Perry Beeches set to recruit leading business figure to steer commercial operations

THE headteacher of Birmingham’s pioneering Perry Beeches Academy Trust is to recruit a major business leader to work alongside him in future plans to steer the institution’s educational and commercial development.

The move will see Liam Nolan step aside as leader of the school’s commercial activities in favour of what is effectively a Chief Executive Officer.

Perry Beeches Academy Trust was this month given financial notice to improve by the Education Funding Agency, which asked the school leaders to prepare and implement an ‘action plan’ to address its financial management, governance and controls.

Perry Beeches is one of the country’s largest academy trusts, responsible for five separate schools – soon to be seven.

While the trust has developed a strong reputation in academic circles for its efforts to drive up educational standards across the city, it has not always been easy.

This was illustrated last year when the Perry Beeches III school was placed into Special Measures by Ofsted.

While stepping back from commercial activities, Mr Nolan has stressed he will continue as executive headteacher of the trust, which is responsible for 2,400 students.

He said this would allow him to focus on his strengths of headship and educational leadership – and continue to develop new school leaders, teachers and outstanding students.

Mr Nolan said: “In the past nine years we have learned that running a growing group of schools quickly transforms from an educational leadership role into business management and on into corporate governance.

“Perry Beeches has been at the forefront of innovation and regularly in the public eye for its success and so far, on the business front I think the team has done an excellent job. However, there is a time to recognise that we are trained and skilled in the expert education of children and not in running multi-million pound businesses.”

Mr Nolan said he welcomed the guidance by the EFA on improving the trust’s financial management and he said steps were already being implemented.

“We have already been making serious inroads to identify a clear path towards our trust having a fully corporate and professional leadership – which is why I have taken the decision to step aside to allow the appointment of someone with technical business knowledge and experience in this field,” he said.