Honorary Degrees and Fellowships 4th November

John Bateman OBE

The former Chair of Governors at the University of Worcester is to receive an Honorary Degree and a Fellowship today in recognition of his outstanding service.

John Bateman OBE stood down from his role as Chair of Governors this year, after seven successful years.

John spent the majority of his career employed in the third sector, including 17 years as the Chief Executive Officer of UK Youth; the largest voluntary youth work organisation in the UK.

Previously John was President of The European Confederation of Youth Organizations (ECYC), Vice Chair of The National Council of Voluntary Youth Services, a founding trustee of the Foundation for Outdoor Adventure a Director of Youth FM, a member of the Grants Committee for the Charities Aid Foundation and a member of the Advisory Board of Whole Education.

On retiring from full time employment in 2010, John became an assessor in the development of Alternative Provision Free Schools for New Schools Network and was instrumental in the establishment of numerous of these across the country.

He has served on numerous Government advisory committees relating to young people and was awarded the OBE for services to young people in the 2004 New Year’s Honours.

John served as Chair of the University’s Board of Governors from 2015- 2022 and is currently a Governor of The Aspire Academy, and a Trustee of The Rural Media Company.

University Fellowships

A University Fellowship is bestowed upon persons of distinction or those who have rendered significant service to the University or to the community. Fellows join the University’s College of Fellows, which provides opportunities for the individual to support the University in ways that reflect their particular areas of expertise and experience, be that providing work placement opportunities for students, or guest lecturing, among many other ways. They serve as Ambassadors for the University, enhancing the University’s influence in the national and international communities.

On the 4th November 2022, University Fellowships will be bestowed upon:

Smita Jamdar

One of higher education’s most well-known and respected figures will receive a Fellowship from the University of Worcester today.

Smita Jamdar is Relationship Partner for Shakespeare Martineau’s education clients and advises on strategic, regulatory, constitutional, governance and student matters.

Her approach is best summed up by Chambers & Partners, who recently said: "She is very knowledgeable about the sector, very well informed about the challenges the sector faces, and insightful about how we could change and adapt."

She has helped institutions to innovate and develop, to widen their reach, build institutional resilience, and deliver the best outcomes for students and other stakeholders.

Smita is a member of the Higher Education Commission and an enthusiastic contributor to sector debate through the firm’s education blog, Going Further & Higher and her Twitter feed. She has Honorary Doctor of Laws degrees for services to higher education from the Universities of Warwick and Lincoln.

Rob Haring

A graduate of the University of Worcester who went on to become the CEO of the Westcountry Schools Trust, will receive a Fellowship from the University today.

Rob Haring commenced his teaching career in 1988 as a Maths teacher at Watford Grammar School for Boys having graduated from the University of Worcester. He then followed a fairly traditional career path including various teaching and leadership roles in four different local authorities.

Rob’s first headship was of a Secondary School in Worcestershire then secondly of Ivybridge Community College in Devon.

During this time Rob was privileged to chair the National Headteachers’ Strategy Group for the Youth Sports Trust (YST) and become a Director of Leading Schools South West.

April 2011 saw Rob become responsible for more than one school when a local primary school joined an embryonic Multi Academy Trust of two schools. Today Rob is the CEO of Westcountry Schools Trust, a vibrant family of 27 schools on the SW peninsula.

In addition to his core role, Rob has worked as an External Expert for the DfE to support the improvement journey of schools across the SW region. In a similar vein, Rob is currently Chair of the Plymouth Strategic Education Group.

Dawn Haywood

The Chief Executive Officer of the Windsor Academy Trust is to receive a Fellowship from the University of Worcester today.

Dawn Haywood became CEO in January 2022 having previously served as Deputy CEO and Education Director.

She has been the Vice Chair of the Board of a MAT in the West Midlands, as well as serving on a number of national student voice and leadership advisory groups.

Dawn spent 10 years at the Youth Sport Trust and was the national lead for the coaching and leadership and volunteering strands of the government’s Physical Education and School Sport Strategy for Young People, working closely with the Department for Education and the Department for Culture Media and Sport. During this time, Dawn also worked closely with government departments in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, India and Malaysia to support policy and national strategy development for the advancement of student leadership.

Dawn advised the London Organising Committee for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games on their legacy strategy for young people as well as leading the establishment of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games Youth.

Dawn also sits on the Priority Education Area Partnership Boards for both Sandwell and Walsall providing expertise and knowledge of the local education landscape and challenges to inform decision making by the Department for Education.