Rachel de Souza

Dame Rachel Mary de Souza DBE (born January 1968) is a British educationalist, and former head teacher. Since 2012, she has been the chief executive of the Inspiration Trust.[1] Rachel de Souza was appointed a Dame in the 2014 New Year Honours for her services to education.[2]

Personal life

Born in Scunthorpe in 1968, she was the middle child among three brothers. Her father was a steelworker, her mother an Austro-Hungarian refugee. She attended a local Catholic comprehensive school and earned a BA in Philosophy and Theology at Heythrop College, University of London. She later completed a PGCE at King's College London before moving with her husband to Oxford, where he studied at Jesus College.[3]

Career

De Souza taught in Oxfordshire and Luton, later served as deputy head at Denbigh High School, Luton.[4] Her first headship was at Barnfield West academy in Luton, before being appointed principal of Ormiston Victory Academy in Costessey, Norwich.[5]

In 2012 she co-founded the Inspiration Trust, a multi academy trust based in Norwich. The Trust opened with a single school in Great Yarmouth but has since grown to include 14 schools across Norfolk and Suffolk. The Trust includes sponsor academies, converter academies, and free schools, with age range from nursery to sixth form.[6]

In December 2020, the Second Johnson ministry nominated de Souza for the post of Children's Commissioner for England, the most powerful child protection post in the country.[7] Later that month, at a time when numerous Children's Commissioners, including those for Wales and Scotland, had already committed to banning corporal punishment against children, de Souza was criticised for failing to do so.[8]

References
  1. "About us". Inspiration Trust. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  2. "New Year's Honours lists 2014 - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  3. "Dame Rachel de Souza, CEO, Inspiration Trust". Schools Week. 2014-09-30. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  4. "Dame Rachel de Souza". Schools Week. 30 September 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  5. "Rachel de Souza: 'We went to pupils' homes and got them out of bed'". The Independent. 2011-10-27. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  6. "About us - History". www.inspirationtrust.org. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  7. "Dame Rachel de Souza set to be next children's commissioner for England". the Guardian. December 8, 2020.
  8. "Next children's commissioner for England fails to back smacking ban". the Guardian. December 15, 2020.
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