Former DfE official to lead children's services in Birmingham
Neil Puffett
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
A former Department for Education civil servant who was dispatched to Birmingham to oversee school improvement in the wake of the Trojan Horse scandal has been appointed as the local authority's director of children's services.
Colin Diamond, who worked in his early career as a teacher, youth worker and child psychotherapist in London, will take on the role when current director of children's services Peter Hay retires on 31 March.
The appointment comes exactly a year before responsibility for children's services in Birmingham is due to be handed to an employee-owned mutual.
Diamond has been working in Birmingham as deputy education commissioner since 2015. He was sent to Birmingham by former Education Secretary Nicky Morgan to support the work of commissioner Sir Michael Tomlinson - and had responsibility for helping academy schools recover from the Trojan Horse scandal.
In February 2016 he was subsequently appointed as interim director of education at the council.
Leader of Birmingham City Council John Clancy said Diamond "brings a wealth of experience" to the role.
"He's driven by what's best for children and young people and the transformative power of education.
"All corporate leadership team positions have now been filled - and we have a strong team in place to continue the programme of change needed to create the council of the future, and support the delivery of the council's vision: a city of growth where every child, citizen and place matters."
Birmingham's children's services have been rated "inadequate" since 2009.