New head teacher appointed for York secondary school

Simon Barber will take over from Brian Crosby at the helm of Manor CE Academy in the west of York in September.

Mr Crosby is moving to a senior position leading the Hope Learning Trust, York, of which Manor is part, and will retain strategic oversight at Manor and other secondary schools that join the trust.

Mr Barber is currently head teacher of Holy Trinity in Barnsley, a through school for children aged three to 16 and the only Catholic and Church of England school of its kind in the country.

After qualifying in 1991, Mr Barber became a primary school teacher, with music as his main subject. He became head teacher of Silkstone Primary in Barnsley in 2005 which was subsequently rated outstanding by school inspectors Ofsted. Mr Barber became a National Leader of Education and his school a National Support School, supporting other schools locally.

Simon Barber (left) and Brian Crosby

The brand new Holy Trinity was proposed in 2010, combining a secondary and two primaries. He said: “I went from being a primary school head to a secondary school head in September of the same year. The idea was quite scary at first.

“Teachers usually stay in one phase or another and crossover is not common and even less common for head teachers. However, the opportunity presented itself and it made me ask ‘what is the difference between teaching 5-6 year olds and 15-16-year-olds’?

"At its core, great teaching is about strong relationships, thorough planning and assessment and great feedback for learning. Some things between the phases are different in terms of curriculum organisation and ways of working with different ages of children, but there are more similarities than differences. I am passionate about teaching and learning and I really enjoy seeing children and young people with a strong love of learning.”

Mr Barber oversaw the design and build of the new school and has led it ever since. He grew up in Stockton on Tees and he, his young son, and his father, are keen supporters of Middlesbrough football club. Away from work, he enjoys running and walking in the Lake District and spending time with his wife and family. A man of faith, Mr Barber is also a lay canon at Wakefield Cathedral. He is looking forward to his new challenge in York.

“I’m extremely excited about joining Manor and can’t wait to get started,” he said. “Leaving Holy Trinity will be a wrench as I’ve loved every minute of my time here, but staff have been very kind and have wished me well.”

Mr Crosby said: “I am thrilled at the exciting prospect of Simon, another National Leader of Education who really understands church schools, joining Manor and helping to make a difference in the lives of young people.”