Alison Smith: Director of School Improvement (Primary)

Alison has worked in education for over 20 years. She is highly committed to supporting the development of educational provision which allows pupils and adults to flourish.

Most recently, Alison was the Assistant Director of Education for the Diocese of York Education Team (effectiveness).  Alison had primary responsibility for monitoring school effectiveness and performance across 123 Diocesan schools in 7 Local Authorities and supporting the Diocesan Board of Education in securing the effectiveness of its schools and academies.  She monitored and reported on a range of school performance information and worked in partnership with a range of bodies including Local Authorities, DfE and Ofsted.    She provided school improvement advice to individual schools and provided support and development for leadership across the Diocese.  This included leading on Headteacher Appraisal, Headteacher Recruitment and support for new leaders.  Alison also has a depth of experience working to support a number of governing boards overtime, as an IEB member and a trustee with a number of academy trusts.

Prior to joining the Diocese of York Education Team, Alison worked for North Yorkshire Children and Young People’s Service for 16 years, beginning as a Primary School Teacher, and then as an Advanced Skills Teacher who supported teaching colleagues to develop their practice across a variety of schools and settings across North Yorkshire. Following a number of senior leadership roles including EYFS, KS1, English and SENCO Leader, Alison became a Primary Headteacher and Executive Headteacher for nine years, leading successful school improvement in a wide range of areas. 

In her role as Director of School Improvement at CLT, Alison works alongside the CEO, the Central Team and Headteachers in order to lead the strategic development of the school improvement strategy and provide support and challenge in line with the needs and priorities of each school. The CLT approach to school improvement is based upon a shared vision focused upon an exceptional educational experience for every child. Alison works with academies at the different stages of their journey of continual self-improvement to achieve this.  An essential element of her role is linked to the vision of the trust as a learning community for all, therefore Alison supports and facilitates effective collaboration between the schools and quality professional development at all levels.