THE TEAM

Paul Norton BA (Hons), MSc, PGCFE, MSc(Ed), QTS, NPQH is Chair of the Welsh Independent Schools Council and Principal and Proprietor of Kings Monkton School, Cardiff.

Educated in Cardiff, Paul studied History and Criminology at Bangor University and Cardiff University before beginning his career in further education. He later retrained as a secondary school teacher, progressing through a range of leadership positions including Head of Sociology and Psychology, Head of Sixth Form and senior leadership.

Before joining the independent sector, Paul worked in maintained schools across Cardiff, Monmouthshire, the Vale of Glamorgan and Rhondda Cynon Taf, while also contributing to the summer school programme at the University of Oxford.

In 2013, Paul was appointed Principal of Kings Monkton School. Under his leadership, the school has undergone significant strategic development, including successfully securing a material change to broaden its provision from a mainstream school to one offering mainstream education with specialist Additional Learning Needs (ALN) provision. In 2019, Paul became Proprietor of the school and now leads Kings Monkton alongside his wife, Karen, continuing to develop its reputation for academic excellence, inclusion and pupil wellbeing.

Alongside his school leadership, Paul is an advocate for independent education in Wales, working closely with policymakers and the wider education sector to promote high-quality educational opportunities for all learners.