Financially stricken David Ross Education Trust has appointed international school CEO Stuart Burns as chief executive.

Mr Burns, who has 26 years’ teaching experience and is currently chief executive of the International School of Monaco, will lead the 34-strong academy trust from July.

He was previously head of one of the trust’s schools, Bobby Moore Academy in East London.

Exclusive: OGAT and David Ross MATs to ‘collaborate’

Background: Major MAT losing chief executive and leading school head

Finances: Staff asked not to overfill kettles in bid to save money

Tes revealed in December that DRET’s chief executive, Rowena Hackwood, was stepping down at the end of the academic year.

David Ross Education Trust ‘increasing strength’

It was also revealed by Tes in February that DRET had urged its schools to use cover supervisors instead of supply teachers and to only boil as much water as they needed in their kettles, in a bid to help tackle its deficit.

The trust’s most recent published accounts for 2018-19 show that it faced a deficit of £1 million.

David Ross, chair of the David Ross Education Trust, said: “I am delighted that we have appointed someone of Stuart’s pedigree.

“As a former head in our trust, he understands the organisation inside and out and is passionate about our mission to broaden horizons and to provide our pupils with a world-class education.

“As well as exceptional educational expertise, he brings international and commercial experience to the role.

“He is extremely well placed to build on the recent work to stabilise the trust’s finances, setting the trust’s primary schools on the path to excellence and driving further progress to embed high standards of behaviour, curricula, teaching and pupil outcomes in our secondary schools.

“I have every confidence that under his leadership the trust will continue to go from strength to strength.”

Mr Burns said: “I have long admired the ethos and values of the David Ross Education Trust and look forward to working closely with the deeply committed central team and headteachers in order to develop the existing strategy and build on the trust’s increasing strength.

“In particular, I welcome the clarity of purpose around the standardisation of ambitious curricula and outcomes for all of our pupils and look forward to enhancing that process.”