A legacy of inclusion: Mike Butler to step down after decades in education
The country’s longest serving academy trust leader is to step down at the end of the school year after decades of helping children of all backgrounds and abilities. It’s safe to say that he will be greatly missed, and his presence, support, and contributions will be fondly remembered.
CEO of the Education Village Academy Trust (EVAT) — and Schools North East Trustee — Mike Butler plans to retire in the summer ending a successful career working for equity and inclusion.
Fully inclusive—something that’s all too rare
Mike currently leads the Darlington-based EVAT, which operates:
- Reid Street
- Gurney Pease,
- Whinfield and Springfield mainstream primary schools
- Marchbank Free School for primary children with social, emotional and mental health conditions,
- Beaumont Hill Academy for children aged two to 19 with special educational needs and disabilities
- Mainstream secondary school Haughton Academy
Each school is currently rated good by Ofsted.
“I was a Head Teacher at 35 and I think it is time to hand the reins to someone new to lead the Trust through its next phase of development,” said Mike, who has been at EVAT for the past 11 years.
“This is a time of significant national reform in education and I don’t want to start anything now that I’m unlikely to see through to the end.
“All of our schools are graded good by Ofsted. We have teams of incredibly talented people. The teamwork and collaboration, the way colleagues support each other and the depth and breadth of expertise we have across the Trust to meet the needs of all young people is absolutely fantastic.
“We have developed a culture over the years, in line with the vision of one of my predecessors Dame Dela Smith, to become fully inclusive, which is something you don’t always see in society at large.
“Our mainstream pupils learn alongside some children with incredibly complex and challenging needs, but for them this is just their daily norm. Other mainstream schools come to us for guidance on SEND and it has been great to play a role in the Darlington Inclusion Charter which strives to allow children to feel that they belong in school and fully achieve to the best of their ability.”
Strong commitment to helping to overcome barriers
From humble beginnings, Mike was brought up on the Isle of Sheppey in the mouth of the River Thames. His O levels included Russian and Spanish, his A levels French, and he began his career teaching English as a foreign language.
After securing a degree in English, he studied for a PGCE in Manchester, which included teaching practice in the city’s Moss Side area, infamous at the time for gangs, riots and gun crime. He subsequently taught in Derbyshire and Leicestershire, before moving to work in areas in inner city Nottingham, which reinforced his commitment to helping to overcome barriers caused by socio-economic deprivation and the need for inclusive education.
Early in his career he was given responsibility for examinations, curriculum and resources, having shelved plans to travel around the world teaching English as a foreign language in favour of committing to state-maintained education.
After being promoted to acting director of sixth form, he headed ICT development at a time when technology in schools was in its infancy, his school being a pioneer in Microsoft’s Anytime Anywhere Learning programme, which led to him presenting at national conferences.
He then became deputy principal of Djanogly Technology College in Nottingham. “At that time it was dubbed ‘the gun crime capital of Europe’ but the school was an oasis for the children in an area rife with drugs and prostitution,” he recalled.
“I’d been there three weeks when the LEA asked us to take over a failing school where just one per cent of pupils achieved five or more GCSEs including maths and English. Morally it was the right thing to do for the children and this put us at the forefront of the City Academies Programme, with the building of a new school catalysing further regeneration of the local area.
“When the principal retired, I was delighted to become one of the first academy principals in 2003, having been privileged to be selected from a national field of candidates.”
Ten years later, Mike left to do national policy work and support newly formed academy trusts, building on his previous role as chair of the Independent Academies Association. However, he missed working directly with children, their families, school staff and local communities. When he saw the opportunity to lead inclusive, all-age provision at EVAT, he jumped at the chance and took up post as CEO at the start of 2015.
Chris Zarraga, Director of Schools North East, said: “Our sincerest thanks go to Mike for his long-standing support for Schools North East for over a decade, first as a member of the Advisory Board and later as a Trustee.
“We also thank him for his wider contribution to the education system. The strength of the North East education community lies in its people, and he has been a central part of that. He will be greatly missed, and we wish him all the best in this exciting new chapter.”
Exciting plans to rekindle his love of travel
He now plans to rekindle his love of travel, trekking and mountaineering and hopes to tour Europe, Australasia and South America with his wife, as well as continue his voluntary work with Ascent Academies Trust and Schools North East.