Lee Owston has been appointed as Ofsted’s new national director of education, the inspectorate has announced today.
Mr Owston, who is currently the watchdog’s deputy director for schools and early education, will be taking over from current director Chris Russell, who is retiring after 17 years at Ofsted.
The next national director will be assuming his role on 1 January 2024, alongside incoming chief inspector Sir Martyn Oliver.
Mr Owston has worked for Ofsted for 10 years and held this post temporarily for several months earlier this year.
Current chief inspector Amanda Spielman congratulated Mr Owston on his appointment, she said: “I know that this will be a smooth transition given his extensive experience.
“I also want to thank Chris Russell for his substantial contributions in his time at Ofsted...in his leadership of the post-lockdown inspection restart programme, as a regional director and as an inspector.”
Giving evidence at an Ofsted inquiry session yesterday, Ms Spielman told the Commons Education Select Committee that Mr Owston was the inspectorate’s new national director for education.
She mentioned him while giving evidence as an example of Ofsted’s senior leadership team having had extensive experience working for the inspectorate.
Mr Owston joined Ofsted in 2013 as an inspector. Before this, he held senior leadership positions in schools, was senior adviser for early education and primary schools in a local authority and was a regional director for the National Strategies, where he contributed to national publications on English, phonics and assessment.
Mr Russell was promoted to national director of education in September 2021, when he replaced Sean Harford.
