PRESS RELEASE : Government appoints new Chair of the School Teachers’ Review Body – Patricia Hodgson [February 2012]

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 2 February 2012.

Dame Patricia Hodgson DBE has been appointed to serve as Chair of the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) from 1 February 2012 for three years.

The STRB provides independent advice to the Government on pay and conditions for just under half a million teachers and school leaders in England and Wales.

Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Education, said:

I am very pleased to announce the appointment of Dame Patricia Hodgson as the Chair of the School Teachers’ Review Body. She will bring considerable experience to the STRB, which is responsible for providing independent advice on teachers’ pay and conditions.

The right framework for pay and conditions is key for taking forward my vision to drive up standards by enabling heads and governors to recruit and retain high quality teachers.

Having begun her career as a producer and journalist, Dame Patricia Hodgson is currently Deputy Chair of Ofcom, where she previously served as a Board Member. She has a wealth of experience having been Principal of Newnham College, Cambridge, since 2006. From 1993 to 2000 she was Director of Policy and Planning at the BBC, where she was responsible for Charter and licence renegotiations, and for project managing the BBC’s switch to digital.

Accepting her new role, Dame Patricia Hodgson said:

Good teachers change lives. I very much look forward to leading the work of the School Teachers’ Review Body in supporting them.

The Secretary of State will provide the STRB with a remit to introduce greater freedoms and flexibilities in the teachers’ pay framework in due course.