primary school, a primary adviser to Sunderland local education authority and an Ofsted team leader, inspecting nursery and primary schools in Cumbria.

PHILIP HUNTER, director of education of Staffordshire county council since 1985, is to retire at the end of the year. Dr Hunter, formerly principal private secretary to education secretaries Shirley Williams and Mark Carlisle and then deputy education officer of the Inner London Education Authority, is a past president of the Society of Education Officers. He is a member of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority and visiting professor of education at Keele University.

CHRIS BERRY, acting director of education of Rhondda Cynon Taff, is to be the new executie director of education and leisure services of Oldham Council in Lancashire. Ms Berry, who was born in Chorley, Lancashire and worked in community education, will take over from Oldham’s current director, Mike Willis, when he retires in the summer.

CARLTON MIDGLEY is to be the next director of the Halifax Learning Zone, succeeding Peter Bartle who retires in the summer. A former head of mathematics in two Calderdale schools and headteacher of two schools in Oldham, Mr Midgley is a senior inspector and adviser in

Bradford.

EILEEN MARTIN, (pictured right), dean of the faculty of health

at the University

of Central Lancashire in Preston, has been elected chair of the council of deans and heads of UK

university faculties for nursing, midwifery and health

visiting. Eileen Martin, who previously worked as a nurse and midwife, moved into the arena of nursing education in 1985.