WIREDGOV

Professor Hawker, who is currently Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Children’s Services with Westminster Council in London, will take up his new role later this summer.

The appointment was announced by Permanent Secretary Dame Gillian Morgan, who said: “I am extremely pleased that David Hawker will be joining us in this very important role. David brings with him a wealth of experience in education and children’s services which I know is going to be of real value to the Department and the organisation.”

David Hawker said: “I am absolutely delighted to be appointed and I’m very much looking forward to working in Wales.

“For me it’s a dream come true. A single united education and skills service is what England does not have. But Wales has it. This is an absolutely fantastic opportunity to bring together the whole of my experience in a Welsh context and I will give my all to make a long-lasting contribution.

“It’s a very exciting time to be joining the Assembly Government because the new department brings everything together under one roof and has an ambitious programme for Wales.

“We are aiming for full employment and we have to make sure that our young people start life with a realistic chance of succeeding. I am looking forward to joining Team Wales.”

First Minister Rhodri Morgan said: “David Hawker is an excellent acquisition for us to head up our education department, and will play a leading role in helping the Assembly Government in developing an educational system fit for the Wales of the 21st Century.

“He has already proved in his career in teaching and in other children’s services a capacity for leadership that will enable him to translate our policy framework into action at the chalk face.

“Again this shows that our ability to put services together in new ways will allow us to attract the very best people to Wales to enrich our home grown talent.”

Education Minister Jane Hutt said: “We have an ambitious agenda here in Wales to provide world class education provision to children, young people and the community. I am delighted to welcome someone of David’s stature to the post, and look forward to working closely with him to turn this ambition into reality.”

Notes for editors

Professor Hawker began his career as a modern languages teacher before moving to work for the Schools Examination and Assessment Council and was later the Head of Curriculum and Assessment at the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.

He moved into local government in 1999, becoming Director of Education for Brighton and Hove before taking up his post at Westminster City Council last October.

He has served on a number of government advisory committees ranging from the regulation of early years childcare, foreign languages and the impact of socio-economic differences on educational outcomes. Mr Hawker also spent two years as the Chair of the Association of Directors of Education and Children’s Services.

Internationally he has represented Wales and England on an EU committee of policy makers on educational evaluation; acted as a consultant to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Programme for International Student Assessment project; worked with the British Council and the World Bank in Russia, and now sits on the General Education Sub-Board of the Soros Foundation which sponsors open society projects around the world.

Last year he was elected a Professor of the College of Teachers, primarily due to his work in educational quality development and evaluation.

Professor Hawker was educated at Wadham College, Oxford where he studied French and German before gaining a Postgraduate Certificate in Eduaction at the University of Oxford Department of Educational Studies.

Married to Judy, 54-year-old Mr Hawker has a daughter Lucy, aged 19, and 17-year-old son Warren.