DfE to appoint eight new deputy directors

The Department for Education (DfE) is set to appoint eight new senior civil servants to head up regional schools commissioner (RSC) offices and help manage their rising workload.

The deputy directors will ‘complement senior leadership teams’ in each of the eight RSC offices but will not possess decision-making powers specific to RSCs.

According to SchoolsWeek, Maria Dawes, head of school effectiveness at Babcock Education, will take up the first appointment from the middle of June, with further recruitment for positions still ongoing.

The DfE has confirmed that the other appointments will be announced when complete by the relevant RSC. The staffing expansion comes as RSC offices prepare to take on extra work with the government’s proposals to academise coasting schools, and those which are deemed to be underperforming or unviable.

In an interview with SchoolsWeek, a spokesman for the DfE said: “These positions are not deputy RSCs, they are specific civil service grades and do not have the decision-making powers specific to RSCs.

“Deputy directors will complement the senior leadership teams in each RSC’s office, helping to deliver the expansion of the academies programme and recruit strong sponsors.”