Sarah’s appointment comes at a pivotal and exciting moment for Juniper, alongside the launch of JoinUp, a new proposition designed to help schools and multi-academy trusts work more effectively by connecting what matters most people, systems and services.
At the heart of JoinUp is a free, centralised platform, including a free MIS for eligible schools, aimed at providing choice, improving visibility, and making it easier for school leaders to focus on their own improvement priorities rather than managing fragmented systems.
Sarah brings a distinctive background to the CEO role. The early part of her career was spent in education, with more than ten years’ experience across schools and MATs as a teacher, Executive Head Teacher and Deputy Director of Education. During this time, she led school teams through significant improvement journeys, including supporting underperforming schools to achieve outstanding judgements, with a passion to drive equality of opportunity for all children and young people from every backgrounds.
Much of Sarah’s work in education was achieved despite the challenges created by disconnected systems and suppliers. This experience shaped her decision to join Juniper, with a clear ambition, to help schools overcome the frustrations caused by fragmented education technology and to ensure suppliers work around the needs of schools, not the other way around.
Since joining Juniper, Sarah has played a central role in shaping the organisation’s direction and approach, helping to develop a proposition that prioritises clarity, connection and practical impact for schools and trusts.
Commenting on her appointment, Sarah Barton said: “I’m incredibly proud to step into the CEO role at Juniper at such an important moment for the business and for the sector. Schools and trusts are under real pressure, and they need partners who understand their reality and make things simpler, not more complex. JoinUp reflects what we’ve been working towards supporting school improvement through better connection, clearer insight and joined-up thinking.”
This appointment marks a new chapter for Juniper Education as it continues to work closely with schools and MATs as a long-term school improvement partner, focused on practical support, strong relationships and meaningful outcomes.