Mark Lehain announced as new Campaign Director

Parents and Teachers for Excellence are delighted to announce that Mark Lehain, founder of Bedford Free School, will be joining the organisation as Campaign Director. Mark was previously a member of PTE’s Advisory Council.

Mark will be working closely with the Advisory Council and others to ensure that PTE’s vital work continues to reach an ever-wider audience, and that the campaign continues to grow. PTE is delighted with the impact that the campaign has had since launching in autumn last year, but there is still much more to do, and Mark will be sure to take the campaign to new heights, recruiting even more parents and teachers to the cause of a knowledge-rich education and all that comes with it.

Mark brings a wealth of educational experience to the role, having founded one of the first free schools in the country in September 2012. Bedford Free School has thrived under his tutelage, and they recently created the Advantage Schools multi-academy trust with Elstow School, as well as receiving permission to open another free school in September 2018. Mark will be replaced by Stuart Lock, who is also a member of PTE’s Advisory Council.

Mark said the following on his new role: “I am delighted to have been chosen as Parents and Teachers for Excellence’s first ever Campaign Director. PTE has done wonderful work in the months since its inception, and now is the time for the campaign to move up to the next level.”

“I intend to work with people from across the country to further PTE’s aims in schools throughout England, making sure that as many children as possible benefit from a great knowledge-focused education that also encompasses a wide range of enriching extra-curricular activities. I have no doubt that parents and teachers from across England will continue to join our campaign to ensure that their children – and all children – get the best education possible.”

Dame Rachel de Souza, Chief Executive of Inspiration Trust and the Founder of Parents and Teachers for Excellence, said the following: “We are absolutely delighted that someone as talented and as experienced as Mark has agreed to become our first Campaign Director. Mark has had plenty of first-hand involvement on the front line, and knows what needs to be done in education after founding the well-renowned Bedford Free School. I can’t wait to see where he takes our campaign at a time when it is needed more than ever.”