A warm welcome to the new CEO of Consilium Academies

19th January 2024

Let’s give a very warm welcome to Michael McCarthy!

McCarthy, formerly CEO of The Priestly Academy Trust based in Bradford, joins Consilium Academies as its new CEO and brings with him an abundance of educational knowledge and expertise.

He boasts an impressive 18 years of experience across the sector!

Before starting his chapter as CEO at The Priestly Academy Trust, he was Deputy CEO of the Tyne Coast Academy Trust, where he was promoted twice from Head Teacher to Director of Primary to Deputy CEO.

Now that’s how you climb the ladder of success…

A vision of excellence and opportunity for all

Consilium Academies, which is headquartered in Salford, includes nine secondary schools across the North West and North East of England.

The multi-academy trust is charged by its mission to “enrich lives and inspire ambitions” for all 6,405 pupils, staff, and the neighbouring communities its schools serve. And that sounds like a cracking mission to us.

Chris Zarraga, Director of Schools North East, said: “Welcome to Consilium Academies, Michael! Congratulations on securing this exciting new position; we’re sure you’ll do a great job in the role.”

Consilium Academies, which includes an alternative provision academy, prides itself on its “distinctively inclusive ethos” and translates its six key values (excellence, partnerships, opportunity, integrity, equity and people-centred) into practice within its academies.

Michael McCarthy said: “I was particularly drawn to Consilium’s values as they are fully aligned with my own, emphasising a people-centred approach and underscoring the significance of integrity alongside excellence.

“These principles resonate deeply with me, and I am eager to champion them as we look ahead to the next chapter.”

Martin Fleetwood, Chair of the Consilium Trust Board, said: “We warmly welcome Michael to the Consilium family. He is fully committed to our vision of providing the highest-quality education that is truly inclusive, giving every one of our students the same opportunities to develop the skills and knowledge they need to thrive in life beyond the classroom.

“Together we recognise that to realise our vision – of excellence and opportunity for all – we will work in close partnership so as to fuel our drive to transform the life chances of young people and their families within the communities we serve.”

Welcome to the family, Michael! We’re sure you’ll thrive in this new position, and we look forward to seeing all the wonderful things you achieve.

Consilium Academies Trust is a Schools North East Partner Trust. If you’d like to find out more about our Partner School Programme click here.

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