Sir Jim Rose C.B.E., F.R.S.A.: Biographical Note

Jim Rose was formerly Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI) and Director of Inspection for the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED). He retired from OFSTED in July 1999 and has since acted as a consultant to the Department of Education and Skills on nursery and primary education, and teacher training. At the request of the Secretary of State, he chaired the 1999 Independent Scrutiny of the National Assessment Tests for Primary Schools.

He is a member of the Board of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority and chairs the QCA 3-11 Committee. Jim was also vice-chairman of the 2020 Review Group on personalised learning, which reported independently to the Secretary of State in 2007 under the title of ‘2020 Vision’.  

Before joining HMI, Jim held headships of two large, inner-city primary schools. His senior posts within HMI included Chief Inspector of Primary Education (3 to 13), responsibilities for Special Educational Needs (SEN), the education of ethnic minority pupils, and initial teacher training (ITT). He was a member of the 1990 Committee of Enquiry into the Education of Three and Four Year Olds. In 1992 he was invited by the Secretary of State to be a joint author of the ‘Three Wise Men’ report on primary education.

He has advised several overseas governments on school inspection, and has considerable international experience of school educational systems. He has undertaken educational assignments for the World Bank and for the British Council, for example, in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, the USA and South America, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and the Palestinian Ministry of Education.

He was invited by the Secretary of State to lead an Independent Review of the Teaching of Early Reading (2006) and continues to act as a consultant to the DCSF and the Primary National Strategy. In 2008, he was asked by government to lead an Independent Review of the Primary Curriculum and an Independent Review of Dyslexia; the reports of which are due in April 2009.