Amanda Spielman

Amanda Mary Victoria Spielman, MA ACA serves as HM Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills since January 2017.[1]

Amanda Spielman
Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector
Assumed office
1 January 2017
Prime MinisterTheresa May
Boris Johnson
MinisterJustine Greening
Damian Hinds
Gavin Williamson
Preceded bySir Michael Wilshaw
Personal details
Born (1961-05-22) 22 May 1961
London
ParentsSebastian Robinson (f);
Professor Olivia Robinson, FRSE, FRHistS (m)
RelativesO'Brien baronets
Alma materClare College, Cambridge

She joined the senior leadership team at Ark Schools in 2005 but has never taught a class of children in her life. From 2011 to 2016, Spielman was Chair of the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual).[2]

Early life and education

Her mother, Olivia Fiona Robinson,[3][4] descends via the O'Brien baronets from the Kings of Thomond.[5]

Brought up in the Christian faith and educated first at Notre Dame Primary School in Glasgow, before boarding in Dorset from the age of ten, she joined St Paul's Girls' School's sixth form.[6] She then went to Clare College, Cambridge, to read Mathematics and Law, graduating as BA in 1982.[7]

Her first marriage, in 1983 ended in divorce. She married secondly, in 1996, Adam Justin Spielman MBA, managing director at Citigroup, whose relations include banking families such as the Cohens and Sebag-Montefiores.[8] They live in London and have two children.

Financial industry career

With KMG Thomson McLintock from 1982 to 1986 and then Kleinwort Benson from 1986 to 1992, she served as a director of Newstead Capital from 1992 until 1994[9] and of Bridgewater Business Analysis from 1994 to 1995.

She became a principal at Mercer Management Consulting in Boston, Massachusetts from 1995 to 1997, then at Nomura Principal Finance from 1997 to 2004.

Education administration

After pursuing further studies in Comparative Education[10] at the Institute of Education, University of London, she received a Master of Arts degree in 2002.[11]

From 2005 onwards Spielman was a founding member of the management team at Ark Schools.[12][13][14] From 2011 to 2016 she chaired Ofqual, the examinations and qualifications regulator.

Ofsted appointment

In June 2016, Spielman was selected by Education Secretary, Nicky Morgan, to take over as Chief Inspector of Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) to replace Sir Michael Wilshaw. Following a pre-appointment hearing, Spielman's nomination was rejected by the Education Select Committee which expressed concerns about her suitability, citing her lack of teaching experience and her failure to show "passion" and supposed lack of understanding for the "complex role".[15] Mrs Morgan, however, dismissed such objections and in her capacity as Cabinet minister wrote to Neil Carmichael, the Committee's chairman, confirming her appointment of Mrs Spielman.[16]

Policy positions

In 2018, Spielman supported a primary school headteacher's right to set a uniform policy that did not permit hijab for pupils in Key Stage 1 (ages 4–7). The UK's National Education Union (NEU) exclaimed this was “naked racism dressed up as liberalism”.[17]

In December 2018, Spielman asserted that basic parenting duties should not be outsourced to schools and teachers: for instance, potty training was “a normal part of parenting in every other country” and it was “startling” that any British parents could allow their children to continue wearing nappies for years.[18]

See also

References
  1. Adams, Richard; Weale, Sally (9 January 2017). "New Ofsted chief: 'I want everyone to see us as a force for improvement'". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  2. "Amanda Spielman - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
  3. "Professor Olivia Fiona Robinson FRSE". The Royal Society of Edinburgh. 17 July 2019.
  4. "www.royalhistsoc.org/membership/rhs-fellows-and-members" (PDF).
  5. "Burke's Peerage - The Official Website".
  6. McInerney, Laura (23 December 2014). "Who is Amanda Spielman?". Schools Week. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
  7. Sellgren, Katherine (7 July 2016). "MPs reject next head of Ofsted" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  8. Rocker, Simon (28 July 2018). "Ofsted Chief Amanda Spielman: we don't want to make life difficult for Charedi community". The Jewish Chronicle.
  9. "Newstead Capital – Investment, direct lending, real estate development, private credit".
  10. "Comparative Education MA". Institute of Education. 26 July 2018.
  11. ‘SPIELMAN, Amanda Mary Victoria’, Who's Who 2017, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 2017; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2016 ; online edn, Nov 2016 accessed 11 March 2017
  12. "Exclusive: Amanda Spielman gets nod as next Ofsted chief inspector". TES magazine. 10 June 2016.
  13. Espinoza, Javier (10 June 2016). "Amanda Spielman to become new Ofsted head". The Daily Telegraph.
  14. Adams, Richard (10 June 2016). "Amanda Spielman named as next Ofsted chief inspector". The Guardian.
  15. Sellgren, Katherine (7 July 2016). "Ofsted's next head, Amanda Spielman, rejected by MPs". BBC News.
  16. Morgan, Nicky. "Letter to Neil Carmichael".
  17. editor, Richard Adams Education (1 April 2018). "Hijab ban attempt is 'racism dressed up as liberalism', teachers' conference told" – via www.theguardian.com.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  18. Griffiths, Sian (2 December 2018). "Ofsted boss Amanda Spielman: potty training is a parent's job" – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
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