The teacher-training provider Ambition Institute has appointed a former Department for Education civil servant as its new chief executive.
Hilary Spencer will lead the organisation’s three-year plan to double the number of teachers and school leaders enrolled on Ambition’s programmes.
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The organisation has also appointed a new chair, Rebecca Boomer-Clark, former regional schools commissioner for South West England and the current director of secondary at Ark Schools.
Ambition Institute was formed last year by the merger of Ambition School Leadership and the Institute for Teaching.
It has appointed Ms Spencer at a time when it is redesigning some of its programmes.
Ambition Institute ‘tackling the disadvantage gap’
The organisation has said that all its training programmes aim to help pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds match the progress made by their peers.
Its Future Leaders programme trains school leaders to close the achievement gap in disadvantaged areas, while Teaching Leaders - funded by the DfE’s Teaching and Leadership Innovation Fund - develops the skills of middle leaders to improve academic attainment in disadvantaged schools.
Ms Spencer previously worked for over a decade at the DfE.
She said: “Ambition Institute plays an important role in helping our education system to keep getting better - through its direct impact on teachers and leaders in some of our country’s most challenging schools, and by working to drive improvement across the wider system.
“That’s why it’s such a privilege to be joining as CEO, to use the expertise I’ve gained in my time working across government to lead Ambition in its bid to deliver its important mission.
“That mission is to help make England’s education system the best in the world, supporting thousands of educators over the coming years to give even more children access to the best opportunities.”
Ms Boomer-Clark is replacing Sally Morgan as chair of Ambition Institute, as Baroness Morgan is stepping down after 13 years in post to take up the position of master at Fitzwilliam College, University of Cambridge.
Ms Boomer-Clark said: “Teachers and school leaders deserve the best professional development.”
“I am delighted to have Hilary on board; her far-reaching knowledge of our sector will help us reach more educators and schools with the highest-quality professional development, to drive system-wide improvement.”
