Daniel Gillespie has been appointed as the new Headteacher of Beech Lodge School in Maidenhead. He will take up the post in September 2019.
Following a sabbatical, current Head and co-Founder of the school, Lucy Barnes, will take on a more strategic role overseeing Training and Development.
Dan – who currently works as Assistant Head and Special Educational Needs Co-Ordinator at the town’s Claires Court Junior Boys – will join Beech Lodge in January for a two-term handover, before taking over the reins. It is his first Headship, but he has extensive experience working in the independent sector and with children with special educational needs.
“I am incredibly excited to be involved in the continued growth and success of such a unique and forward-thinking school.”
Dan’s career started in Secondary teaching and progressed to founding, funding and running a sport and education consultancy, which provided a number of nationwide programmes based around sport for social change and inclusion projects. Following this, he was inspired to return to teaching specialising in inclusion and provision for children with additional needs.
The appointment coincides with Beech Lodge School’s rapid expansion and development of their new Lionheart provision for children and young people with specific learning difficulties, such as dyslexia and dyscalculia. It will be the first establishment of its kind in the Thames Valley.
Dan said: “I am incredibly excited to be involved in the continued growth and success of such a unique and forward-thinking school.”
