SEU Education Advisers

What do they do?

• The precise activities of each Adviser will vary according to Departmental business needs, but generally territorial Education Advisers promote and help to embed standards policies in the field. Working with LEA officers and school practitioners, supporting and challenging as appropriate, their role is to ensure that these policies work well, are adopted with increasing skill and enthusiasm, and in the light of best practice. They also work closely with DfES and Government Office colleagues in 'virtual teams' to address specific priorities, and more widely on cross-cutting initiatives and funding streams (e.g. Neighbourhood Renewal and Local Strategic Partnerships) to make maximum impact on standards in schools.
  
  
• In turn, Advisers feedback to Departmental policy teams evidence of how the Government's reforms are faring, thereby informing policy evaluation and development, and the identification of good practice.
  
  
• They also evaluate educational performance in relation to national benchmarks, identifying issues specific to a school or LEA, or more generally within a region, territory or nation-wide which require either specific intervention or other action, including changes to national policy.
  
  
• The Advisers' role of challenging and supporting individual LEAs is most intensive where DfES is formally intervening in an LEA post-inspection. In these cases, the Advisers work alongside policy teams to support the LEA, help tackle the problems identified and, where outsourcing of services is the chosen route, assist in the negotiation of contracts.
  
  

How are they organised?

The allocation is currently as follows:

Territorial Education Advisers Current LEA allocations by Government Office region(s) Government Office link Barbara Thomson North East Newcastle Steve Turnbull Yorkshire & Humberside Leeds Martin Cash North West Manchester Pat Jefferson North West Liverpool Sid Slater Yorkshire and Humberside Leeds Vivienne Bartlett West Midlands Birmingham John Palmer Eastern and East Midlands (and 1 LEA in the North West) Cambridge David Woods Chief Adviser N/A Eileen Barnes-Vachell West Midlands, East Midlands and Eastern (and 1 LEA in London) Bedford Hilary Emery South West and West Midlands Bristol Pauline Smith South West, West Midlands and East Midlands Nottingham Jeff Hart London and South East Guildford Helen McMullen London and South East Guildford Graham Last London and South East Riverwalk House David Hinchliffe London and South East Riverwalk House Alan Moss London and South East Riverwalk House