Windsor Academy Trust announces new Executive School Improvement Lead

4th March 2024

Windsor Academy Trust (WAT) has announced the appointment of a new Executive School Improvement Lead (Secondary) as the Trust grows with the addition of three Staffordshire secondary schools. 

Kat Howard brings with her a wealth of experience and knowledge, having worked in school and system leadership roles, academy improvement and education advisory roles across her decade-long career in education.

She is currently the Executive Director of School Improvement at CORE Education Trust, which has a strong track-record of driving positive transformation in academies, and is also the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of LitdriveUK, an educational charity that supports English teachers with continual professional development opportunities. 

Ms Howard is also an Expert Advisor at the Teacher Development Trust, where she advises on the quality of National Professional Qualifications and is a member of the Programme Advisory Group at the National Institute of Teaching. She is a Visiting Fellow at Aston University and has co-authored Symbiosis, a leading book on curriculum design in the classroom.  

She starts at WAT in March, where she will be responsible for supporting the Trust’s secondary schools to accelerate their improvement and drive forward performance. 

Leaders are confident the appointment of Ms Howard will build on the strong foundation of excellence at WAT, with the new Executive School Improvement Lead ambitious about continuing to unlock the academic and personal potential of young people across the Trust.  

Kat Howard, incoming Executive School Improvement Lead at Windsor Academy Trust, said:

“I am excited to take up this wonderful opportunity to lead on driving forward the excellent record for improvement and performance that WAT has built. It is an exceptional family of schools, with a great community, amazing students, supportive parents and collaborative teaching and leadership staff. I am looking forward to working alongside all of them to build upon the Trust’s many strengths and continue to focus on developing the learning experience for all our students.”

Dawn Haywood, Chief Executive Officer at Windsor Academy Trust, said:

“We are delighted to welcome Kat to the WAT family and to have her on board for the next stage of our journey. Her experience, knowledge and skillset will undoubtedly be an excellent addition to the exceptional team we already have.

“I know our Education Directorate, led by our Director of Education Dr Dan Owen, and our wider team are looking forward to working closely alongside Kat to continue providing the highest quality education and support in order to unlock the academic and personal potential of our young people.”