Chair

Estelle Morris is Chair of the Strategy Board at the Institute of Effective Education at the University of York, a member of the House of Lords and active in a number of organisations in both education and the arts.Estelle Morris started her career as a teacher at Sidney Stringer School and Community College in Coventry in 1974. She was elected as a member of Warwick District Council in 1979 and led the Labour Group for seven years.

In 1992 she was elected as MP for Birmingham Yardley and in 1994 she was appointed as Opposition Spokesperson for Education and Employment. After Labour’s 1997 election victory, Estelle Morris became Parliamentary Under-Secretary in the department for Education and Employment and in 1998 she became the Minister for School Standards. In 2001 she was appointed to the post of Secretary of State for the newly created Department for Education and Skills. Estelle Morris resigned from this post in 2002 but returned to the front bench eight months later as Minister in the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.

Ms Morris did not seek re-election at the general election in 2005 after thirteen years as MP for Birmingham Yardley. She was appointed to the House of Lords after the May 2005 election. Estelle Morris was Pro Vice-Chancellor of Sunderland University from 2005-2008.

On taking up the role with Northern Education, Estelle said: ‘I am pleased to have been invited to Chair Northern Education and look forward to continuing a link with the North East. The region has made real progress in recent years but the challenge to make sure young people get the chances they need is one that will need to be continually addressed. I’ve seen the work Northern Education does, not only in the North but throughout the country and am looking forward to making a contribution to an organisation that has brought together a team of experienced and talented educationists and is committed to raising standards and succeeding with new agendas.’

Estelle's role in Northern Education is currently Company Chair.

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Phone: +44 (0)191 280 4623

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