Christine Gilbert
Encyclopedia
Christine Gilbert CBE
was the Head of Ofsted
(HMCI) also known as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills between October 2006 and 30 June 2011.
.
reading diploma to learn what she should do. At the age of 32, she became head of Whitmore High School
, and then promoted to Director of Education for the London Borough of Harrow
. She became head of Tower Hamlets
Education Services in 1997 where those gaining General Certificate of Secondary Education
or equivalent at good grades (A*-C) was raised to 56% from 26% in under a decade. Later she became Chief Executive of Tower Hamlets.
She focused on free school meal
s as a factor that is an indicator of a poverty-group (incomes far below official levels of poverty are required to claim free meals). In 2000–01, there was a simple relationship of the higher the proportion of free school meals, the lower the chances of being rated good or better, and conversely the higher of being just satisfactory or worse.
Miriam Rosen, Gilbert’s successor, wrote in The Annual Report of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills 2010/11 "In concluding this commentary, I want to take the opportunity to say a brief and personal word about Christine Gilbert, who finished her term as HMCI during the year. Christine brought the new Ofsted together from its predecessor organisations in 2007. She brought extraordinary energy and personal drive to the service of children and learners. She passionately believed not only that everyone deserves the best from the services they use, but that every child can and should achieve and do well. That has been the vision which has animated Ofsted for many years, and it continues to do so today".
was important.
when she was Director of Education for the London Borough of Harrow
. The couple married in September 2002 in Hammersmith and Fulham. She has no children from either marriage.
CBE
CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
was the Head of Ofsted
Ofsted
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills is the non-ministerial government department of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England ....
(HMCI) also known as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills between October 2006 and 30 June 2011.
Early life
Gilbert (nee McGinty) came from an Irish Catholic working class family and went to a convent school in London. She studied English and History at the University of ReadingUniversity of Reading
The University of Reading is a university in the English town of Reading, Berkshire. The University was established in 1892 as University College, Reading and received its Royal Charter in 1926. It is based on several campuses in, and around, the town of Reading.The University has a long tradition...
.
Career
Gilbert trained as a history teacher, "and I couldn't get over the fact that there were children of 14 or 15 in front of me who couldn't read," so took an Open UniversityOpen University
The Open University is a distance learning and research university founded by Royal Charter in the United Kingdom...
reading diploma to learn what she should do. At the age of 32, she became head of Whitmore High School
Whitmore High School
Whitmore High School is a state Secondary School in the London Borough of Harrow in the North-west of London. The school's catchment area encompasses much of central, west and southern parts of Harrow. It is located just off Shaftesbury Circle....
, and then promoted to Director of Education for the London Borough of Harrow
London Borough of Harrow
The London Borough of Harrow is a London borough of north-west London. It borders Hertfordshire to the north and other London boroughs: Hillingdon to the west, Ealing to the south, Brent to the south-east and Barnet to the east.-History:...
. She became head of Tower Hamlets
London Borough of Tower Hamlets
The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is a London borough to the east of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It is in the eastern part of London and covers much of the traditional East End. It also includes much of the redeveloped Docklands region of London, including West India Docks...
Education Services in 1997 where those gaining General Certificate of Secondary Education
General Certificate of Secondary Education
The General Certificate of Secondary Education is an academic qualification awarded in a specified subject, generally taken in a number of subjects by students aged 14–16 in secondary education in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and is equivalent to a Level 2 and Level 1 in Key Skills...
or equivalent at good grades (A*-C) was raised to 56% from 26% in under a decade. Later she became Chief Executive of Tower Hamlets.
Ofsted
Gilbert became HM Chief Inspector on 1 October 2006, replacing Maurice Smith. One of her key briefs was to oversee the expansion of Ofsted's remit from April 2007 to include the inspection of children's social services, adult learning and aspects of court administration, as this relates to children. Gilbert states that her aim is that schools not be "satisfactory", that all should aspire to be "good". She is associated with "personalised learning" and aims to include "the child in the corner who isn't following".She focused on free school meal
Free school meal
A Free School Meal, provided to a child or young person during a school break, is paid for by Government. For a child to qualify for a Free School Meal, their parent or carer must be receiving particular qualifying benefits as stated by Government...
s as a factor that is an indicator of a poverty-group (incomes far below official levels of poverty are required to claim free meals). In 2000–01, there was a simple relationship of the higher the proportion of free school meals, the lower the chances of being rated good or better, and conversely the higher of being just satisfactory or worse.
Miriam Rosen, Gilbert’s successor, wrote in The Annual Report of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills 2010/11 "In concluding this commentary, I want to take the opportunity to say a brief and personal word about Christine Gilbert, who finished her term as HMCI during the year. Christine brought the new Ofsted together from its predecessor organisations in 2007. She brought extraordinary energy and personal drive to the service of children and learners. She passionately believed not only that everyone deserves the best from the services they use, but that every child can and should achieve and do well. That has been the vision which has animated Ofsted for many years, and it continues to do so today".
Education beliefs
Gilbert is an interventionist who values reading. When she went into education she initially taught the 'whole books' method and believed in it, but seeing the effects of the National Literacy Strategy, realised for those of school age the explicit teaching of phonicsPhonics
Phonics refers to a method for teaching speakers of English to read and write that language. Phonics involves teaching how to connect the sounds of spoken English with letters or groups of letters and teaching them to blend the sounds of letters together to produce approximate pronunciations...
was important.
Personal life
Divorced from her first husband, she met then councillor and later government minister Tony McNultyTony McNulty
Anthony "Tony" James McNulty is a former British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Harrow East from 1997 to 2010 and was a government minister from 2002 to 2009. He was Minister for London and Minister of State for Employment and Welfare Reform at the Department for...
when she was Director of Education for the London Borough of Harrow
London Borough of Harrow
The London Borough of Harrow is a London borough of north-west London. It borders Hertfordshire to the north and other London boroughs: Hillingdon to the west, Ealing to the south, Brent to the south-east and Barnet to the east.-History:...
. The couple married in September 2002 in Hammersmith and Fulham. She has no children from either marriage.