THE chief executive of a multi-school trust admits being named an ‘OBE’ will take a little getting used to after he was named in the King’s Birthday Honours.

Tom Banham has spent the entirety of his educational career in Barnsley and has worked his way up from being a teacher to the chief executive of Hoyland Common Academy Trust (HCAT).

That journey has led him to being awarded an OBE for services to education.

He told the Chronicle: “I started at Hoyland Common as a teacher back in 2004 and then rose through the ranks to headteacher in 2009/10.

“Beyond that I started doing lots of work across the sector.

“I became a national leader of education which is about supporting other schools and not just looking after your own.

“After that we turned into an academy and then a multi-academy trust.

“We’ve steadily grown to 14 schools now and the best part of 5,000 pupils.

“I’ve gone from a newly-qualified teacher back in 2004 to now looking after thousands of pupils.”

He says he could not have done it without the support of the team behind him.

He added: “This could not have happened without all those people that have supported and guided me along the way.

“From the early days as a teacher at Hoyland Common Primary School people like Alan Hastey whose enthusiasm for teaching was absolutely infectious and Sue Harrison whose support as a new leader was totally invaluable.

“There are then those who have been on every step of the HCAT journey with me, so many to name, but particular mentions need to go to Victoria Harrison who has put up with me every day for well over a decade and does so much of the hard work behind the scenes, Rebecca Paddock, a real force in ensuring that HCAT pupils receive the best of education and IT manager David Wakefield.

“We all know that when IT goes wrong everything comes to a halt and fortunately people like Dave make sure we are back up and running quickly.

“These people haven’t just supported me professionally but also personally.

“When my partner passed away suddenly three years ago, leaving me and my two young daughters devastated, to have people like that around you picking you up and dusting you down, being a shoulder to cry on is totally priceless.”

He admits he was left speechless when opening the letter from the King - and his daughters were just as excited as he was.

“I was at home and opened up the mailbox and there was a letter with the Parliament stamp on it,” he added.

“I opened it up and I was speechless - which doesn’t usually happen that often if I’m honest.

“My two girls were like ‘what’s wrong daddy?’ and I said I’ve got a letter from the king. They were wowed.

“They’ve been asking when they’re going to meet the King so they’re very excited about that.

“So we’ll have to have a trip down to the palace in the next six months.

“I’ve has so many lovely emails and letters, but I’ve also had a good bit of ribbing from my friends and family.

“They’re saying they’re not going to bow towards me.”