New_Director_General

There is to be a new Director-General for Education on the Scottish Government's Strategic Board. Leslie Evans, currently working for the Europe, External Affairs and Culture Directorate, is to replace Philip Rycroft, who is leaving to take up a post in Whitehall.

The Strategic Board, which is otherwise known as the civil service "top table" for devolved Scotland, is chaired by the Scottish Government's Permanent Secretary, Sir John Elvidge, and is made up of six Director-Generals and two non-executive directors.

Previously, this "top table" took the form of a Management Group (MG), which consisted of Sir John, ten senior civil service members and the two non-executive directors. However, towards the end of 2006, Sir John abolished the MG and replaced it with a new, eight-member Strategic Board and the two directors.

To mirror the reduction in government departments which followed the 2007 election, the Strategic Board was reduced to the current level of six Director-Generals (DG). Alongside a series of directors below them, the DGs are tasked with helping to drive forward the government's five key strategic policy objectives, which are intended to make the country:

• wealthier and fairer
• healthier
• safer and stronger
• smarter
• greener

Mr Rycroft became the Education DG in May 2007. Helping the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning to pursue the objective of a smarter Scotland, the Education DG is backed by the heads of the Children, Young People and Social Care directorate, the Schools directorate, and the Lifelong Learning directorate.

According to the Times Educational Supplement Scotland his replacement has been with the civil service since 2000, and has previous experience with Edinburgh City Council in the fields of arts and recreation.