Meet our new Director of Collective Voice
This week I was delighted to join the Fair Education Alliance, as Director of Collective Voice.
I've joined FEA at what feels like a genuinely significant moment - both for this organisation and for education policy in England more broadly. Earlier this year, the government published the Schools White Paper, Every Child Achieving and Thriving, marking a pivotal shift in the policy landscape. Many of the reforms FEA and its members have long championed - a national ambition to halve the disadvantage gap, meaningful SEND reform, stronger school partnerships, and greater place-based and devolved approaches - are now reflected in government policy.
That shifts the nature of our work decisively - from advocacy to implementation. The central question is no longer ‘what should policy say?’ but ‘how do we ensure these reforms actually deliver’ for children from low-income households? My focus will include influencing the SEND consultation to advocate for educational equity to be a design principle of the new system and not an afterthought - vital if we are to tackle the 'double disadvantage' whereby children with SEND from economically disadvantaged backgrounds fare worse than other children with SEND.
I'll be working to strengthen FEA's relationships with ministers, MPs, civil servants and local leaders, using data and insights from our ecosystem map to inform and support policymakers, while our annual Report Card will draw on the collective intelligence of our members to define policy priorities for the year ahead.
I'll also be supporting our place-based MCA partnerships in Liverpool City Region, South Yorkshire and West Midlands - and from autumn, our Collective Voice work expands to include looking at how we shift mindsets and mental models, alongside our policy and influencing activity.
Whatever shifts lie ahead in the political landscape, my commitment is to help FEA maintain a sharp, unwavering focus on outcomes for children and young people. I'm really looking forward to working with you all.
Rob Doble
Director of Collective Voice
Fair Education Alliance
Rob is a passionate and experienced advocate and campaigner on issues affecting children and young people, and has spent most of his career working with philanthropic foundations, NGOs, multilateral institutions and academia - most recently at Porticus, an international philanthropic organisation.