Stewart Biddles

I became a teacher to improve children's lives. As a school leader, I help others to improve children's lives. It is the driving force behind what we do.
In over 25 years serving as a teacher and senior leader, in areas of high deprivation as well as in schools in affluent areas, I have learned that collaboration and the sharing of ideas and good practice are the best ways in which to affect school improvement and promote the best outcomes - academic and social - for our children and young adults.
As a National Leader of Education, Director of a Teaching School and partner in various educational organisations such as Leading Schools South West and SWIfT, and now as a leader of a multi-academy trust with a reputation for supporting others, I know that small, outward-facing and forward-looking MATs have a vital role to play in our region and I want to ensure that these successful groups of schools are represented at a time when the message we seem to be hearing is 'bigger must be better'. Better is better, together we can achieve that, large and small, for all our young people.