Dr John Dunford

John Dunford has been General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (formerly the Secondary Heads Association) since September 1998. ACSL has 13,000 members in secondary schools and colleges throughout the United Kingdom.

He read mathematics and economics at Nottingham University, where he was president of the union in 1968-69. He has a doctorate from Durham University. He taught mathematics in schools in Nottingham, Sunderland and Durham before becoming head of Durham Johnston Comprehensive School, an 11-18 school with 1500 pupils, in 1982.

John has written extensively on education policy and on the school curriculum, management and inspection. He was a member of the Councils of Durham and Nottingham Universities for 11 and 6 years respectively. He was a member of the Local Government Association’s Commission on the Organisation of the School Year.

He serves on several boards of trustees including Teach First, Future Leaders, and Worldwide Volunteering, and is a member of the Council of the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust.