A new Director of Education role is being created to take forward accountability for all education services across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.
The new role aims to attract an exceptional leader who has the expertise and experience of working at a very senior level within a school setting. They will be required to bring that knowledge and passion to the new post and deliver on the council’s strategic priority to give high quality education and provide great opportunities for children and young people to flourish.
Elaine Redding, Interim Director of Children’s Services, said: “As we all know, the pandemic has meant wholesale disruption to children and young people’s learning over the past 12 months. Successive lockdowns have resulted in a widening of the attainment gap and compounded other issues. As we move into a period of recovery, it’s vital we give these issues our full focus and attention.
“By recruiting a Director of Education onto our senior leadership team, we can ensure accountability for education rests with one person who is a specialist in the field and who can work alongside our school leaders to make progress at pace on our exciting agenda.”
Councillor Nicola Greene, Portfolio Holder for Covid Resilience, Public Health and Education said: “The Director for Education will be integral to delivering on the council’s priority to provide brighter futures for all of our children and young people. They will be joining at a time when we are investing significantly in a number of areas including, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and increasing the numbers of special school places across the area so that local children have access to good quality school places near to them. They will also play a role in the delivery of the £1m Family Investment which will help the most disadvantaged children and young people catch up and support them with their mental health and wellbeing following the devastating impact of the pandemic.
“The director will also be responsible for priorities such as addressing the widening attainment gap; to tackle fixed-term and permanent exclusions from school; to support children whose home education is proving detrimental; and to improve working relationships between schools and children’s social care.”