Former Bassetlaw MP Lord John Mann appointed to trust board that runs Worksop's secondary schools

Lord Mann is a non-executive director on the board of Outwood Grange Academies Trust, which has over 30 schools across the north, including Outwood Academy Valley and Outwood Academy Portland.

The former MP said he was delighted at the appointment and looked forward to ensuring the schools continue to grow and give students new opportunities.

He felt that if the schools continue to improve and build on the great exam results then it will make Worksop an attractive place to live.

Lord Mann said p art of his role was ensuring that as the town continues to grow, then the schools expand to meet the need for places.

"The schools are there to serve the whole community,” he said.

"I have already started getting the trust looking much more strategic in looking at what is planned with future housing development.”

He said that deprivation should not be a boundary for any child in education and he wants to open doors for the schools to offer more extra curricular activities.

He added the trust was looking at “getting on top” of its exclusions policy and wants to provide “more effective provision” in Worksop for excluded pupils.

Lord Mann said: “There needs to be a provision to make sure that all children are coming out of there [school] able to get into the world of work and do their best.”

The trust’s chief executive officer, Martyn Oliver said: “We are delighted to welcome Lord Mann to Outwood, we have worked well together in the past and we look forward to continuing this productive partnership as we enter a new era for the trust.

“While he was serving as MP for Bassetlaw, we enjoyed a very strong relationship with Lord Mann, who offered great challenge and support to the Outwood schools in his constituency, and he was actively involved in working with students through the hosting of annual visits to the House of Commons for students.

"We believe Lord Mann’s vision and values sit well with our own, in particular supporting students in understanding and implementing British Values.”

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