THE NEW head of Hackney’s school improvement service can expect to earn as much as a director of education.
Nord Anglia, the company running Hackney’s failing school support services, is seeking an executive manager on up to pound;75,000 plus bonus, to lead a school development and review unit.
The salary is equivalent to the average shire chief education officers’ wage, and only slightly below the top rate - pound;78,863 - for a London education director.
The executive manager will be responsible for ensuring the service delivers Nord Anglia’s contract in the east London borough, and will be able to intervene in failing schools. The post is one of five top jobs the company has said it will advertise externally.
The post will not be filled until after Nord Anglia officially takes over Hackney’s school improvement and ethnic minority achievement services next month.
But Terry Connolly, who is in charge of the Hackney contract, said the timing of the appointment was not an issue. He added: “We are already delivering on contract performance indicators and implementing Government policy. For example, Excellence in Cities in Hackney is totally managed by Nord Anglia.”
The company is looking for someone who is already a seior educational manager and has not ruled out an experienced headteacher with an appropriate range of skills. These include the ability to “lead and inspire,” manage change and think commercially and strategically.
The Government ordered Hackney to hand over its failing education services to Nord Anglia last July, after a damning Office for Standards in Education report. The company was the sole bidder.
Meanwhile, business continues to boom for private contractors interested in taking over education services - whether failing or not.
Last month, the Government advertised for more public and private-sector bodies to join its list of approved providers. And this week, schools minister Estelle Morris called for councils to look at whether others could improve on the services they are providing for schools.
She highlighted good practice in Bedfordshire, which is advertising in this week’s TES for more associate education consultants, as is Thurrock.
Mr Connolly said Nord Anglia was keen to carry out such work with education authorities.
“We don’t want to be associated just with intervention. We want to be associated with positive, co-operative voluntary partnership with education services,” he said.
