome the multi-talented Mike Parker as our new Director. We have great times ahead.”

The first major SCHOOLS NorthEast event Mike will attend in his capacity as Director will be its annual Summit on 15 October.  Now in its seventh year, the Summit attracts more than 400 school leaders to network with colleagues and listen to renowned experts from across the country.

Mike also (unofficially) attended last month’s SCHOOLS NorthEast School Business Management conference at St James’ Park, where 300 delegates from across the whole region came together under one roof to celebrate the School Business Manager profession. This is now the biggest event of its type in the country.