Government appoints new Chair of the School Teachers’ Review Body
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.
Notes for editors
- The appointment process was run in accordance with the Code of Practice issued by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA) and was made on merit: political activity played no part in the selection process. However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations and the code of practice, there is a requirement for appointees’ political activity (if any declared), and other information, to be made public.
| Name | Term of office | Political activity declared | Remuneration | Other public appointments |
| Dame Patricia Hodgson | Three years | None | £350 per day approximately 30 days per year | Deputy Chair Ofcom |
School Teachers’ Review Body
- The STRB considers aspects of teachers’ pay and conditions for just under half a million teachers and school leaders in England and Wales. Its work has a direct impact on teachers and head teachers and, through them, on the education of children.
- The STRB was established under the terms of the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Act 1991 (as replaced by the Education Act 2002). It is a statutory independent advisory body. Its function is to consider matters referred to it by the Secretary of State for Education in relation to the remuneration, professional duties or working time of school teachers and to report to the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State.
About Dame Patricia Hodgson DBE
- Dame Patricia Hodgson DBE has been Principal of Newnham College, Cambridge, since 2006. She was appointed as a Member of the Ofcom Board on 1 July 2011, and became Deputy Chairman on 1 January 2012.
- Having begun her career as a producer and journalist, she was Director of Policy and Planning at the BBC from 1993 to 2000, where she was responsible for Charter and licence renegotiations and for project managing the BBC’s switch to digital. From 2000 to the end of 2003 she was Chief Executive of the Independent Television Commission.
- She was a non-executive director of The Competition Commission (2004 - end 2011) and a Member of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (2005 - Sept 2011). She also chaired the Higher Education Regulation Review Group, 2004-6. Patricia was a Member of the Wellcome Trust from 2004-2008 and of the Committee for Standards in Public Life for the same period. She has also served as a non-executive director of GCap plc and as a Member of the Statistics Commission. She was a Member of the BBC Trust from its inception until June 2011.
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