New Ofsted board members announced
John Hughes and James Kempton appointed to Ofsted’s board.
Education Secretary Nicky Morgan today (12 March 2015) confirmed the appointment of 2 new non-executive Ofsted board members.
John Hughes and James Kempton have been appointed to serve on the Ofsted board for 3 years.
Education Secretary Nicky Morgan said:
I welcome the appointment of these 2 new board members who will use their experience to further improve education in our schools.
Biography details of new board members
John Hughes will retire as Group Political Adviser at BP later this month. He also holds a number of non-executive roles. John has worked with BP since 1990 in a variety of roles in Europe, Africa and North America. He also previously worked as a teacher and head of physics at a secondary school in London.
James Kempton currently works at think tank CentreForum as Director of Social Policy and Education. A former council leader, teacher, medical royal college chief executive and management consultant, he has worked extensively on public services reform, with a particular focus on education and social mobility policy. He is chair of Islington Community Theatre, a trustee of Music First, a governor of the Cripplegate Foundation and a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Ofsted’s board is chaired by David Hoare who was appointed in July 2014. Sir Michael Wilshaw, HM Chief Inspector, Linda Farrant, Paul Snell and John Roberts are already members of the board.
Notes to editors
The appointments were agreed in accordance with the Code of Practice issued by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA) and were made on merit; political activity played no part in the decision-making process. However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations and the code of practice, there is a requirement for appointees’ political activity (if any declared) and other information, to be made public.
The details of the application process and job description were published online and the essential criteria were:
- proven ability to work at board level with knowledge of how to add value as a non-executive - or a demonstrable ability to operate effectively at this level
- strong analytical skills
- sound understanding and experience of strategic and financial planning
- commitment to Ofsted as an inspector and regulator and Ofsted’s role in improving standards in education, children’s services and skills
The desirable criteria were:
- experience of driving and delivering change and improvements in a fast-moving environment
- experience in strategic communications and/or complex analysis
The roles are remunerated at £4,141 per annum.
John Hughes declared no political activity. James Kempton declared previous involvement in party political work and has confirmed that he is stepping down from this.
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