Neil Hughes

Senior Partnerships Officer Neil Hughes has recently joined the Great Schools Trust following an impressive 27 year career with Merseyside Police. Neil began his policing career in Toxteth, Liverpool, in the 90s and worked mainly in investigations, before retiring earlier this year as a Detective Sergeant.

Neil’s main purpose in his new role as Senior Partnerships Officer is to strategically and proactively enhance school attendance and student wellbeing, particularly for children from deprived backgrounds. This involves implementing data-driven strategies, collaborating with various agencies to address underlying factors of absenteeism, and developing policies aligned with the Trust's values and legal requirements. Neil will be engaging with families and the local community to foster regular attendance as well as monitor and report attendance trends.

Neil is greatly looking forward to working with families and “building strong relationships in order to promote regular school attendance and address and overcome any barriers.” He is also keen to work closely with staff across the Great Schools Trust, as well as our partner agencies, to build strong working relationships. Neil’s main goal going forward in his new position is “to drive the Trust's mission of making every child a successful citizen and to enjoy their respective educational journey.”

Although Neil will be working across the Trust, he has initially been based at King’s Leadership Academy Liverpool and feels his career journey has brought him full circle. He says: “I am loving being back where it all started!”