Niall McWilliams

My main skills and experience centre around school and business improvement. Improvements in any organisation are achieved by the introduction of clear, simple structures and systems in addition to working with others to ensure the culture of the organisation is a positive one. My most recent leadership experience has been in the role of Managing Director at Oxford United Football Club. Although I have only been in this role for approximately two years, those two years have seen the club make significant progress both on and off the field. On the field we have progressed from being bottom of League One to finishing fourth and appearing in a play off final at Wembley. Off the field, we have generated record revenues and have clear yet rigorous systems and procedures in place. In addition to this and working closely with the local Council, we now have our first permanent training base in 125 years. My most recent education experiences have centred on taking schools out of Special Measures to sustainable Good schools. This success is based on a simple yet rigorous school improvement framework. My record indicates that I am a successful Senior Leader with a wide range of experience in schools that have been in different contexts. My main interest in education is in working in schools in challenging circumstances, particularly those schools that are situated within areas of deprivation. In regards to this, I have recently taken on the role of Chair of Governors at St. Gregory The Great all through school, a school that has now been rated ‘inadequate’ consecutively by Ofsted. The aim of The Governing Body is to ensure the school rapidly improves.