The Hon. The Lord Willis of Knareborough Phil Willis
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Speaker Topics
- Student Engagement
- Select Committee System
- Science and Technology
- Policy into Practice
- Motivation
- Local Government
- Leadership
- Innovation
- I.C.T. in Education
- Higher Education
- Education Policy
- Critical Analysis of research and political strategy
- Childrens Services
- Charitable fund raising
- Change
- Academies and Trusts
- Workforce Reform
Introduction
Lord Willis, formerly Phil Willis MP has recently returned to Parliament having retired from the Commons in May 2010. He was Shadow Minister for HE and FE and Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Skills prior to being elected Chair of the Science and Technology and Innovation Universities and Skills Select Committees. Phil is a seasoned educational professional having spent 34 years in schools prior to entering Parliament in1997 with 20 as head teacher of two large urban comprehensives in challenging communities in Leeds and Middlesbrough.
A regular writer on educational change and contributor to debates Phil spent six years addressing major education conferences around the UK and abroad and has played a key role at the centre of policy change over two decades.
Lord Willis’s interests include science and innovation and the application of change to educational and business environments. He is a supporter of Leeds United, an avid follower of Yorkshire cricket and has retained his ancestral home in Donegal where he a frequent visitor.
He has extensive interests in the charitable sector having been recently elected Chair of the eLearning Foundation, the Association of Medical Charities, President of Yorkshire Disability Association and of the AoC Charitable Trust.
Current Positions Held
Member of House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology
Chair of Association of Medical Charities
Chair of eLearning Foundation
Treasurer of Parliamentary Committee for Science and Technology
Board Member of Foundation for Science
Personal Achievements and Awards
Teacher of Year Award 2002 Times Education Supplement
Relevant Career and Professional Background
2010 – Present – Member of House of Lords
1997-2010 – Member of Parliament for Harrogate and Knaresborough
1983-1997- Headteacher John Smeaton Community High School Leeds
1978-1983 – Headteacher Ormesby School Cleveland
1973-1978 – Deputy Headteacher West Leeds Boys High School Leeds
1963-1978 – Teaching posts in Leeds
Educated at City of Leeds and Carnegie College and Birmingham University