Christan Upton

Originally from the island of Jersey, Christan Upton is an experienced headteacher based in Lancashire in the North West of England, living with his wife Lucy and four children.

In May 2017, as the headteacher of Tarleton Community Primary School, Christan was met with the devastating news that one of his pupils was the youngest victim of the Manchester Arena Attack. Saffie-Rose Roussos was only eight years old. Having led his school community through an unprecedented and sustained period of recovery, Christan wanted to share his learning and support others. Therefore he is the author of Searching for the Sparkle: A School's Journey of Recovery, a book that lifts the lid on what happens to a school in the aftermath of a terror attack - an unbelievable true story.

Christan has worked tirelessly with a range of colleagues to ensure lessons have been learnt and that the education sector are more prepared in the aftermath of such incidents. He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the King's first New Years Honours list for services to education.

Alongside the book, Christan set up a charity called the Sparkle Bean Trust (sparklebean.co.uk) where the proceeds of the book will go to. The charity provides small grants to primary schools in the sad event of the sudden death of a pupil as well as sharing learning with school leaders. Christan also an accomplished speaker in this area having provided talks for the DfE, universities, education and counter terrorism sectors.