Meet ASCL’s next general secretary

ASCL is delighted to confirm that Brian Lightman has been appointed ASCL general secretary elect, to take over when John Dunford retires at the end of August. Brian has been head of St Cyres School near Cardiff since 1999. He has been on ASCL's Council since 1998 and was president in 2007-08. He was president of ASCL Cymru in 2003-04.

Through his work with ASCL Cymru, Brian is widely respected within the Welsh Assembly Government, and his presidential year introduced him to ministers and top civil servants in the DCSF.

Brian said: "Having been a member of ASCL for nearly 20 years, I am proud of the quality of service the association provides. John is enormously respected, and understandably so, because he's incredibly knowledgeable and a very good communicator.

"I will be inheriting from him an organisation that's in an extremely healthy state and I am looking forward to the exciting challenge of leading ASCL through the next stages of its development.

"I will ensure that the association remains the strongest voice for its members and continues to adapt to meet their needs. It will be a privilege, as ASCL's general secretary, to champion and support the work done by our members and ensure that the job of school and college leadership continues to be as satisfying and worthwhile as I have found it during the last 20 years."

John Dunford became ASCL's general secretary in 1998, having previously been head of Durham Johnston School. He said: "Brian's appointment is excellent news for ASCL and the wider education service. He has immense credibility both as a successful head and through his work for ASCL in both England and Wales, where he is already a well-respected figure in government circles."

Brian graduated from Southampton University with a BA in German and gained an MA in Education from the Open University in 1993. He taught French and German and held various leadership positions in comprehensive schools in West Sussex, Surrey and Essex before taking up headship of Llantwit Major School in 1995. He moved to his present headship in 1999.

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Media response

The Times Educational Supplement carried a two-page profile on Brian Lightman on 15 January following his appointment as ASCL general secretary-elect. The TES wrote: "Mr Lightman will not make his case by shouting the loudest. He has won the respect of colleagues with a quiet confidence and absolute commitment to the job. But that is not to say he is afraid to challenge authority. He is unfazed by government ministers and has enjoyed putting them on the spot at previous ASCL conferences."