A former headteacher from Little Chalfont says she is “thrilled” after she was honoured with an OBE.
Dr Josephine Valentine, from Little Chalfont, was included in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List for her services to education.
Dr Josephine Valentine, CEO of the Danes Educational Trust, has lived in Little Chalfont since 2002 and was the head teacher at St Clement Danes, an all-ability school in Chorleywood, from 1998 to 2018.
She now leads the Danes Educational Trust, a multi-academy trust in Hertfordshire, and has been awarded the OBE for her services to education.
Dr Valentine became a national leader of education in 2008 and has led the Herts & Bucks Teaching School Alliance for the past six years, during which the organisation’s schools have trained hundreds of teachers and supported a large number of schools to improve outcomes for young people.
She was also asked by Hertfordshire County Council to be the lead proposer in the opening of a new school, Croxley Danes, which opened in September 2017.
As well as her work for the Trust and Teaching School Alliance, Josephine Valentine holds a number of roles at regional and national level advising on policy and overseeing other teaching schools.
Dr Valentine grew up in Wythenshawe, Manchester, and attended The Marist School before going on to study for a PhD in Oral Histopathology at Liverpool University.
As one of the first in her family to go to university, she says has been committed to ensuring that all young people have the choices and opportunities afforded them by an outstanding education.
Speaking about being honoured she said she is “thrilled” and “deeply proud” to have received an OBE.
Referencing her catchphrase when at St Clement Danes, she said: “In receiving this honour, I recognise and am thankful for the significant support I have received from family, colleagues and friends.
“Teaching young people is exciting and fulfilling and has been a source of constant joy to me. Leading a school has been a privilege – and, probably, the best job in the world.”
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