Neil Feist - Durrington Multi Academy Trust

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.

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.

SCITT Programme Leader

Neil trained as a History teacher and has taught across the south of England for over 30 years.

He started his career in Portsmouth, then became Head of Humanities in Sunbury-on-Thames in Surrey before moving into senior leadership at a large secondary school in East Grinstead, West Sussex.

He was a Deputy Head for 20 years, responsible for staff training, pedagogy and staff welfare.

Neil joined the South Downs School-Centered Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) hub for Inspiring Future Teachers in September 2023 and enjoys working with DMAT colleagues and the Durrington Research School to develop and support the next generation of teachers. His role is to lead the Teacher Training team and provide high quality school-centered training to primary and secondary trainees across West Sussex and Brighton and Hove. He and the team work with over 20 partner schools and the University of Brighton to enable trainees to gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) with the Post-Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE).

He is proud that the SCITT course develops trainees into becoming resilient and creative teachers, inspiring students to be the best version of themselves.

Meet Our Team

Our Trust

Durrington Multi Academy Trust, The Boulevard, Worthing, West Sussex, BN13 1JX

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