A LEADING educational trust has appointed a new CEO to lead its academies into the next exciting phase of development.
The current deputy CEO of the Education Village Academy Trust, Marie Roe, will take the reins from Mike Butler, who is due to retire after more than 11 years in charge of the Darlington-based educational organisation.
EVAT runs Reid Street, Gurney Pease, Whinfield and Springfield primary schools, Marchbank Free School for children with social, emotional and mental health issues, Beaumont Hill Academy for children with special educational needs and disabilities and mainstream secondary school Haughton Academy. Each school is currently rated good by Ofsted.
The Trust is renowned nationally for its sense of community, success in closing the learning outcomes gap among pupils from areas of high social deprivation and its skills working with children with special education needs and disabilities.
Mrs Roe, who is originally from Spennymoor and joined the Trust in 2021 as chief operating officer, said: “The Education Village Academy Trust is a truly unique Trust. Its ethos of inclusivity, diversity and its unwavering focus on what’s best for children and young people is what sets it apart. It’s a privilege to be selected to lead the Trust’s dedicated staff members into the next phase of our journey to continue to deliver exceptional learning experiences and create a place where learning has no limits.”
Mrs Roe was educated in Bishop Auckland before reading a history and politics degree in Leeds and then a master’s in business at Durham University. She began her career in a Regional Development Agency specialising in policy development and community regeneration.
She then moved to housing working in local authorities to improve housing and community services and deliver large-scale capital investment and regeneration programmes across County Durham.
Her interest in education was sparked in 2020 when she became a school governor and joined the board of the County Durham-based Advanced Learning Partnership.
“I felt I had the necessary skills to contribute to building a strong, future-focused multi academy trust and help to improve outcomes for pupils. I’m fortunate to work alongside incredibly talented and committed colleagues and this makes education a hugely rewarding sector to be part of. EVAT has ambitions to grow and with the construction of a brand new free school coming up, we have some exciting times ahead.”
Outgoing CEO Mike Butler said: “I am thrilled at the appointment of Marie Roe as my successor. Having worked closely with her for the past five years, I know she lives and breathes EVAT's core values and that she is fully committed to our child-centred culture and inclusive ethos. She is a highly talented strategic leader, who will build on our Trust's many existing strengths and drive our organisation forward to even greater future successes.”
Chair of the Board of Trustees Ed James added: “We are delighted to appoint Marie, who has a wealth of senior leadership experience, and are looking forward to the next chapter under her leadership.”