MAUREEN MCKENNA

Maureen McKenna brings to Navigate Education over two decades of senior leadership experience in education, having most recently served as Director of Education for Glasgow City Council. Before that, she began her career as a mathematics teacher in secondary schools, and later joined Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education in 2000, where she inspected a wide range of schools, education authorities and child protection services.

Under Maureen's leadership in Glasgow, suspensions dropped by 93%, while student attainment more than trebled, particularly in areas of greatest deprivation. Her commitment to educational equity and improvement in outcomes was recognised with an OBE in 2015 for her services to education in both Glasgow and Malawi, and she was awarded an honorary doctorate from Heriot-Watt University in October 2021.

Maureen continues to put her energy into projects that widen opportunity and strengthen inclusion. She chairs Malawi Leaders of Learning and MCR Pathways and is a trustee of Outward Bound UK and Career Ready Scotland. She sits on the Clyde College Board and supports Cambridgeshire's Virtual School. Since 2023, Maureen has also been working with the London Violence Reduction Unit to help shape London's Inclusion Charter.

We are incredibly honoured to have Maureen's support at Navigate. She helps us build confidence, inspire leadership and shape system-wide change that supports every child and young person. Maureen brings a sharp eye for quality assurance and acts as a trusted, thoughtful critical friend to our team - challenging, guiding and strengthening our work so that we can make the biggest possible difference for young people, families, and schools.