Gary Balcombe is Director of Risk at Cavendish Education, bringing more than two decades of dedicated experience to the protection, wellbeing and development of children and young people.
Over the course of his career, Gary has built a strong reputation for leadership in safeguarding, regulatory compliance and quality assurance across a variety of educational and care settings. Before joining Cavendish Education, he served as Director of Quality and Safeguarding at the National Fostering Group, overseeing practice across all four home nations of the UK. In this role, he provided strategic leadership and oversight for safeguarding frameworks, quality assurance processes and service delivery standards within the country’s largest independent fostering provider.
Gary’s career includes a significant tenure at Ofsted, where he spent eight years in senior roles. He was a Regulatory Inspection Manager, and later appointed as a Senior Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI) in Early Education. His work at Ofsted placed him at the heart of national regulatory practice, contributing to high-impact inspection frameworks, advising on safeguarding policy, and supporting the improvement of educational outcomes at scale.
Earlier in his career, Gary worked across Local Authorities, the private sector, and the NSPCC in frontline social work. His practice focused on child protection, Looked After Children, disability services, and fostering – experience that deeply informs his understanding of the challenges and responsibilities involved in safeguarding vulnerable young people.
At Cavendish Education, Gary plays a critical role in ensuring that the Group’s schools uphold the highest standards of care, safety, and quality, embedding a culture of vigilance, transparency, and continuous improvement throughout the organisation.
