The former chair of Birmingham charity Services For Education, Sarah Smith, which each week teaches music to some 32,000 children in Birmingham and delivers professional development and school improvement for teaching and support staff, has been congratulated on being awarded an MBE (Member of the British Empire) in the King’s Birthday Honours for Services to Education.

Sarah, who continues to be a trustee of the charity and who has many years of working in education, was congratulated by the Trustees of Services For Education on “a great and well-deserved accolade”.

Sarah became a Trustee of Services For Education in 2015 and served as Chair from 2021 to 2024. In her role as Birmingham Diocesan Director of Education and Chair at Birmingham Diocesan Multi-Academy Trust, she oversees 52 schools in the Church of England diocese and her work has also included leading the project to setting up a new secondary Free School. Previously, she was Executive Headteacher of St John’s CE Primary School in Sparkbrook, rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted, which she led successfully for eleven years. She has also served as Chair of Birmingham Local Authority Primary Forum supporting schools on their journey of school improvement.

Sharon Bell, Chief Executive of Services For Education, praised Sarah on her being awarded an MBE.

“Sarah has counselled and guided us for nearly a decade and made a significant contribution to our work supporting Birmingham schools and young people, as well education more widely. This is a great and well-deserved accolade. We cannot think of a more deserving recipient,” said Sharon at a meeting of the charity’s trustees.

Services For Education has an annual income of around £7m and is supported by The Arts Council, charitable donations and its commercial operations.

ENDS

Sarah Smith, Trustee and former Chair of Trustees at Services For Education, has been congratulated on her being awarded an MBE

For further information on Services For Education:

David Clarke, Clarke Associates, (Public and media relations, Services For Education)
E: david-c@clarke-associates.co.uk;
M: 07808 735255

About Services For Education:

An education and training charity based in Birmingham, Services For Education brings music and learning to life. Services For Education employs more than 200 staff delivering music tuition to children, and expert training and development to teaching and school support staff. It has annual income of £7.1m (2023/2024). Part-funded by the Arts Council, England it also has its own fundraising and subsidised commercial operations.

• Services For Education’s Music Service, one of the largest in the country, works with 98% of Birmingham schools and each year teaches music to nearly 32,000 children – as well as running 113 free ensembles. It provides 27,000 musical instruments free-of-charge so all children have access to playing and enjoying music together and its Youth Proms at Symphony Hall give 4,000 young musicians the opportunity to perform to an audience of more than 10,000. It also runs music schools, has a world music department, provides private music tuition to all ages as well as working with partners to deliver music and choral opportunities to disadvantaged and vulnerable groups. Its award-winning Online Music Educational Resource was completed and launched free to schools in 2021 to appeal to a young IT-connected audience attracted to learning online and to complement traditional tuition.
• Services For Education’s School Support Service provides expert training and development to teaching and support staff in nearly 600 schools in the West Midlands and increasingly across England, to improve practice and ensure teachers are best equipped to respond to developments in curriculum and policy. As a leading provider of safeguarding education, Services For Education works with 400 schools delivering training in-person and on-line. It also delivers innovative programmes to support the physical and emotional health of children and young people through Health for Life and other community-based activity. servicesforeducation.co.uk

Issued on behalf of:

Services For Education
Unit 3 Holt Court
Holt Street
Birmingham Science Park
Aston
Birmingham B7 4AX