THE Office for Standards in Education has appointed Stephen Grix, principal of Sir George Monoux sixth-form college in Walthamstow, as head of its post-16 division. Mr Grix joins OFSTED just as it gets responsibility for inspecting education for students aged 16 to 19 in further education colleges. A former bricklayer who left school at 15 and subsequently acquired two degrees by part-time study, Mr Grix has been head of Sir George Monoux for three years. He succeeds David West, who retired last month.
Alan Wood, assistant director of education in the London borough of Lambeth, has been made acting director of education following the appointment of Heather Du Quesnay as acting chief executive of the council. Mr Wood, a qualified teacher, joined the council two years ago after working in several inner and outer London boroughs.
Melynda Standring has joined the Professional Association of Teachers as a part-time development officer to help its Welsh teacher and lecturer members and members of its Professional Association of Nursery Nurses. Ms Standring, a nursery nurse in Colwyn Bay, joins Elizabeth Arnold-Davies, who was appointed last year.
Fiona Cannon, Jeannie Drake and Surinder Sharma have been appointed commissioners at the Equal Opportunities Commissio. Ms Cannon is currently head of equal opportunities at Lloyds TSB Group, Jeannie Drake is deputy general secretary to the Communication Workers’ Union and Surinder Sharma is corporate equal opportunites manager for the Littlewoods Organisation. The re-appointment of Richard Penn is also announced.
Avril Lawrence, former director of development and student services at Havering College of Further and Higher Education, has been appointed vice-principal. Ms Lawrence has held senior posts at the college for 12 years and will now be responsible for bids to Government regeneration and European Union funds to expand education and training in the community.
Alun Evans is the new director of communications at the department of environment, transport and the regions. The career civil servant was already at the department on secondment from his post as head of the No. 10 Downing Street Strategic Communications Unit. Before that he was principal private secretary to David Blunkett at the Department for Education and Employment.
The National Tramway Museum in Derbyshire has appointed
Ann Clayton as education officer
for three years. Ms Clayton, a former deputy head and Open University tutor, will develop the museum’s links with schools and teachers.
