David Blagborough

Director, Inspire!

David began his career as a mathematics teacher in Nigeria and the UK. He then joined the British Council, where for more than 30 years he was engaged in education and cultural relations in a range of UK and overseas postings including Nigeria, Brazil, Turkey, Mexico and India. Prior to his retirement, David was Director of the British Council in Washington DC, with responsibility for overseeing bilateral collaboration in education and the creative industries and supporting the UK’s engagement with multilateral agencies in Washington.

David became the Director of Inspire! in September 2006. Inspire! is a charity that works with local and City-based employers and employee volunteers to raise the aspirations and attainment of young people in the borough.

Lynn Dalton

Community Investment Project Manager, Linklaters

Lynn’s career in education has been broad and varied. She first became a senior manager in Newham in 1985 and has ever been since actively involved in all aspects of senior management. Lynn was deputy head at a very successful girl’s school in Hackney until 2007, when she was seconded to the global corporate law firm Linklaters LLP in London.

At Linklaters she developed the flagship community investment programme ‘Linking Work with Learning’. This programme focuses on functional skills and active citizenship and aims to support the raising of achievement in primary and secondary schools whilst providing a variety of opportunities for business volunteers both in the schools and at Linklaters’ London office.

‘Linking Work with Learning’ is a unique partnership between Linklaters, The Learning Trust and Inspire (EBP) and is the first corporate programme of its kind focused in one borough.

Stephen Brooks

National Network Development Manager, Excell3

Stephen is the national network development manager at Excell3, a national education charity which works to raise the attainment of disadvantaged young people, particularly black boys. He works with a range of governmental and third sector organisations to develop strategies to promote community cohesion and regeneration. Stephen has worked within the voluntary and community sector for over 22 years.

Stephen is a board member of several national and regional organisations including the Centre for Social Justice, Jamaica 2K and Wolverhampton Cultural Centre.

In 2003 he received an award for his contribution to the black community from TORA, a Jamaican oversees relief agency, and the Jamaican High Commission. Last year, in recognition of his work within the Jamaican community, he was presented with a Heroes Award by the Institute of Jamaican Nationals.

Turkay Mahmoud

London Regional Advisor,
The Training Development Agency for Schools

Turkay Mahmoud’s career in education began in London. After teaching in four schools he became a Headteacher, opening a new middle school in the late eighties. During the nineties he worked as an advisor for physical education in a local authority in London and then as the chief advisor with responsibility for school improvement in a local authority. During this period he was also an Ofsted inspector.

In 2002 Turkay became a consultant, developing senior management programmes with the London Leadership Centre and acting as an interim head of school improvement in a local authority. Since 2004, he has worked with the National Remodelling Team, supporting the implementation of the national agreement and a number of leadership programmes. More recently, he has worked with the Training and Development Agency as one of three London Regional Advisors focusing on school workforce modernisation and extended services.

Francesca Temitope Danmole

President, Brunel African Caribbean Society

Francesca was deputy head girl at Hackney Free and Parochial Secondary School, where she obtained 14 GCSEs and became a Hackney Trailblazer. She is now a final year psychology student at Brunel University.

Francesca was elected President of the Brunel African Caribbean Society, which is the largest society at Brunel and the largest society of its kind in the UK. During her term, she and her team turned around a damaging deficit, increased participation and rebranded the society. Passionate about seeing people become the best that they can be, Francesca was named an official role model for Hackney and was listed as a future leader on the UK Black Power List.

Tony Breslin

Chief Executive, Citizenship Foundation

Dr Tony Breslin has been chief executive of the Citizenship Foundation, the education and participation charity, since September 2001. A former teacher, Chief Examiner and Ofsted inspector, he has published widely on a range of issues: the development of ‘citizenship-rich’ schools and communities, the nature of citizenship as a school subject, the tensions between different conceptions of citizenship as process, identity and status, and the interplay between citizenship and national, faith and community identities.

Tony works extensively with government agencies including the Ministry of Justice, DCSF, the Department for Communities and Local Government, the Cabinet Office, the Home Office and QCA on themes as varied as community cohesion, youth participation, political engagement and qualifications reform. He was granted the Freedom of the City of London in 2004.

Heather Rockhold

Headteacher, Lauriston Primary School

Heather Rockhold has taught in London for over 30 years and has been Headteacher of Lauriston Primary School since 1990. Her wide-ranging educational experience covers the entire primary age range and also includes specialist work with secondary pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

Her particular areas of interest in education are creativity, boys’ achievement, inclusion and primary/secondary transition. ‘Leading the creativity-focused school’ was the focus of her MBA dissertation. Lauriston is committed to being a community of learners and promotes school-based research to improve learning outcomes for all pupils. The school was one of five Creative Partnership schools in Hackney and in 2008 was chosen as one of 30 Schools of Creativity nationally. In March, Ofsted judged the school to be outstanding.

Since its inception in 2002, Heather has been a non-executive director on the Board of The Learning Trust.