THE man at the top of a York-based multi-academy trust has retired after dedicating his 40-year career to the teaching profession.

Brian Crosby, the Chief Executive Officer of the Hope Learning Trust, and former head teacher of Manor CE Academy retired last week.

Brian led the Trust since its inception in 2015 helped grow Learning Trust grew from just two schools, Manor CE Academy and Poppleton Ousebank Primary School, to a family of ten schools across York and North Yorkshire.

Brian began his career as a science teacher in the 1980s, as a Science teacher at Selby High School, where he later became Head of Year, before moving to Archbishop Holgate’s School in York as Head of Science, and Head of Year 11.

In 2001, he became head teacher at Manor CE School, where he stayed for 15 years.

His notable achievements include: The opening of the new Manor School in 2007, the first new secondary build in the city since the mid-1960s, and gaining an Outstanding Ofsted judgement at the same year, the first for a secondary school in the city,

He also established the Ebor Teaching Schools Alliance in 2011 with Richard Ludlow, former CEO of the Ebor Academy Trust, the first in York, and helped establish the Hope Learning Trust in 2015.

Brian said: “The real joy of working in education has been making a difference to the lives of the thousands of young people and their families who have passed through the schools where I have worked in the city.

“There are too many people to thank individually, but I am in debt to so many colleagues who have supported me and helped our vision flourish. Together we have seen the prospects of hundreds of children be transformed.”