Parentkind appoints new Chief Executive

In December, Parentkind’s Chief Executive, John Jolly, will be retiring from the role. Over the last three years, John has been a champion for parents, highlighting that they’re a key partner in their child’s education. This work has never been more important than when meeting policy and education stakeholders – he’s made it clear: parents deserve and need a seat at the table when decisions are made. Under his leadership, Parentkind has continued to secure its position as the authority on parent voice in education through increased parent research, particularly during the pandemic where we saw more than 250,000 parents respond to surveys and snap polls on face masks, home schooling, exams and more. Everybody at Parentkind thanks John for his dedication, fearlessness and tireless campaigning for parents and young people.

The Board of Trustees are delighted to announce Jason Elsom as the incoming Chief Executive. Jason has an exciting breadth of experience across the tech, education and charity sectors, most recently as Chief Executive of the very successful social mobility charity, ​‘Speakers for Schools’. Opening doors to inspirational speakers and aspirational work experiences from employers such as Google, Spotify, Disney and the Bank of England, Jason led Speakers for Schools through an unprecedented period of growth, taking the team from just 8 to almost 160 during the pandemic to support over three quarters of a million young people. 

Jason will continue Parentkind’s mission to empower all with parental or educational responsibilities and advocate for a PTA in every school, to improve the life chances of children and their communities. 

Alex Peace-Gadsby, Chair of Parentkind’s Board of Trustees said:

‘John has worked tirelessly amplifying the voice of those with parental responsibility and developing opportunities for them to increase participation within their child’s education. He leaves a great legacy of making a positive difference to so many young peoples lives and we all wish him well in his retirement. Parentkind will continue to build on this legacy and we welcome Jason as our new CEO. Jason brings a wealth of experience as a parent, charity leader and educator and will continue driving us forward to make even bigger differences for young people and their families.’ 

John Jolly said: 

‘It has been my honour to lead the team at Parentkind for the last three years. When I joined, I couldn’t have imagined the circumstances we would find ourselves in globally. I am proud to say that Parentkind, our PTA members and everyone in a parenting role used their impressive resources, initiative and creativity to make the best of an unprecedented situation and difficult few years. We were able to continue to support PTAs to make money with our ready-made Big fundraisers and provide parents and schools with critical support and advice during the pandemic. It has been crucial that their voices have been heard by policy makers. I look forward to seeing Parentkind’s momentum continue to grow and will remain a steadfast supporter of the charity.’ 

Incoming Chief Executive, Jason Elsom said:

‘Our PTA membership has raised up to £121 million each year, providing funding for educational materials, IT equipment, sports equipment, libraries and much more. They provide critical support for our children’s education as the foundations of community between parents and their children’s educators. Their contribution to successful educational outcomes is vital and will become more so through the years ahead. Unfortunately, many schools still lack the parental support they so very much deserve and many with parental responsibility, the opportunity to support their children’s school. Bringing together my experience as a senior leader in education, technology, charities, and as a parent to eight children, I am thrilled to join Parentkind as Chief Executive. I will champion and spread the message that: All schools deserve a PTA and that all children deserve to benefit from active parental participation in their education.’