Lee Mawby joined Greater Peterborough UTC (GPUTC) as Principal in September 2023, but he has been a valued part of Meridian Trust for the past eight years, across various schools in our organisation. We spoke with him recently, to get an insight into his career journey so far and life at GPUTC.
Lee, tell us about your career background.
I studied Fine Art at university, and after my degree I started to have conversations about what to do next. Having spoken to my family and exploring my options, I felt that a teaching qualification was the right ‘next step’ for me. During my degree course, I had done a lot of outreach work at schools in and around Birmingham, as an artist-in-residence. One of my degree tutors told me that I would make a good teacher, which was incredibly flattering and sparked my interest in teaching.
So, I undertook my teaching qualification in Birmingham and then came back to Peterborough, where I worked at Walton School for six years before moving on to The Deacons School. From there, I was transferred across to Thomas Deacon Academy (as College Leader), to help set it up.
After seven years there, my journey with Meridian Trust began. It was at this point a Vice Principal role became available (as a Maternity cover) at Nene Park Academy, which I took. After a year at NPA I was approached by Meridian Trust leaders about another Vice Principal role, this time at Ely College. I spent 6 years there, during which time I really developed my leadership skills. After Ely College I had a short, interim role at Sharnbrook Academy which I also really enjoyed. Following that, an opportunity came my way to apply for the Principal role at GPUTC and here I am!
Since my time with the Trust, I have also been responsible for leading the Technology curriculum, so it’s been a varied and enjoyable career trajectory so far.
What do you enjoy about your job?
I truly love teaching and getting results out of young people. I have always taught Design Technology as well as engineering, construction, graphics, product design and even food technology. For the first time in 23 years I’m now teaching Fine Art again, which is exciting!
I tend to be put into roles that are challenging, where transformation is required because schools aren’t quite where they need to be. Developing relationships with these groups is something that I particularly enjoy and find rewarding.
How would you describe GPUTC?
We are a 500-student school that specialises in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths, which brings a very unique curriculum that if often misunderstood in the community. As such, we are trying to raise our external profile in various ways, partly through employer engagement with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) based industries.
We will soon be one of the first schools in the Trust to offer a T-Level, which is worth 3 full A-Levels itself. This particular T-Level will be specialised in Engineering; so we’re really nailing our colours to the mast to show what we’re all about.
We are always exploring how we can support students with the next stage of their career, so our careers fairs and employee mornings (where students can practice their interview skills and CV writing) are really important. We have direct links with some prestigious employers such as Amazon and Perkins among others, which we highly value.
Over the next 18 months we’re looking forward to getting our new build facility, so there is a lot to be excited about at GPUTC!
What’s great about working for Meridian Trust?
Since joining the Trust, I have been lucky enough to be involved in several school transformations. From been bringing a new school on board to turning around an underperforming school – each experience has been fantastic and taught me a lot. What’s evident is how much the Trust values its people. Mark Woods (CEO of Meridian Trust) is a fantastic leader with a deep understanding of his people and his schools. He is invested in us and our success and he is always accessible. The people across the Trust are all great, particularly in the Senior Leadership Team. I have learned so much from working with colleagues. There is a large network of people that I can reach out to which is really helpful.
What the Trust does for education is very inspiring.
What are your hobbies?
I have a wonderful wife and three daughters. I have twins who have just started secondary school, and they are incredibly sporty and arty. My youngest has just started primary school and is just a bundle of energy! The girls are very keen Netballers, so my knowledge of the sport has increased greatly and my spare time is often spent court-side! I have also built houses (as I come from a construction family) and will be working on building my new house over the coming year. I also love running, particularly for the mental health benefits it brings.