At the end of last week we received the very sad news that Barry Cooke has died.
Barry was a central figure in our Leading Edge visit team for many years, working with many schools in the North West. He was regarded with respect and great fondness by all of the school leaders he met – and by all of us at SSAT.
Barry was a headteacher for 21 years at Hyde Technology School, receiving an OBE for services to education in 1999. In 2001, on his retirement, Barry received the TES award for lifetime achievement. The TES citation said: “He has transformed his school and changed the lives of the children who attend it. He has won the trust and admiration of a whole community.”
Almost 25 years after his retirement, Barry retained his passion for education and his belief in the potential of all young people. He loved visiting Leading Edge schools in the North West, making connections between school leaders and sharing the great practice he had seen. He exuded positivity and enthused about the great leaders he met and what they are achieving for young people.
The school leaders he met valued his extraordinary expertise, but also his warmth and sense of humour. For all his achievements, Barry was always self-effacing – because his focus was always the young people.
Barry leaves an extraordinary legacy – in the lives he changed as a truly inspirational headteacher and in all of us who have learnt from him. It was a pleasure and a privilege to know him.
