Dame Christine Gilbert is to be announced as the new chair of Ofsted’s board today, Tes understands.

Dame Christine is a former Ofsted chief inspector and most recently led an independent review into the schools watchdog, which revealed concerns about its culture and funding.

She will take over from Sir Hamid Patel, chief executive of Star Academies, who was appointed interim chair of the Ofsted board in March.

The last permanent chair, Dame Christine Ryan, was in post from 2020 until earlier this year.

‘Ambitious agenda’

After leading Ofsted from 2006 to 2011, Dame Christine Gilbert became chair of Camden Learning, is a visiting professor at UCL Institute of Education, and has been chairing the Education Endowment Foundation since 2024.

She was asked to review Ofsted’s response to the death of headteacher Ruth Perry after a coroner ruled that an inspection had contributed to her taking her own life.

It also called on Ofsted to advise the Department for Education and the new government of the dangers associated with chasing school inspection volume at the expense of inspection quality.

In its response, Ofsted said that it did not accept that it has chased inspection volumes over quality.

Dame Christine also criticised the inspectorate for its “defensive response” following Ms Perry’s death, called for more training for inspectors and raising concerns over the level of funding the schools watchdog received. 

She also found that the role of Ofsted’s board was “curiously limited”.

Ofsted said that its response to the Gilbert review would strengthen accountability and support the new chair to take forward an “ambitious, longer-term reform agenda”.