Speakers
Sir Mike Tomlinson, CBE, FRSA
Sir Mike Tomlinson was born in October 1942. He is a chemistry graduate of Durham University and has a PGCE from Nottingham University.
He held various teaching posts in Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire in the UK between 1965 and 1977 and was involved in developing school/industry links when the idea was not seen as necessary. In 1977, he was seconded for a period to ICI.
In 1978, Mike joined HM Inspectorate of schools and was promoted to staff inspector for teacher training in 1984 and then to chief inspector secondary in 1989.
On the creation of OFSTED in 1992 Mike became deputy director of inspection. Following the Gulf War, he was involved in helping to restore the Kuwaiti education system. He was promoted to Director in Inspection in 1995 and became Her Majesty's Chief Inspectorate of Schools on the 1st December 2000, until he retired from this post in 2002.
From June 2002 - September 2007, Mike was Chair of the Learning Trust, the body set up to manage education services for Hackney and from May 2002 became the Part Time Director of Science Year, and then Planet Science until its end in 2003.
Mike led the enquiry into the A level grading issues in 2002 and monitored the awarding process in 2003.
In January 2003 Mike became Chair of the working set up by the government to reform the curriculum and qualifications for 14-19 year olds, the final set of proposals on 14-19 reform were published in October 2004.
Mike was honoured with a CBE in June 1997 and in January 2005 Mike was awarded a Knighthood in the Queens New Years honours list. He received his Knighthood for services to education. He is a trustee of two charitable bodies, a governor of the University of Hertfordshire, a member of the council of the RSA, and a Non Executive Director of RM Plc and Tiscali Ltd. He was President of the Association for Science Education for 2005, made an Honorary Life Fellow of the RSA in 2006, and has been awarded Honorary Doctorates at eight universities.
He is currently Chief Advisor for London Schools (London challenge) and chairs the expert panel advising the Secretary of State on the national challenge programme.
