An influential turnaround trust boss is set to leave his role and move to a Dubai-based global education company launched by one of the world’s biggest private school providers.
Northern Education Trust CEO Rob Tarn has revealed he will up sticks to the Middle East and take up a senior position with a company offering school management services to, among others, governments and investors.
Having led the 30-academy MAT since 2017, Tarn – who is also the government’s attendance tsar – described the decision as “an incredibly difficult one”.
“I have been incredibly fortunate to be offered an exciting new challenge in Dubai as managing director education of First School Management (FSM),” he said.
“FSM is dedicated to provide school management services to governments, school networks, private investors, and developers worldwide to establish high-performing schools and revitalise struggling institutions.”
In 2017, NET leaders were told following an Ofsted summary evaluation the chain had “failed to secure urgent and necessary improvements in too many of its schools”.
Tarn joined when the report was being published. He previously told Schools Week the findings were “highly critical and used devastating language”.
At the time, many of the trust’s “schools were judged as requires improvement or inadequate”.
Plans ‘in place’ for next trust boss
But in an evaluation published two years ago, the inspectorate said leaders and trustees had since “transformed how the trust operates. This has transformed the schools in the trust and the experiences and life chances of the pupils who attend them.”
A date for Tarn’s departure has not been set.
He said that he and his wife “always wanted to spend some time living abroad, not least so that my two children can experience different cultures and opportunities”.
FSM was formed by GEMS Education, which describes itself as “one of the oldest and largest kindergarten to grade 12/year 13 private education providers in the world”.
GEMS was founded by entrepreneur Sunny Varkey, who also launched teacher training charity the Varkey Foundation.
NET chair Mark Sanders added “plans are already in place” for the appointment of Tarn’s successor.
