Head to Head with Lee Miller, Deputy Chief Executive, Thinking Schools Academy

Name

Lee Miller

Your current title / role

Deputy Chief Executive, Thinking Schools Academy Trust (and Interim Chief Operating Officer for Bright Tribe and ALAT)

Brief career background

Started at John Lewis on the graduate trainee development scheme, moved to become stock accounting manager for Southampton and Portsmouth. Became Management Accountant from Hampshire Probation services for 4 years. 3 years then as the business improvement manager for First Wessex housing association. Then 10 years in education as a business manager of a maintained secondary school, FD of a MAT and now Deputy CEO

What does a typical working day look like?

Microsoft OUTLOOK management!!

What did you have for dinner last night?

Pasta (spag bol is my fav!)

What was your favourite and most hated subject when you were at school?

Best – Maths! Worst -English – I had an argument with the invigilator in the exam as the question asked ‘What was the author feeling when he wrote this poem?  I put my hand up and said that “I did not care! and how was this going to help me?”

What is the best thing about your job?

The variety and not having a typical day. I am driven by a sense that the decisions I make a difference to young people

If you could change one thing about the current education system what would it be?

To have a policy driven by long term aims and not reactive to immediate pressures, this would be achieved by moving the regulators (OFSTED and ESFA) to a strategy of ‘‘Trust but verify’ policy.

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