Jon Chaloner

Jon was the founding CEO of GLF Schools, one of the leading large academy trusts in England, serving contrasting communities.

With over 17,000 children and more than 2,500 colleagues, Jon led the growth of the trust from one school to 42, including opening eleven brand new primary and secondary schools. Prior to founding GLF, Jon held two substantive headships in the secondary sector followed by executive headship at three primary schools and two secondary schools.

Jon became the trust’s full-time CEO in 2015 to lead 14 schools, after three years in a combined CEO / executive head teacher role. During his tenure, Jon established the trust’s central team comprising operations and finance colleagues. He has extensive experience of working alongside COOs, CFOs and leaders of directorates including HR, IT and estates, and an interest in mentoring CEOs and aspiring CEOs from non-headship backgrounds.

Academy trust growth requires new and serving professionals to strengthen their practice. To support this, Jon oversaw the strategy to form a SCITT in 2016 and the development of a Teaching School Hub for West Sussex in 2021. He worked with other trust leaders to develop Inspiring Future Teachers - GLF Schools’ new school-centred teacher training partnership.

Jon enjoys developing the leadership of others and enabling them to step up within their organisations. As an NPQ facilitator, Jon specialises in preparing middle leaders for senior leadership and developing candidates for headship and executive headship.

Jon firmly believes that we learn from each other. To augment his professional learning, he has served in various trustee roles; at GLF between 2011 and 2020, at smaller trust in London in 2015-16, and for a Nottinghamshire-based trust since 2022. He has also served as a governor in schools and a sixth form college. Jon was an elected member of the Advisory Board to the DfE’s Regional Schools Commissioner for the south east and south London region and is an accredited National Leader of Education. He is presently supporting schools and trusts via the DfE’s Trust and School Improvement Offer programme.

Jon now support schools and trust leaders as a CST mentor. Jon offers expertise in the following areas:

• Supporting new CEOs, including those from a non-education background
• Developing effective teams around the CEO role
• Developing personal leadership
• Developing strategy across education, operations and finance
• Working to form a vision, develop it and make it central to the trust’s work
• Leading school improvement at scale, in the primary and secondary sectors in particular
• Leading trust improvement – operations and finance
• Effective quality assurance processes
• Developing effective governance
• Succession planning