Another day, another regional schools commissioner departs their post. The speed at which Sir David Carter’s praetorian guard are appointed, do a spell in the role and then move on is something to behold. And it hasn’t gone unnoticed that the gamekeeper-turned-poacher manoeuvre is often a well-remunerated one. This time, it’s Vicky Beer off to run a multi-academy trust (MAT) in the North West.

But it can’t all be just about the lure of an extra few quid. The RSC gig is nothing to write home about: ever-changing priorities and targets escalating, de-escalating, and then re-escalating in importance according to the changing winds of government policy. Then there’s the tedium of working with the headteacher advisory boards, a bunch of well-meaning individuals with the collective dynamism of a mouldy sponge, as well as the constant threat of being hauled in front of the Commons Education Select Committee (yawn), another lacklustre group of individuals. Given this is what the job really entails, it’s perhaps little surprise that few have the stomach to stick it out.

You can also add to the mix the endless deluge of Freedom of Information requests and, until recently, a general lack of resources or a decent support team. There’s not even much prospect of moving up the career ladder either, given that Sir David is not going anywhere anytime soon. Taking all that into account, it adds up to more than just a bit of a ball-ache. And if you’re not willing to hang about and notch up the years in the hope of scoring a title and the associated ermine, then there’s not much reason to stay.

But some have stayed the course and my long-service awards go to Tim Coulson, Martin Post and Dominic Herrington: a former council director of children’s services, grammar school head and civil servant respectively. Sadly, this is not the opening to a bad joke. The eagle-eyed will immediately notice that our three musketeers are all men. And all three are based in the South. What is so terrible about the North, and where are the women?

The RSC revolving door

We can probably expect the RSC revolving door to keep spinning for the foreseeable future, as MAT-land beckons with more CEO roles becoming available, as well as other high-profile education jobs. What’s the betting that another RSC might take up the Ormiston reins when Toby Salt goes this summer? Heaven knows, the money will be better: with the trust having brazenly advertised a six-figure contract for a PR firm, just think what riches lie in wait for the new CEO. And might we even see an RSC slip into the well-shod shoes of Brett Wigdortz at Teach First? Having performed the thankless task of an RSC, the lure of a messianic following (albeit from enthralled snowflake graduates) would be very attractive for some.

All of this should serve as a wake-up call for Sir David Carter. While he may have been glad to see the back of some appointees, now is not the time to be messing around with second-rate leaden-footed candidates. He needs to be talent-spotting and hand-picking the very best. And if that means that the Department for Education has to take a deep breath and allow him to offer a handsome salary, then so be it.

But perhaps more fundamentally, the role itself needs to become more attractive. Being a regulator is never going to be a glamourous calling, but unless some of the mind-numbing drudgery is stripped away, RSC will stand for Relatively Short Commitment.

The Secret CEO is the chief executive of a multi-academy trust somewhere in England