Durell Barnes

Durell Barnes joined RSAcademics in September 2016 to head up the team working on supporting boards through reviews of governance and training, especially about inspection and safeguarding. He was formerly Deputy Director and Head of Communications at the Independent Schools Inspectorate and before that taught in HMC schools, latterly as a Deputy Head. He has been a governor in the state maintained, independent and for profit education sectors and has chaired a commercial board.

As Head of Communications at the ISI, Durell was responsible for liaising with Ofsted, the DfE, ISC, school associations, schools, parents and other interested parties on matters relating to safeguarding and quality assurance. He was closely involved in the development and implementation of the revised frameworks for inspection introduced successively in 2006, 2010, 2012 and 2015-16 and for the inspection of British Schools Overseas. He therefore brings an unparalleled knowledge of the sector, experience of inspection and insight into safeguarding as well as close connections with the Department for Education, Ofsted and the ISC Associations. Durell has been a governor of a free school, of a sixth from college, director of a group of international colleges and is currently Chair of the Education Committee at Charterhouse. From 2018-22 Durell was appointed Chairman of the Independent Schools Examinations Board (ISEB), alongside his role at RSAcademics

An Oxford graduate, Durell went on to spend 21 years teaching in ISC schools. During his time as a Deputy Head he had particular responsibility for curriculum management and development, assessment, teaching and learning, staff CPD and appraisal. Strategic planning and change management have been key elements of his work, including refocussing school aims, ethos and culture, planning for extension of a school’s age range, moving to co-education and merging with another school. He was a founder member of a SCITT (school centred initial teacher training) initiative, which was an early example of an ambitious Independent School State School Partnership and one from which he learnt much about governance.

The governance team has undertaken a number of well-received bespoke reviews of governance of individual schools, groups of schools, larger trusts and charities with an educational focus. We have worked with many schools in the UK and overseas. Training can be provided in all aspects of governance, tailored to the context of the school or group and can be undertaken on site or remotely, on a standalone basis or as an output from a review.

Email: durellbarnes@rsacademics.com