Colleagues and dignitaries gather to celebrate the life and achievements of a stalwart of education.

On Saturday, June 15, an event was held at the Institute of Education, UCL, to celebrate the educational contributions of the late Sir Tim Brighouse. Many attendees had worked with or been inspired by this giant of English education. The event was fittingly hosted by Sir Jon Coles, who led the London Challenge for the Department of Education and is currently the CEO of United Learning, the largest Multi Academy Trust in England.

The presentation traced Sir Tim’s life in education, beginning with his schooling in the Midlands and Lowestoft. He earned his degree from St. Catherine’s College, Oxford. Afterward, he entered the education sector and quickly advanced to the role of Director of Education in Oxfordshire. This was followed by a similar role in Birmingham and then in London, where he established the London Challenge. I had the privilege of working for him between 2003 and 2008 as the Strategic Director of the Leadership Strategy.

For each part of his journey, those who knew him testified to his impact not only on the school system but also on their lives. His boundless energy, creativity, unpredictability, can-do and will-do drive, attentiveness, inclusiveness, focus on classroom activities, and effective use of data were all highlighted. All of this was rooted in the sheer humanity of the man.

The impact of our work with him was presented by Professor David Woods, CBE, Dame Sue John, and Dr. Vanessa Ogden, CBE. David worked with Tim in both London and Birmingham and co-authored several significant publications with him. In London, he became one of Tim’s original Challenge Advisers and, after Tim’s retirement, went on to lead the work with the Education Department. Dame Sue, an outstanding headteacher in the city, ran the secondary part of the Leadership Strategy and continues to work tirelessly with and support several national educational organisations, including Challenge Partners. Vanessa, a headteacher during the Challenge, wrote her PhD on its impact, highlighting Sir Tim’s significant role. She is currently the CEO of the Mulberry Trust, which is founded on her outstanding school in Tower Hamlets and continues to grow in London.

The significant overall impact of Tim’s work in London was highlighted by those in political power during the London Challenge. Lord David Blunkett, the Secretary of State for Education at the launch of the initiative, and Baroness Estelle Morris, who successfully succeeded him, were key figures. Additionally, Sir Michael Barber, Head of the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit, and Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair, also emphasised the importance of his contributions. Their glowing testaments to Tim’s character and achievements remind us all that school improvement occurs within a political framework.

Events such as these are rare, and attending them prompts reflection on many things. As we approach a general election in the United Kingdom, we are reminded of the urgency to change the system that existed at the start of the Blair governments. Now, the education service in England is still recovering from the impact of homeschooling that occurred during the pandemic, student attendance and wellbeing are worse than before and struggling to improve. We are also facing a teacher recruitment crisis. Yet, education hardly receives a mention apart from proposals to recruit new teachers and put VAT on private school fees. This might be partly because education is devolved to the countries, but it does illustrate that education is low on the national agenda.

Another one of the reflections we made was about the style of leadership Tim provided. He believed that people wanted to improve, and the role of leadership was to nurture them. He looked after us when we failed, supported us during times of crisis, shared in our endeavours, pointed us in the right direction when required and praised us for our successes. In my own case, at a point in my career when things were very difficult and several years after we had worked together, I received one of his notes out of the blue, simply saying, “A perfect storm, it will pass.” He was right about that, as he was about so many other things. 

More than 20 years after The Challenge was launched, which over five years moved London from the worst performing region in England to the best, London continues to outperform the other regions. Researchers have struggled to adequately explain why this is so. For us who worked through this transformation we are certain that without Tim playing such a critical role it would not have happened. What a fitting legacy for an outstanding educationist.

Sir Tim Brighouse, January 15 1940 – December 15 2023

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It was good to see so many of our colleagues at Tim’s event. I am sure that working collaboratively in our own school and with others across the city to improve the life chances of young people in one of the major cities in the world was a highlight of our careers. 

Take care and stay safe

George

George Berwick