Cabot Learning Federation CEO knighted In New Year’s Honours

The chief executive of the Cabot Learning Federation has been awarded a knighthood in the New Year’s Honours for services to education, with particular recognition for his work tackling educational inequality in the South West.

Steve Taylor leads the Bristol-founded multi-academy trust, which operates 36 schools across Gloucestershire and Somerset. He has held the role for 11 years, having previously led schools in Bristol and overseas.

During his tenure, the trust expanded significantly and now educates more than 18,000 pupils. The federation has built a reputation for taking on underperforming schools and overseeing improvement programmes.

The Cabot Learning Federation said its approach is guided by a focus on equity, with an emphasis on supporting pupils to achieve long-term outcomes regardless of disadvantage.

Alongside his role at the trust, Taylor has been involved in a range of local, regional and national education networks. He has also held advisory and governance positions within the sector.

He was appointed a National Leader of Education in 2015 and is a Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching. Taylor is also an Ofsted inspector and holds an honorary doctor of education degree from the University of the West of England Bristol.

The formal citation from the Cabinet Office said: “Under his leadership, CLF has transformed schools in East Central Bristol, once among the most underperforming areas, into thriving learning communities. CLF expanded from 12 to 35 schools across the South West, securing high standards in Ofsted and performance outcomes.

“He is a founder member and chair of the Queen Street Group, a national organisation of trusts who promote sector collaboration and professional development of senior leaders, while acting as a sounding board for government and policy makers.”

It added: “He launched the Boolean Maths Hub and established the Five Counties Teaching School Hubs Alliance, creating partnerships to tackle educational inequity by driving school improvement across 750 schools and providing outstanding initial teacher training to the South West region.”

Taylor said: “Since learning of this award, I have thought about all those colleagues in the Cabot Learning Federation and in the wider sector, whose work and successes have inspired me over the years to strive to do my best for the children we serve.

“Anything I would count as an achievement has come about as the result of working in collaboration with great people I have had the privilege of knowing, in the CLF and beyond. That includes a number of leaders in the Queen Street Group whose work in education has been recognised over the years, and I feel fortunate to have them as colleagues.”

He added: “I am extremely grateful for this honour and look forward to sharing the news with colleagues and sharing the experience with my family, whose support I never take for granted.”