Tributes have been paid following the death of a former schools commissioner with the “flair and panache of a brilliant parakeet”.
Sir Bruce Liddington, who served as schools commissioner for England from 2006 to 2009, died yesterday in Dubai aged 70, former schools minister Lord Adonis has announced.
In a tribute posted on social media, Lord Adonis described Sir Bruce as “the most exotic creature in the education department of the 2000s” and “an expert insider in a Whitehall of inexpert insiders: a true grit in the oyster”.
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Sir Bruce, who was knighted for his leadership of Northampton School for Boys in 2000, joined the Department for Education and Skills around the turn of the century, where he played a key role in the expansion of the academies programme.
He was made the first schools commissioner by the prime minister in 2006.
Following his service in Whitehall, Sir Bruce went on to become head of the E-Act academy chain.
In 2010-11, he received almost £300,000 in wages and pension contributions, making him one of the best-paid people in education.
But he resigned as director general in 2013 after E-Act became the first multi-academy trust to receive a financial notice to improve.
He was later reported to have taken a role working for a consultancy advising the government on the development of academy chains.
Sharing the news of Sir Bruce’s death on Twitter, Lord Adonis said: “Bruce Liddington was the most exotic creature in the education department in the 2000s. In a land of fairly staid civil servants, Bruce had the flair and panache of a brilliant parakeet.
“He also had passion - and what is most valuable in government: passion with practicality. He not only wanted the very best for the next generation of children: he knew what it was, how to make it happen and, to my undying good fortune, he chose to do it with me.”
Bruce Liddington, 1950-2020. RIP. pic.twitter.com/tyEaXg1QHi
- Andrew Adonis (@Andrew_Adonis) July 28, 2020
He added: “The civil service didn’t quite know how to deal with Bruce. He was recruited because we wanted some experts, but he was too outspoken, and too passionate, for some of the powers that be.”
Sir Michael Griffiths, former head of Northampton School for Boys, replied: “Thank you for those words. Sir Bruce was an absolute inspiration. Rare combination of intellect, dynamism & charisma. Absolutely driven to improve the lot of children. ‘Nil satis nigiris optimum!’ The VERY best. RIP Bruce - so many of us owe you so much! All love to his family.”
Thank you for those words. Sir Bruce was an absolute inspiration. Rare combination of intellect, dynamism & charisma. Absolutely driven to improve the lot of children. ‘Nil satis nigiris optimum!’ The VERY best. RIP Bruce - so many of us owe you so much! All love to his family.
- Michael Griffiths Kt (@mikegriffiths01) July 28, 2020
Mark Greatrex, chief executive of Bellevue Place Education Trust, described Sir Bruce as a “first rate educationalist” and the “driving force of the academies programme” under Labour.
“Not many transitioned from classroom, to headship, to senior civil servant, to chief executive and were respected deeply along the way,” he said.
Just wanted to say thank you for that. I had heard he had left us and your lovely tribute was the first I could find. I last saw Mr Liddington in 1980, as Head of English of Westwood High School in Leek, Staffs. The most inspirational teacher a 14 year old could wish for. RIP.
- Funky La La (@FunkyLaLa) July 28, 2020
Mr Greatrex commended Sir Bruce for his success at Northampton School for Boys - where he dramatically improved standards through “grit, resilience and pure determination”.
“Sir Bruce led Northampton School for Boys from 1986, where just 9 per cent of boys achieved five good GCSEs, to 2000 when 79 per cent of pupils achieved five A*-C GCSEs,” he said.
“After 14 years as headteacher at the school for boys, Bruce had taken the school out of local authority control, a controversial process for greater school autonomy, and made it the most oversubscribed school in Northampton.”
Following his knighthood in 2000, Sir Bruce “threw himself into formulating policy and challenging the worst performing schools to have a structural solution”, Mr Greatrex said.
On Sir Bruce’s controversial term at E-Act, Mr Greatrex said: “Believing the role to be for high-level public advocacy of education, he soon found himself leading an academy sponsor through a governance crisis with six poor performing secondary schools in mainly large cities across England. They all improved significantly and most were judged good by Ofsted in their first inspection as academies, with two being outstanding.
“After expanding the organisation to 35 schools, including opening the first free school in the country, Sir Bruce left E-Act in 2013 and will be long remembered by those who knew him as an education visionary, who saw what was best for pupils and how best this was overseen and governed.”
