A deputy further education commissioner has been appointed to Ofsted’s board.
Frances Wadsworth is one of five recruits to the watchdog’s governance team announced today.
Other new members include Ark academy trust CEO Lucy Heller, child safeguarding expert Sir Alan Wood, former academy trust boss and Department for Education civil servant Hardip Begol, and journalist Jo Coburn.
It comes after former Ofsted chief inspector Christine Gilbert was appointed last year as chair of the watchdog’s board.
It followed criticism in her review of Ofsted’s response to the death of headteacher Ruth Perry that the board’s role “appears curiously limited, apparently leaving some of Ofsted’s most critical activities outside of its control, unless Her Majesty’s chief inspector (HMCI) chooses to let it have some control”.
“This degree of autonomy and entitlement for HMCI does not make for effective governance,” the review said.
Wadsworth is a former teacher, college principal, interim chair of Ofqual and a serving magistrate.
She was appointed as a deputy FE commissioner in May 2018 and is due to complete her extended term next month.
Wadsworth was made a CBE for services to education in the Queen’s 2022 birthday honours.
The DfE said Wood had declared he was a member of the Labour Party while none of the other four new Ofsted board members declared any political activity.
Heller, Wood, Wadsworth and Coburn will serve for three years from February 1. Begol will serve for three years from August 1. They will be paid an annual salary of £8,292 for 20 days per year.
They join Gilbert and serving members Martyn Oliver, Ofsted’s chief inspector, and Martin Spencer, Laura Wyld, Jon Yates, Felicity Gillespie, Joanne Moran and David Meyer.
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