Chief executive of cash-strapped academy trust announces departure

Boss of the Brooke Weston Trust, Dr Andrew Campbell, has told colleagues this morning he is retiring at the end of this academic year

Oct 07, 2025

By Sarah Ward

The chief executive of a cash-strapped academy trust has announced his retirement.

Dr Andrew Campbell, who has been in charge of the Corby-based Brooke Weston Trust (BWT) for the past 13 years, has sent an email to colleagues this morning to say he will be leaving the trust at the end of this academic year.

In June this year the academy trust offered voluntary redundancy to all the 1300 staff across its 12 schools. Most recent accounts show there is just £700,000 left in reserves. The annual spend across the trust is £70m. Dr Campbell is paid between £215,000 and £225,000 a year.

In the letter, which makes no mention of the recent financial difficulties, Dr Campbell references starting at what was then the Brooke Weston City Technology College 30 years ago as a ‘very green English teacher’. He says he had told the trust’s board last year that he intended to resign.

He wrote:

“It has been the greatest privilege of my career to lead Brooke Weston Trust. I am incredibly proud of what we have built together - a thriving family of schools united by our firm commitment to delivering ‘Ambition for All’.
“Seeing our collective hard work translate into all our schools being ‘Good or Outstanding’ in all areas of their Ofsted reports over the last couple of years and knowing we give our young people their ‘Tickets for Life’ is a legacy of which we should all be proud.’

He said the trust’s board will soon begin the recruitment of his replacement. He said:

“We are collectively determined that there is a stable, carefully managed handover in due course.”

The initial Brooke Weston City Technology College opened in Corby in 1991 and went on to become one of the best performing in the county. However in recent years the head teachers have not put in long stretches as had been the case under the former Sir Peter Simpson and long serving principal Trish Stringer.

Dr Campbell was appointed the head of the Corby Business Academy in 2008 and then went on in 2011 to become the BWT chief executive after Peter Simpson retired.

The trust has grown to six primary schools and six secondary schools across Northants and Cambridgeshire, but has not taken on large groups of schools like some academy trusts.