Ben Parnell departs Athena Learning Trust to take on new role at EdTech startup Ally Education
Ben Parnell has joined Ally Education as Co-founder and Chief Education Officer as the EdTech gears up to launch its first product, InspectReady, in October.
In a LinkedIn post, Parnell, who previously worked at Athena Learning Trust, said: “As a former Headteacher and trust leader, I watched good schools across the sector pour enormous time and energy into proving what they already knew about themselves - often at the worst possible moment, and too often with leaders carrying that burden alone.”
He added: “The evidence was always there, often buried in huge folders. The challenge was turning it into something meaningful: identifying what mattered, linking it to the framework, and ensuring the different pieces of evidence connected and told a coherent story.
That process takes significant time and energy. It can leave school leaders feeling exhausted and overwhelmed, while taking them away from what matters most - building relationships, supporting their staff and pupils, and developing their school community.”
Ally, Parnell noted, starts from a simple belief: schools should be able to tell their own story, using their own evidence, without losing valuable leadership time trying to pull it all together. Enter InspectReady.
Parnell said: “Fellow Co-founders David Blake and Julie Kilcoyne have spent their careers building technology that teachers actually use - most famously as the founders of Boardworks. I’ve spent mine on the receiving end of education technology, as a teacher and school leader. I think that combination matters: people who know how to build great technology, working alongside people who understand what it actually feels like to lead a school.”
“And to everyone I’ve had the privilege of working alongside in Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Gloucestershire, South Gloucestershire, Berkshire, London, the Isle of Wight, the Forest of Dean, Plymouth, Essex and many other places - this one is aimed squarely at helping you. Giving you back some of the time that should be spent leading your schools, supporting your people and making a difference to the communities you serve.”
