A RETIRED education enthusiast has been honoured for her services to the sector for more than four decades.

Former headteacher and multi-academy trust chief executive officer Jane Bass has received an OBE for services to education in Witham and Colchester.

Mrs Bass first became a teacher in 1977, remaining in the sector until her retirement in August.

Whilst she was a headteacher, part of her key work was as part of an MAT, or multi-academy trust.

The 68-year-old, who lives in Wickham Bishops, was the chief executive officer of a MAT which covered schools in Witham and Colchester, working to improve their standards of education.

Mrs Bass said: “The main aim of our MAT was to take on failing schools and improve them.

“We had Powers Hall and Templars Academy in Witham, the Silver End Academy and the Iceni and Cherry Tree academies in Colchester.

“In Templar’s case, it was in such dire straits, so I took teachers from schools in the area to work with teachers in each year group to improve teaching and learning.

“For the others, it was more individually targeting different teachers. I was there to improve the environment for children, but I also worked hard to ensure staff had the opportunities they needed to progress.

“It was great to see the turnaround, and they all improved in Ofsted reports. Cherry Tree hadn’t been good for 20 years.

“They’re all now really vibrant, educational settings, and good places for children to learn.”

On her OBE, Jane said it was a hard secret to keep, adding it is the ‘cherry on top’ in her career.

She said: “I was in the car with my husband, it was such a shock. It was so hard not to tell anyone because you find out a few weeks beforehand.

“It’s an endorsement for everything you’ve done, for all the people who contributed to the successes.

“It’s nice to have recognition not just for my work, but for everyone involved, as you can’t do it alone and the teamwork was great.

“It really is the cherry on top, you never do it for this sort of reward, but it’s just the right thing to do, even if it is cliché.

“To know what you’ve done made a difference is tremendous.”