Anthony Akaraonye

Chief Executive Officer, Auckland College | Former Assistant Director and Head of Children’s Services, Liverpool

Anthony Akaraonye has more than 40 years’ experience in children’s services, senior management, education, local government and community leadership, with a longstanding commitment to improving opportunities and outcomes for children and families across Liverpool.

Before joining Liverpool Social Services as a social worker, Anthony worked as a Project Manager at the Charles Wootton Adult Education Centre. During his time there, he became a staff representative and a member of the Centre’s management and governance board at just 21 years of age.

He qualified as a social worker at Oxford Polytechnic, now Oxford Brookes University, obtaining a Certificate of Qualification in Social Work (CQSW) and a Diploma in Social Work Studies.

During his career with Liverpool Social Services, Anthony held several key senior positions, including Race Equality Officer and Senior Manager of the Service Review Unit. In 1996, he was appointed Assistant Director and Head of Children’s Services, assuming responsibility for a budget exceeding £100 million and providing strategic leadership and oversight for more than 2,500 staff.

His remit encompassed a wide range of essential services, including child protection, early years, family support, fostering and adoption, youth justice, provision for children with disabilities and residential childcare services.

His leadership involved extensive partnership working across education, health, policing and community organisations, with a particular focus on safeguarding, equality of opportunity and improving services for vulnerable children.

Throughout his career, Anthony has served on numerous boards and worked closely with central government departments, local and national politicians, and senior civil servants. He is particularly proud to have served for five years on the Board of Governors of Liverpool John Moores University, contributing to institutional governance, strategic development and educational oversight.

In 1996, Anthony and his wife, Gillian, co-founded Auckland College in Liverpool, establishing an independent school built on the principles of inclusion, academic ambition and individual care. Their vision was to create an educational environment in which every child, regardless of background or prior attainment, could feel safe, valued and supported to achieve their full potential.

As Chief Executive Officer, Anthony continues to lead the school’s strategic development, championing high educational standards, robust safeguarding practices, effective leadership and a culture of respect, personal responsibility and achievement. His commitment to non-selective education reflects his belief that academic excellence and inclusive opportunity should go hand in hand.

Anthony is also actively involved in the leadership and development of Auckland House Day Nursery in Liverpool and Pepperberry Day Nursery and Pre-school in Wilmslow, extending his commitment to high-quality early years education, child development and safeguarding.

Leadership Priorities

Anthony’s leadership priorities include:

• Raising academic attainment and ensuring that pupils make strong progress from their individual starting points.
• Establishing clear expectations for behaviour, respect, personal responsibility and a positive school culture.
• Strengthening the effectiveness and accountability of headteachers and senior leadership teams.
• Developing rigorous systems for monitoring pupil progress, teaching quality and educational outcomes.
• Supporting the early identification of needs and timely intervention for pupils requiring additional academic or pastoral support.
• Encouraging meaningful partnerships with parents and families to support pupils’ learning, development and wellbeing.
• Ensuring that safeguarding and pupil welfare remain central to all institutional decision-making.
• Promoting staff development, professional standards and continuous organisational improvement.

Throughout his career, Anthony has combined senior public service leadership with a practical and enduring commitment to creating educational opportunities for children and young people. His extensive experience has given him a deep understanding of the relationship between family circumstances, social disadvantage, educational opportunity, safeguarding and long-term outcomes for children.

His work continues to be guided by the conviction that every child deserves a safe, nurturing and ambitious environment in which to learn, develop and succeed.