Blimey. Proposed new head of OFSTED has never been a teacher

[neolara]

See here.

It's all a quite depressing really.

'various roles in investment strategy and finance'
academies
really an MA in 'comparative education' doesn't quite cut it does it
no wonder they can't recruit or keep teachers

But she has good experience of running schools as one of the founders of the Ark academy chain, which is without doubt one of the best academy chains.
Maybe it is time for someone with a management background to take over running an organisation which is not exactly renowned for its management abilities. She has a very large team of educationalists who can do the teaching and learning bit, if she wants to concentrate on making Ofsted a strong well led organisation.

Interesting background - she will have learned a lot from Ark about what works and not when it comes to actually turning troubled schools around. Who knows, perhaps a wiser / more effective inspection approach might emerge under her leadership...

It is a very tough job, and I hope she has the independence, integrity and strength to, when necessary, stand up to authority including the politicians appointing her. (I have no idea if she does)

It's that old chestnut of 'everyone knows about schools because everyone has been to one.'

Academies are not education focuses. They are run as businesses. Their chief executives earn high salaries, they have their own agenda and little of it is to do with children and education.

There is, I think, beginning to be a realisation that teacher recruitment and retention is in crisis.

I think Foxyloxy1plus1 you need to look at who are the leaders / chief executive officer of academies and academy chains. In most cases they were previously head teachers, so I am afraid I cannot accept your assumptions around the lack of educational focus
Every school needs to be run as a business and that in many respects is why too many are finding themselves in financial trouble of one sort or another - there is simply not enough financial acumen within the senior management of the school, including the governing body / trust board.

The last academy I worked in had a head teacher who was an executive in the academy and had never been a head or even a deputy. She was completely out of her depth and there for a very short time.

The reason for many LA schools being in financial difficulties is that the money coming from he LA is reduced year on year.

As a governor, I KNOW that there is financial acumen amongst the governing body and the business manager. In fact, there is a conscious effort to recruit a mix of skills to the GB and financial and business sense is key.

The primary reason for a school is as a learning establishment. Whilst acknowledging that the books must balance, the duty is to the children and their parents and other stakeholders.

I'm not really bothers that you say you don't accept my opinion on the educational focus in academies. Years and years of experience as a class teacher, advisory teacher, assistant head teacher tells me otherwise.