A Tribute to Carolyn: A Legacy of Impact and Inspiration at Ascent Academies Trust
After a distinguished career spanning over 35 years, Carolyn is retiring from her role as CEO of Ascent Academies Trust. Her departure marks the end of an era for the Trust, but her significant impact on the lives of countless young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) will continue to resonate for years to come.
Schools North East is delighted to publish this article of recognition on behalf of the team at Ascent Academies Trust.
A message to Carolyn…
Carolyn has impacted the lives of countless hundreds of young people with SEND and their families over more than 35 years in education. She has raised aspirations for young people, improving outcomes and preparing them for adulthood, thus improving their life skills and life chances.
Carolyn has also impacted the teaching practice of so many colleagues and other practitioners that she has worked with directly or indirectly through her collaborative approach and networks, enabling them to improve the lives of further young people with SEND.
Her influence in the North East region is vast, in terms of students she has directly taught, families she has supported, colleagues she has worked with, practitioners with whom she has shared practice and collaborated, and those she has inspired to raise their aspirations for young people with SEND.
On a national level, her influence reaches even more leaders and practitioners through her strong voice as part of the FLSE and other networks.
Her achievements are too many to mention, but key issues are noted below:
- She developed a stepped curriculum allowing progress to be demonstrated for all
- pupils with SEND when the National Curriculum was first implemented.
- She developed an outreach base for pupils with SEND based in a mainstream setting
- at a time when this had not been done before.
- She set up a specialist college including SEND pupils that spanned two Local Authorities, both firsts at the time.
She has shared and championed collaborative practice and development with others through established networks and when requested by many people over many years.
She was instrumental in setting up the first ‘all SEND’ multi academy trust in the country, which is successful and looking to grow. She set up the first all SEND local hub for Challenge Partners in the North East.
Ascent has gone from strength to strength since Carolyn was appointed as CEO, including sponsoring underperforming schools. The Trust now contains SEND schools across four local authority areas and is secure and strong, having developed a sustainable leadership model, curriculum, and inclusive, highly personalised provision.
Colleagues are extremely positive about her authentic approach, willingness to support others and driven passion to improve lives. Carolyn leads by example and her leadership skills have inspired others, within the organisation and beyond, through example and the development of an ethical approach where all decisions are made with young people’s interests at heart.
As we all know, and as can be seen from the above, Carolyn is a fantastic educator, practitioner, collaborator, and leader, but is most of all an amazing person. We will miss her so much, but her legacy will live on through the very strong foundations, the culture, and the
values that she has put in place, which are embedded in our existing academies and are now being shared more widely as the Trust grows.
Thank you, Carolyn, from all young people, families, colleagues, and friends of Ascent, past and present. We wish you a long, healthy, happy, and exciting new adventure as you embrace your retirement!
A reflection from Carolyn:
“I have spent the last twelve years working in the Ascent Academies’ trust and the last seven as CEO. I have loved being in this privileged position, leading the growth of collaboration and improvement in all our schools.
We are now entering a new chapter, welcoming two new schools into our Trust, and welcoming a new CEO on board. I know that our Trust will go from strength to strength, building on the solid foundations we have made and providing the best opportunities and experiences for all our young people.
I would like to thank our Trustees, Members, colleagues, families and young people for the support and encouragement they have shown me over the years.”
Chris Zarraga, Director of Schools North East, said: “The team at Schools North East would like to give our sincerest congratulations on Carolyn’s retirement. As a region and community, we are incredibly grateful for her 35 years of dedicated service and hard work.
“Carolyn’s contributions to Ascent Academies Trust have been invaluable, and we are sure her expertise and guidance will be deeply missed. We wish you a long, happy, and fulfilling retirement filled with joy, travel, and new adventures.”
Ascent Academies Trust is a Schools North East Partner Trust. If you’d like to find out more about our Partner School membership, click here.
We love to hear good news from North East Schools! To share your news with Schools North East, please tag @SchoolsNE on X (formley Twitter) or fill out this short form here.