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Bristol educator honoured with knighthood
A Bristol educator with more than 25 years of experience has joined actor Idris Elba in being awarded a knighthood in the New Year Honours List.
Steve Taylor, chief executive of the Cabot Learning Federation (CLF), received the honour in recognition of his contributions to education in the South West.
Taylor led the multi-academy trust for 11 years, overseeing its expansion to 36 schools.
CLF now supports around 18,000 children aged two to 19 and employs more than 3,000 staff across the region.
In recognition of his contributions to education and commitment to equity and community wellbeing, Taylor was awarded an honorary doctorate of education by UWE in 2024 – photo: UWE Bristol
Widely respected for his calm, values-driven leadership, Taylor has played a significant role in regional and national education development, including teacher training and school improvement.
Under his leadership, CLF became a founding partner of the Five Counties Teaching School Hubs Alliance.
In addition to his work at CLF, Taylor is involved in wider educational initiatives. He is chair of the Queen Street Group, an alliance of 45 multi-academy trusts and serves in a number of governance roles across the sector.
Taylor is also a fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching and a trained lead inspector for Ofsted.
Before moving into senior leadership roles, Taylor enjoyed a distinguished career as a teacher in schools in the UK and abroad, including Da Vinci College in the Netherlands, Backwell School and Bristol Metropolitan Academy, where he served as headteacher for more than four years.
In recognition of his contributions to education and commitment to equity and community wellbeing, Taylor was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Education by UWE Bristol during its autumn graduation ceremonies in 2024.
Reflecting on his knighthood, Taylor said: “Since learning of this award, I have thought about all those colleagues in the Cabot Learning Federation and in the wider sector whose work and successes have inspired me over the years to strive to do my best for the children we serve.
“Anything I would count as an achievement has come about as a result of working in collaboration with great people I have had the privilege of knowing, in the CLF and beyond.
“That includes a number of leaders in the Queen Street Group whose work in education has been recognised over the years, and I feel fortunate to have them as colleagues.”
Main photo: CLF
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