Paradigm Trust chief Amanda Phillips who opened first Tower Hamlets academy primary dies in fall
Paradigm Trust founder Amanda Phillips who died on holiday with her family - Credit: Paradigm Trust
A leading educationalist who brought academy primary schooling to Tower Hamlets has died following an accident while on holiday in France with her family.
Paradigm Trust founder Amanda Phillips who died on holiday with her family - Credit: Paradigm Trust
Amanda Phillips, who was made a CBE in 2015, suffered serious head injuries after a fall and died last night.
She set up the Paradigm Trust while head teacher at Old Ford school in Roman Road, Bethnal Green, and steered it through a long consultation process away from Tower Hamlets Council control.
“Amanda’s death is a dreadful tragedy,” Paradigm Trust’s chairman David Willis said in a statement today.
“She led the trust with enormous energy, tremendous skill and most of all an enduring passion to give every child an outstanding education. She will be missed.”
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Paradigm Trust was set up in 2013 when Old Ford and Culloden schools switched to Academy status, the first in the East End, joined by Solebay Primary in Mile End a year later where she set up a pre-school nursery to meet a shortage of toddler places in the area.
The trust expanded to Suffolk two years ago and now also runs the Ipswich Academy, its first secondary, and a local feeder primary.
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Its former chairman Christopher Crozier said when Amanda was awarded the CBE: “There are many thousands of children whose lives Amanda has made a significant difference to over the years. Her dedication to pupils and families and as a national education leader has been second to none.”
Amanda, a family woman in living in Essex and a grandmother, was made a CBE in the Queen’s 2015 New Year’s Honours for “services to education” as chief executive of the trust.
She devoted her time commuting between all five trust schools in east London and Ipswich and was on holiday with her family when the accident happened earlier this week.
