First woman to lead schools body
SCOTLAND’s troubled schools quango has appointed its first female boss.
Gayle Gorman is new chief inspector of education and chief executive of Education Scotland – derided by the EIS teaching union earlier this year as a ‘damaged brand’.
In 2013 she took up her post as education director at Aberdeen City Council, which warned last year that its schools could be forced to close because of a shortage of teachers.
Mrs Gorman was also in charge of the council’s education department when Bailey Gwynne, 16, was stabbed to death by a fellow pupil at Cults Academy in October 2015.
An interim leadership team has been in place at Education Scotland during the recruitment process to replace Dr Bill Maxwell, who retired earlier this year.
The day before his retirement was announced, Dr Maxwell warned that schools do not ‘provide all children and young people with consistently high-quality’ learning.
The chief executive’s salary in 2016-17 was between £110,000 and £115,000 a year.
Mrs Gorman, who was director of learning at Cambridge County Council before moving to Aberdeen, said: ‘I am passionate about the ability of education to change lives and have always put children and young people at the centre of my working life.’
Education Secretary John Swinney said: ‘Education is this government’s number one priority.
‘Gayle’s considerable experience will provide the strong leadership we need as we implement the next stage of our reforms to close the attainment gap and raise standards.’