Celebrating International Women’s Day across our Trust community
03/08/2024
The education sector is fast-paced and recent trends continue to show an increase in women's representation in leadership roles*. Within Brooke Weston Trust, women hold diverse positions, from educators to professional support staff. Furthermore, we have 73 female leaders working across the Trust.
Our talented women contribute invaluable perspectives and drive positive change to our Trust.
As the world marks International Women's Day 2024, we take a moment to highlight some of the remarkable women working across our Trust.
This year's theme, "Inspire Inclusion” resonates with the Trust's commitment and value of ambition for all; to create equitable and inclusive environments where everyone can thrive personally and professionally.
We are proud to have a total of 985 women working across Brooke Weston Trust, representing 70% of our total workforce.
These women occupy diverse roles across multiple departments and hold various levels of seniority. Among them, 323 are teachers, 589 are support staff, and 73 are members of our leadership team. Notably, 73% of our school principals are women, against a national UK average of 69%. We also have more women on our Executive Team than men.
We are not complacent however, we continue to be ambitious for women in the sector and in Brooke Weston Trust, ensuring we realise the talent of every one of our female employees. As we celebrate these women, we highlight their resilience and determination recognising that their stories and perspectives act as a role model for other women. Their dedication and active support of showing what is possible empowers and enables women to know they can lead, innovate and inspire in the evolving landscape of education and beyond.
We asked a few of our employees to share their own perspectives on what International Women’s Day means to them…
Becky Annetts is the Assistant Principal and SENCO at Oakley Vale Primary School. She reflected on the impact that female colleagues have had on her throughout her time at Brooke Weston Trust:
“Reflecting on my 15-year journey at Oakley Vale Primary School, I'm grateful for the opportunities that have shaped my career. From starting as a Year 1 teacher to stepping into the roles of Assistant Principal and SENDCo and SEND Network Lead for BWT, it's been a remarkable journey of learning and development. Throughout this time, I've been fortunate to receive support and encouragement from inspiring women who have played pivotal roles in my career journey. Their belief in me has meant everything.”
Gill Turney is a Teaching Assistant at Thrapston Primary School and has been a part of its community since 1998. She has never taken for granted the positive effect that strong women have had on the school’s culture:
“I've had the privilege of working alongside many dedicated and resilient women throughout my 25 years at Thrapston Primary School. Together, we've created an environment in which we aspire for every child to thrive and learn. International Women's Day gives us all an opportunity to celebrate the colleagues who continue to go the extra mile and inspire us.”
Monica Juan, Head of Governance at Brooke Weston Trust told us about the impact of women in governance:
"On International Women's Day, we celebrate the strength and dedication of women worldwide. At Brooke Weston Trust, I am proud to say that those responsible for overseeing all aspects of governance effectiveness and compliance are women. Together, we're proving that gender is an asset to leadership and achieving excellence."
Sara Coaten is a Teacher and Music Lead at Thrapston Primary School and shares her gratitude for the inspirational women in her life:
“Like so many staff in schools, I've seen so many changes during my 28 years at Thrapston Primary School. But some things never change - the buzz among the children when their learning is successful, the pride and joy they feel in singing and in performing music, and, just as importantly, the support and encouragement from so many wonderful colleagues over the years. International Women's Day gives an opportunity to shine a light on those women in my life, in my school and in the education world as a whole who continue to inspire me.”
Our recently launched People Strategy focuses on providing transparent and accessible career pathways for ALL roles across our Trust. Our people make the biggest difference to the children in our care. #BeTheDifference
As we celebrate International Women's Day, we continue to champion diversity, equity, and inclusion within our Trust and beyond, ensuring a brighter and more inclusive future for all.
