Appointment of Chairperson and Members to the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA)

The Minister of Education has announced the appointment of the following public appointments to the board of the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA).

One existing member has also been re-appointed.

Speaking today, Education Minister, Peter Weir said “I am very pleased to appoint a new Chairperson and members to the Council. The wealth of knowledge and expertise they bring to the board will no doubt prove invaluable.

“I would also like to thank the outgoing Chairperson, Trevor Carson, for his dedication and service. I am grateful to him for providing direction and leadership for the last eight years and in meeting the challenges posed by the current pandemic.

“Finally, I would also like to extend my thanks to the outgoing members for their contribution to the Council’s work and achievements.”

The appointments are as follows:

Chairperson

Mr Thomas (Tommy) O’Reilly was previously a senior civil servant, holding positions in a number of departments including Education where he was responsible for education policy and children services.  He was previously CEO of the Social Security Agency and is currently Vice Chair of the Ashton Community Trust, Belfast.  He brings to the Council significant experience in governance, strategic decision making and leadership and during his time in Education he worked closely with CCEA on the curriculum and examinations.  Mr O’Reilly has declared that he has not undertaken any political activity during the past five years and does not hold any other public appointments.

Members

Professor Philip Hanna is a senior academic at Queen’s University Belfast (Dean of Education for the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences). He brings to the Council experience in governance through his work as a member of the Education Implementation Strategy Group, strategic decision making and making an impact with others.  He led work in developing assessment arrangements during the current pandemic.  Professor Hanna has declared that he has not undertaken any political activity during the past five years and does not hold any other public appointments.

Mrs Teresa Anne Kingsley is a professional support lawyer (a solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales) specialising in local government law including Education, Judicial Review and other Public law issues and currently works for Lexis Nexis UK.  She brings to the Council experience in governance through her membership of the governance committee of a local youth football club, strategic decision making and making an impact with others through her membership of a Board of Governors.  Mrs Kingsley has declared that she has not undertaken any political activity during the past five years and does not hold any other public appointments.

Mr Hugh Edward McCarthy is currently a Director of the Controlled Schools’ Support Council, and was Principal of Killicomaine Junior High School for 23 years until his recent retirement. He is a former Chief Examiner, writing the first GCSE paper in Science. He established a school Community Service group whilst teaching in North Belfast which addressed disability and continued community activities throughout his career.  He brings to the Council experience in governance, strategic decision making and making an impact with others.  Mr McCarthy currently holds two other public appointments as an Appeals panel member of CEA which is non-remunerated and an Appeals panel member of the Education Authority for which he receives a sitting fee for each meeting attended.  He has declared that he has not undertaken any political activity during the past five years.

Mrs Donna Marie O’Connor is currently the Head of Organisational Development with the NI Fire and Rescue Service responsible for building organisational capability and driving business performance and is a former member of the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools. She brings to the Council experience in governance including staffing and financial and risk management, strategic decision making and making an impact with others.   Mrs O’Connor currently holds one other non-remunerated public appointment as a school governor of St Patrick’s Grammar School, Downpatrick.  She has declared that she has not undertaken any political activity during the past five years.

Mrs Sarah Sellars is a freelance communications consultant, working primarily with professional training organisations including Extratax Training (international tax) & Inspire MediLaw (medical and legal).  She is a Trustee of Parenting NI, Trustee of Outreach Partner Housing Trust (Oxford), and a Parent member of the Ballycarrickmaddy Primary School PTFA.  She brings to the Council experience in governance, strategic decision making and making an impact with others.  Mrs Sellars has declared that she has not undertaken any political activity during the past five years and does not hold any other public appointments.

Mr Robert Smyth is a Director of Delivery and Risk Management for Allstate NI, including Executive Sponsor for Allstate’s Schools Engagement Strategy and Future of Work for NI.  He brings to the Council experience in governance, strategic decision making and making an impact with others.  Mr Smyth has declared that he has not undertaken any political activity during the past five years and does not hold any other public appointments.

Re-appointment

Mr Brian Wilson - is currently employed by the British Council as a Skills Advisor providing technical advice on thematic programming on skills and employability in the Middle East North Africa and Americas regions. He continues to bring to the Council experience of promoting good governance, holding teams to account, financial and risk management and influencing opinion and developing networks. Mr Wilson is also a member of the Governing Body of the Belfast Metropolitan College for which he receives a sitting fee for each meeting attended. He does not hold any other public appointments and has not undertaken any political activities during the past five years.

Notes to editors: 

1. The NI Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) is an Executive NDPB sponsored by the Department of Education. CCEA’s role is to keep under review and provide advice on the three areas of the curriculum, examinations and assessment. The constitution of the CCEA is set out in Schedule 3 of the Education (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 and its membership comprises a Chairperson and 13 members.
2. This competition was widely advertised including in the Public Appointments section of NI Direct.  This competition was sought to fill vacancies on the Council.     
3. The newly appointed members and re-appointed member have a term of appointment ending on 31 January 2025 (unless terminated before that time).  The annual remuneration for the Chairperson post will be £13,000 (under review) plus travel and subsistence allowances.  The expected time commitment for the Chairperson on the CCEA Council is 1-2 days per week.  The member posts are not remunerated, however members are eligible to claim travel and subsistence allowances necessarily incurred on Council business.  The expected time commitment for members on the CCEA Council is 1-2 days per month.
4. Follow us on Twitter @Education_ni
5. Media enquiries to the Department of Education Press Office at Press.Office@education-ni.gov.uk
6. The Executive Information Service operates an out-of-hours service for media enquiries between 1800hrs and 0800hrs Monday to Friday and at weekends and public holidays. The duty press officer can be contacted on 028 9037 8110.

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