I am writing to inform you that I will be leaving my role as Principal of Everton Free School and Football College and stepping up to the position of CEO of our newly formed Multi-academy Trust, The People’s Learning Trust. As a lifelong Evertonian, it has been a privilege to be the Principal, and I am very proud of what we have achieved. Last year, Governors took the strategic decision to work with the Department for Education and create our own Multi-academy Trust to secure our values, that we are rightly proud of, and so that we may be able to support more children and young people across the region. This opportunity to lead a group of schools whose focus is to tackle disadvantage, raise educational attainment and help more young people is an opportunity too good, and too rare, not to take. 

As many of you know, I have been at Everton Free School and Football College since September 2021, and I have been fortunate enough to work with Claire Lamontagne in her role as Head of School. I am delighted to inform you that Claire has accepted the position of Principal of Everton Free School and Football College. On 25th April Ofsted rightly recognised the work that we do, judging Everton Free School and Football College as outstanding in every category; and Claire will ensure that Everton Free School and Football College continues to progress with the same ethos, values and relational approach that we have worked hard to develop. I have every confidence in Claire and the staff here that they will continue to take the Free School and Football College from strength to strength. 

The school and community are very important to me, and I wholeheartedly support our values of respect, responsibility and resilience and we continually strive to improve the children’s learning experiences. Everton Football Club’s motto “Nil Satis Nisi Optimum” informs everything that we do, and we believe passionately that our students deserve “Nothing but the Best”. We are fortunate to have an incredible team of committed staff who endeavour to deliver an innovative, personalised curriculum that is supported by our partners, and we are confident that we have laid solid foundations for a very exciting future for our students, families and the wider community. 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support throughout my time at Everton Free School and Football College and I look forward to continuing to work with all the staff and students here as we embark on the next stage of our journey. I wish you and your family and the wider community all the very best for the future.

Steven Baker OBE FCCT

CEO 

The Peoples Learning Trust