Our CEO, Dan Parkes, has been shortlisted for CEO of the Year award.

Presented by Optimus Education, in partnership with the Confederation of School Trusts (CST), the MAT Excellence Awards are all about celebrating excellence and impact in school trusts around the country.

Dan Parkes has been recognised for his vision and unwavering commitment leading The Mercian Trust’s social mobility and social justice mission to increase opportunities and improve outcomes for students, especially disadvantaged students, students with special educational needs and disabilities and those more likely to face discrimination.

Kevin Davis, Chair of the Board of Trustees at The Mercian Trust said: "Whilst Dan will no doubt point to the team of leaders and staff throughout our trust and each of our schools, like we do, he should take great pride in this nomination. Being shortlisted as a finalist for this award is public recognition of his purpose-driven approach to leading our trust and our schools with a clear vision and strong commitment to social justice, inclusion, innovation, and improvement. Thanks to his efforts, and the dedication of everyone in our Trust who work so hard every day for the communities we serve, more young people are achieving their potential, thriving in the world of work, and making a positive contribution to their community.

This recognition and achievement comes in the wake of many recent initiatives, accomplishments and celebrations at The Mercian Trust, including:

A successful Trust merger creating one of the largest school trusts in the region
National recognition for the Trust’s two selective grammar schools who are the most successful in the country at increasing the number of local disadvantaged students passing the entrance test and joining the schools
Opening a brand-new purpose-built campus in Walsall Town Centre including an alternative provision free school for students at risk of permanent exclusion from mainstream schools alongside a forthcoming Digital Skills Hub to provide real-time connectivity between students, industry professionals and employers.
National recognition for pioneering work around youth mental health, including establishing an in-house multi-disciplinary team of clinicians and allied health professionals delivering interventions and providing support to vulnerable students.
Organising and hosting the region’s first Youth Suicide Awareness and Prevention Conference at Villa Park
A multi-million-pound investment in the digital infrastructure of Trust schools underpinning the ongoing transformation of how staff teach, students learn, leaders lead and the whole Trust operates in readiness for the AI-supercharged careers and workplaces of the future
A catalogue of successful inspections where all trust schools maintained or improved their Ofsted judgements (including two Overall Outstanding Inspection Outcomes).