Outwood Grange Academies Trust appoints Interim CEO

Outwood Grange Academies Trust (OGAT) has appointed Lee Wilson as Interim Chief Executive Officer to succeed Sir Martyn Oliver, who will move into the role of His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of education, children’s services and skills from 1 January.

Sir Martyn was recommended as the government’s preferred candidate by the education secretary, Gillian Keegan, earlier this year and was then endorsed by the education select committee following a pre-appointment hearing in September.

Chair of the Board of Trustees at OGAT, David Earnshaw CBE, said:

“We are all delighted for Sir Martyn and believe that it is important for the position of His Majesty’s Chief Inspector to have the experience of working in schools with significant challenges; something which Sir Martyn has in abundance.

“Since the initial announcement of his appointment, we have been working hard as a Board of Trustees to ensure that our family of schools has strong interim arrangements in place and are pleased to confirm that Lee Wilson will step up as Interim Chief Executive Officer. Lee brings an immeasurable amount of experience in leadership, school improvement and community engagement, ensuring that we can continue to move forward at pace on behalf of our students, families and communities.”

Lee Wilson’s most recent role at the award-winning multi academy trust was Deputy Chief Executive Officer, before that, he spent ten years as Chief Executive Principal (Primary), responsible for the strategic leadership of OGAT primary schools – which, where inspected, are all rated Ofsted ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’.

A national leader of education since 2013 and recipient of a National Teaching Award, Lee has a proven track record of transforming schools and improving outcomes for children. Throughout his career at OGAT, he has demonstrated an ability to collaborate effectively across different phases of education, working across the Trust’s 13 primary and 28 secondary academies, as well as their post-16 centre and an alternative provision.

A strong advocate for community-based civic leadership, Lee firmly believes that schools are integral to fostering community strength, partnership, and cohesion. In line with this vision, he spearheaded OGAT's strategy to establish family and community support hubs which serve as vital resources, not only for students but also for the wider community.

Lee said:

“I am excited to take on the role of Interim CEO at this exceptional organisation, where every single person strives to do their very best, every day, to put students first. Katy Bradford, our Deputy CEO and I look forward to being able to lead this team into the next chapter of the Trust’s story. I am certain that by working collectively, and in strong collaboration across the entire family of schools, we will achieve many great things within, and for our school communities.”