Richard Charles Ronksley

I am CEO of Altus Education Partnership (AEP) and principal of Rochdale Sixth Form College, one of its academies. The college is Ofsted Outstanding, regularly one of the top-performing in the country, and Tes Sixth Form College of the Year, 2021. Recently, AEP opened a new secondary free school and a voluntary converter school is scheduled to join later in the year.

I have over thirty years’ experience in education as a successful leader, manager and teacher with a track-record of achievement in all my roles. I am also a formerly one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors for Ofsted and continue working as an OI.

As headteachers and MAT leaders, we deal daily with the complexities of co-operation and competition in a sometimes very challenging educational landscape. I firmly believe that in this landscape inclusivity and excellence are not mutually exclusive, rather they are central to improving the education and life chances of all young people in our care. I also believe we should work together to join up education from early years to eighteen so that all young people experience a cohesive and high-quality education and smoothly transition between the phases, progressing onto fulfilling lives and careers.