Sarah Skinner

My commitment to ensuring that our students’ one chance at their education really counts has shaped my 30-year career that began teaching PE in Thurrock.

In 2009 I was appointed as Headteacher of Claydon High School following a Deputy Head role at Farlingaye High School. I became CEO of the South Suffolk Learning Trust in 2017 and I have worked with our community to enable all our learners to be effective communicators, independent, resilient, and with a life-long passion for learning, and for our staff to achieve excellence through collaboration within and beyond our Trust.

I remain outward-facing, attending Ofsted Headteacher reference group meetings, participating on local IEB, and was a governor for the Virtual School during lockdown. I am a committed partner to our local Teaching School Hub.

I am an experienced facilitator, coach, and mentor, and can demonstrate rapid school improvement, strong financial leadership, and support for governance.

I am standing as a candidate for the Advisory Board as I believe I have the local experience and knowledge to effectively support the RSC’s decision-making process. I feel I can bring to the role a supportive yet challenging mindset to ensure the best decisions for students.