Mr John Wood was appointed Chair of the Independent Schools Association (ISA) in January 2012.
The ISA provides professional support to its 300 member Head Teachers. Founded in 1879, it is one of the oldest of the independent schools' associations, and covers a range of schools from prep to secondary to sixth form. Staff of member schools benefit from high quality training opportunities and access to a wide range of membership services, while pupils enjoy an extensive programme of local and national Sporting, Arts and Cultural events.
Mr Wood has been Headmaster of The Dixie Grammar School in Market Bosworth in Leicestershire since September 2005. He moved there from Kirkham Grammar School in Lancashire where he was Senior Deputy Headmaster for eight years. He began his teaching career at Nottingham High School, where he was Head of Mathematics for six years before his move to Kirkham.
John was Chair of ISA's Academic Policy Committee until the end of 2011 and he is the Association's representative on the GSA/HMC Universities Committee. He has also been treasurer of ISA Midland Region for a number of years.
Mr Wood grew up in Southport, Lancashire, and was educated at King George V Grammar School and Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge where he read Mathematics. Following a brief period working for Midland Bank, he moved to Durham University to undertake his PGCE course. He is the author of a number of successful A Level Mathematics texts, which are used in many independent and state schools. Outside of education Mr Wood is very interested in the Arts and he is a member of the Board of Market Bosworth Festival.
Mr Wood commented "I am delighted and honoured to have been appointed as ISA Chair for 2012. One of the great strengths of ISA is the diverse nature of our schools, ranging from small nursery schools to larger all through schools.
"This puts us in a unique position within the Independent Heads' Associations of having expertise in all areas of school age education. Our schools offer enormous opportunities to our pupils and the great strength of pastoral care is a feature of which we are especially proud. In this Olympic Year, we will be holding a Festival of Sport at the University of Nottingham, which should prove a memorable occasion for the many hundreds of pupils who will participate."