Educated at Durham and London, Mrs Griffin (below) started her teaching career in London and became a deputy head in Wythenshawe, Manchester, at the age of 28. Six years later she was appointed head of a girls’ 11-18 school in Rochester, Kent. Since her Manchester days, she has been deeply involved in both the research for and administration of public exams, and is still an executive committee member of the Associated Examining Board. Since SHA’s creation, and as membership officer for the past two years, she has been instrumental in changing its image and introducing effective recruitment strategies.

The British Film Institute has appointed Dr Richard Collins as head of education. Currently senior lecturer at the London School of Economics and Political Science and advisor to the director general of Telecommunications on broadcasting issues, Dr Collins will co-ordinate the institute’s plans to foster film education in schools.

Throughout the 1970s he was a member of the Society for Education in Film and Television. This was followed by research fellowships in Australia, North America and Canada. Dr Collins’ book, From Satellite to Single Market: The Europeanisation of Television 1982-1992 will be published later this year.

The National Disability Council, which was created in 1996 to advise the Government on how to end discrimination, has announced the appointment of six council members: Jackie Downer, development worker for Lambeth Support; Marjorie Wallace, chief executive of Sane, the mental health charity; Susan Scott-Parker, chief executive, Employers’s Forum on Disability; Gillian Morbey, Sense Scotland, an organisation concerned with people who are disabled and multi-sensory impaired; Patricia Hughes, chief executive, London Borough of Sutton; Philip Friend, managing director, Churchill and Friend Limited which specialises in training and consultancy on disability issues.

Niamh Noone, solicitor to the chief constable of Lancashire, has been appointed chairman of the charity, Life Education Centres for Lancashire, following the death of the founder member, Edwin Jacks. Life Education Centres is part of a worldwide self-funding organisation which offers counselling and preventive drug abuse programmes for four to 11-year-olds which are run mainly by volunteers out of mobile classrooms.

Education recruitment consultants, Initial Personnel Services has appointed Daryl Pride as director in charge of 280 staff based in London, Birmingham and Leeds. Mr Pride was formerly general manager in the public sector division of the company which he joined in 1991.

The President of the University of Wales, Lampeter, John Elfed Jones, will not be seeking re-appointment when his term ends on July 31. He will be succeeded by Honorary Fellow, Professor Emeritus Eric Sunderland, currently chairman of the British Council in Wales and the Local Government Boundary Commission in Wales.

Welsh-speaking Professor Sunderland was formerly professor of anthropology and pro vice-chancellor at the University of Durham before being appointed principal, later vice-chancellor of the University of Wales, Bangor (where he is also Honorary Fellow) and of the University of Wales.

Dr Hugh Lawlor has been made Visiting Professor at Canterbury Christ Church College. Presently professor of education at the college he is also a consultant to the Teacher Training Agency, a registered inspector and accredited trainer of inspectors with the Office for Standards in Education.

He was involved in developing national standards for teachers and headteachers while director of continuing professional development and research at the TTA.