Qualifications quango loses its head

The appointment last year of Andrew Hall as chief executive of the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency (QCDA), the government quango responsible for designing the school curriculum, seemed to offer a fresh start for an organisation beset by difficulties. Hall's predecessor, Dr Ken Boston, left after the Sats fiasco in 2008, when results of the national curriculum tests were late for hundreds of 11- to 14-year-olds. Boston himself had taken over in 2002 after Williams Stubbs was fired by the then education secretary, Estelle Morris, over a similar fiasco involving A-level marking, which led to thousands of scripts being re-graded. Hall, a former industrialist, joined the organisation, then called the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, in 2006 as director of strategic resource management. Following a government shakeup, which saw the quango rebranded as the QCDA and its regulatory powers go to standards watchdog Ofqual, he became chief executive last summer. With Hall at the helm, it was hoped that the organisation would enter a new period of stability. So colleagues have been surprised to hear of his sudden resignation less than a year into the job. Even more puzzling was the way the news surfaced. On the morning of 4 March, the Guardian was told, the QCDA press office received a call from the exam board AQA, informing it of an impending announcement on the appointment of its new director-general - none other than Andrew Hall. The press office hurried out a statement, by which time many staff had already read of Hall's departure in national newspapers. The loss of its chief executive could not come at a worse time for the QCDA, which recently relocated to Coventry, losing up to 70% of its staff in the process. And in the last six months, the organisation has lost three of its eight most senior staff. The Conservatives have made no secret of their desire to abolish a number of government quangos. News of Hall's resignation came just days after the shadow education secretary, Michael Gove, said that, should the Conservatives win the upcoming general election, the QCDA would be scrapped. Even if Labour remains in power, the future looks gloomy for the QCDA, which could be targeted in the public spending squeeze. The schools secretary, Ed Balls, recently announced up to pounds 135m of cuts to quangos, including education technology agency Becta and the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA). "It is concerning to hear that Andrew Hall was jumping ship at such a volatile time for the organisation," says John Dunford, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders. "It is going to be difficult for the QCDA board to replace him with the threat of abolition hanging over the organisation, and even more so if the Conservatives win the election." John Bangs, head of education at the NUT teaching union, agrees: "Relocating to Coventry was a mad move. And I don't envy QCDA having this happen to them just before a general election. With a big question mark hanging over the leadership and future direction of the organisation, it is really demoralising for staff." The bad press the QCDA received over the Sats and A-level marking fiascos has overshadowed much of the excellent support and resources it provides for schools, Bangs says. "All too often people go on the attack with QCDA, without taking into account some of the excellent work it does. It's such a shame that the future of one of the most independent organisations in education is now under threat." Hall remains tight-lipped about his reasons for leaving the QCDA. He declined requests for an interview with the Guardian, issuing a brief statement through the AQA on how much he is looking forward to his new role. Meanwhile, the QCDA says: "Andrew Hall will remain at QCDA as chief executive until the beginning of April. The current chairman, Christopher Trinick, will then lead the organisation, working alongside Lin Hinnigan, the chief operating officer. The arrangements for appointing a permanent chief executive will be announced in due course." But headteachers' representatives fear the resignation could destabilise an already troubled organisation. "The stability of an organisation is key and it is of great concern that QCDA has lost a number of key people in the last six months," says Mick Brookes, general secretary of the National Association of Headteachers. The QCDA has batted off concerns about staffing, saying a retention rate of 30% in the relocation is high compared with other organisations. It also points out that one of the three senior staff to leave in the last six months retired the other two left for more senior roles in other organisations. And because many of its staff used to be teachers or headteachers, recruiting in and around Coventry should not prove problematic. Trinick says: "Following our move to the Midlands, we have a new executive team in place. We continue to deliver our core business, including the launch of the new primary curriculum, functional skills and the delivery of this year's national curriculum tests." In addition to designing the curriculum, the QCDA is responsible for developing, delivering and marking Sats tests. But with exams scheduled for early May, many will be wondering how the depleted workforce will cope. The former chief inspector of schools, Chris Woodhead, now professor of education at the University of Buckingham, says Hall cannot be blamed for taking a new job. "He's probably realised that QCDA's days are, quite rightly, numbered. Good luck to him."