mark wilson biography: July 2012

Sep 2005-Aug 2012

Headteacher, Robin Hood Primary School, Leeds
ofsted rating: outstanding (April 2011)

The Inspection Report began thus: Robin Hood Primary is an outstanding school. It provides outstanding value for
money as pupils of all abilities and backgrounds, including those with special
educational needs and/or disabilities learn and progress exceptionally well. A highly
inclusive ethos ensures equality of opportunity and the tackling of discrimination are
the highest priorities. Inspirational and innovative leadership by the headteacher
promotes the highest quality of ambition and vision for the school. Consequently, it
has gone from strength to strength in recent years. Rigorous self-evaluation at all
levels of leadership has secured an impressive record of improvement from good to
outstanding in key areas such as outcomes for pupils, teaching, and leadership and
management. All these characteristics demonstrate the school’’s outstanding capacity
for sustained improvement.
Pupils’’ achievement is outstanding. They join the school with skills broadly typical for
their age. By the end of Year 6, they attain highly in English and mathematics. Key
strengths in the outstanding outcomes for pupils stem from high quality teaching, an
exceptional curriculum and first-class care, guidance and support for all. These
elements enhance pupils’’ excellent knowledge of how to lead safe and healthy lives.
Pupils’’ exemplary behaviour plays a vital role in enabling them to make high quality
contributions to the school, local and wider communities. The combination of these
key skills, coupled with pupils’’ excellent spiritual, moral, social and cultural
development, ensures that they leave Robin Hood with a range of skills that provides
a first-class foundation on which they can build for future success.
The Early Years Foundation Stage is developing well under the good guidance of its
relatively new leader. Strong overall provision ensures children make good progress
from their starting points. However, their creative skills do not develop as quickly as
in other areas of learning due to a lack of planned creative opportunities across the
separate Nursery and Reception classes.
Fast-developing governance provides checks and balances in support of the school’’s
improvement agenda. Safeguarding arrangements are good. The school strives with
increasing success to engage parents and carers in pupils’’ learning and school life.
The highest quality of partnership work also encompasses the excellent promotion of
community cohesion.

June 2011
Robin Hood became a National Support School (NSS)
I became a National Leader of Education (NLE)

NLE Press Release

Leeds Headteacher chosen for key school support role

The Headteacher and staff at Robin Hood Primary School have been selected for a top role supporting schools in challenging circumstances.

Mark Wilson, Headteacher at the school, is one of only 95 headteachers to be appointed to the role of National Leader of Education (NLE) in the latest recruitment round. He will now be invited to the National College’s Learning and Conference Centre in Nottingham in April for a formal induction and training for the role in driving school improvement.

NLEs use their success and professionalism as school leaders, along with the staff in their school – designated a National Support School - to provide additional leadership capability in struggling schools or those in transition to federation or academy status. The deployment is tailor-made to suit the needs of each school. The type of support provided is flexible and can involve NLEs becoming acting or executive headteacher of the client school or schools. They also have responsibility for bringing on the next generation of NLEs and National Support Schools.

Mark said: “It is a privilege to be able to work with other schools and school leaders. I am delighted that both staff from Robin Hood and I are recognised by the National College for our quality and are able to contribute to the wider system, helping to improve life chances for children in schools beyond our own.”

Many in the National Leaders of Education/ National Support Schools scheme see improvements in exam results at both the support and client schools with progress achieved in excess of the improvements nationally.

The number of NLEs is set to almost double to 1,000 by 2014.

Toby Salt, Deputy Chief Executive of the National College, said: “It’s great that heads like Mark are becoming NLEs, looking beyond their own school gates to help more and more pupils get the best start in life. This scheme is about the best school leaders helping the rest and the results speak for themselves with benefits for both the schools and academies being supported and those providing the support.

“School-to-school support is having a growing impact across the education system and this is thanks to the hard work and dedication of all those involved. Helping other school leaders in this way is admirable and something I’d encourage other heads to consider.”

Jan 2012
I began supporting a local school in my role as NLE.

mark wilson biography

Executive Headteacher

Headteacher

Deputy Headteacher

Assistant Headteacher

ICT Consultant Teacher Adviser

Teacher