David Townsend

Trustee

Having worked in four roles as a teacher, deputy and headteacher in primary education, David became an author and then consultant working with local authorities across England. He became one of His Majesty’s Inspectors in Education (HMI) in 2006, inspecting schools and initial teacher education, before he was appointed as a National Lead, reviewing inspection frameworks. David also headed up Ofsted’s engagement with education departments globally, sharing insights on system evaluation and development. David has worked for the Department for Education (DfE) both as a Managing Inspector in the European Schools and as an Education Adviser working with academy schools. After this, David held senior roles in local authorities, before joining Capita as a Strategic Education Partner. At Capita, he was the lead education adviser on its national and regional bid teams and developed their services proposition for multi academy trusts. He also designed and presented an Education First digital transformation proposition for schools. David is known for having a deep insight into education, having studied systems world-wide. He has a keen understanding of K-12 education curriculum, assessment and pedagogy, and school / system leadership. David is a quality assurance expert and has worked in the field of digital transformation in recent years. In his career, he has co-led significant policy reviews, worked within the senior Civil Service and led local authority teams of Early Years, School Improvement and Governance advisers. With significant private sector experience too, David has had oversight of commercial contracts, and has been significantly involved in solution design, bid-writing, and business development for national education services companies. In all roles, he has displayed a strong ability to relate successfully to a range of audiences, to demonstrate empathy and cultural sensitivity, and to deliver results in terms of better provision and outcomes for children and young people.

Adam has been a qualified Solicitor since October 2021 and works at a regional law firm in Southampton. Having qualified into the Employment department, Adam advises both employees and employers on a daily basis and finds it particularly rewarding to assist clients with any legal problems in order to reach a resolution, with the client’s best interests always being at the centre of any advice. 

Adam has experience in acting across a wide range of industries and sectors, including education, and he is therefore always looking to apply the transferable skills from his role as a Solicitor into his position with DMAT.