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Dr Valentine awarded OBE

We are delighted to announce that the CEO of the Danes Educational Trust and former Headteacher of St Clement Danes School, Dr Josephine Valentine, has been awarded an OBE in this year’s New Year’s Honours list in recognition of her service to education. As many of you will know, Dr Valentine was Headteacher of St Clement Danes School from 1998 to 2018, during which time outcomes for young people rose dramatically. She currently leads the Danes Educational Trust – a Multi-Academy Trust of two schools. She became a National Leader of Education in 2008 and has led the Herts & Bucks Teaching School Alliance for the past 6 years, over which time the organisation’s schools have trained hundreds of teachers and supported a large number of schools to improve outcomes for young people. In 2013, Josephine Valentine was asked by Hertfordshire County Council to be the Lead Proposer in the opening of a new school which was to become Croxley Danes School. Many parents will have met her at meetings with the local community where she, along with Mr Thompson, lobbied successfully for the school to open. As well as her work for the Trust and Teaching School Alliance, she holds a number of roles at regional and national level advising on policy and overseeing other teaching schools.

Dr Valentine has always been passionate about improving outcomes for young people. She grew up in Wythenshawe, Manchester, and attended The Marist School before going on to study for a PhD in Oral Histopathology at Liverpool University. As one of the first in her family to go to university, she has been committed to ensuring that all young people have the choices and opportunities afforded them by an outstanding education.

She is thrilled and deeply proud to have received an OBE. In a statement, referencing her catchphrase when at St Clement Danes, she said: “In receiving this honour, I recognise and am thankful for the significant support I have received from family, colleagues and friends. Teaching young people is exciting and fulfilling and has been a source of constant joy to me. Leading a school has been a privilege – and, probably, the best job in the world.”

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