Authors

Claire Heald

Claire Heald has been CEO of since 2024, having previously been national director of education at Academies Enterprise Trust.

Claire, who was also deputy chief executive at Inspiration Trust, is accredited as a National Leader of Education, is a trustee of education charity and is chair of .

All articles by Claire Heald
How we built a successful CEO-chair dynamic from day one
A multi-academy trust chief and its chair of trustees explain how they addressed working together to ensure alignment in direction, but also the space to challenge and think
Staff Management
28 November 2025
Synchronised swimmers
Beyond phonics: why England still has a reading problem
The latest phonics screening check data is further proof that teaching reading is not ‘done’ at the end of KS1, writes Claire Heald
General
10 October 2025
School children with phonics cards
How we’re turning around pupil reading outcomes
New data this week showed just how challenging a problem reading is in schools, says Claire Heald, director of education at AET. Here, she outlines how her trust is approaching it
General
25 November 2022
Book butterfly