Ennis was born in Grimethorpe, near Barnsley in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the son of a coal miner and educated at the Hemsworth Grammar School on Station Road before attending the Redland Teachers Training College near Bristol where he was awarded a Bachelor of Education degree in 1975.
University of the West of England.
In 1978, he moved to teach at the Burngreave Middle School in Sheffield, and from 1979 until his election he taught at Hillsborough Primary School in Sheffield. Ennis was elected as councillor in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley in 1980, becoming the deputy leader in 1988, and was leader 1995-1996, standing down from the council in 1997. Ennis was elected to the House of Commons at the 1996 Barnsley East by-election following the death of Terry Patchett.
Jeff Ennis held the seat at the 12 December 1996 by-election with a majority of 13,181.
He made his maiden speech on 14 January 1997. A few months after his election to Westminster he had to go back to his electorate at the 1997 general election for the newly drawn Barnsley East and Mexborough seat, following the redrawing of boundaries and the abolishment of the former Barnsley East.
Following the 1997 general election, Ennis was appointed the Parliamentary Private Secretary (Parliamentary Private Secretary) to the Minister of State at the Department of Health Tessa Jowell, and then in her capacity of Minister of State at the Department for Education and Employment. In July 2007, he was appointed the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister for the Cabinet Office Editor Miliband.
On 9 February 2010, Ennis announced that he would stand down at the 2010 general election.
Ennis will stand as the Labour Party candidate for the North East Ward in the May 2012 Barnsley local council elections
Ennis has been married to Margaret Angela Knight since 1980 and they have three sons, one of whom is called Micheal Ennis. He has lived in his Barnsley constituency for much of his life, and is a supporter of Barnsley F.C.
51st United Kingdom Parliament. 52nd United Kingdom Parliament. 53rd United Kingdom Parliament.
54th United Kingdom Parliament]
He became a member of the Education & Skills Select Committee following the 2001 general election.
Before his election he was active in the trade union movement and was a branch chairman of the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) 1979-1996 and has been a member of the Transport and General Workers" Union since 1997.
