Oasis Community Learning has appointed John Barneby as its chief executive, replacing John Murphy, who stepped down in the autumn.
Mr Barneby had been interim chief executive at Oasis, which is one of the country’s biggest multi-academy trusts, made up of 54 primary and secondary schools across England.
He has worked at the trust for 15 years, having been chief operating officer between 2014 and 2023 and head of group IT services for six years.
His predecessor, Mr Murphy, spent nine years as CEO of Oasis.
The MAT also announced today that it is looking to appoint a chief education officer in the new year.
New boss at Oasis Community Learning
Reacting to his appointment, Mr Barneby said he felt ”more committed than ever” to delivering Oasis’ vision “by creating places where everyone is included, making a contribution and reaching their God-given potential”.
”Working in education is such a privilege and seeing the difference our amazing teams are making to bring greater equity and life choices to our students feels more like a mission for life, than a job. I feel honoured to be able to lead the organisation going forward as CEO of our education function,” Mr Barneby added.
In a joint statement, Caroline Taylor, chair of the Oasis Community Learning board; Dave Parr, Oasis’ group chief executive officer; and Steve Chalke, founder of Oasis, said: “Leading Oasis Community Learning is one of the most exciting jobs in education, so we are not surprised to have had such a talented field of candidates.
“In the end, we were moved by John’s vision for the future, and his unwavering commitment to providing the best educational opportunities for every young person in the Oasis family, and to support communities that are socially and economically disadvantaged.”
