Wait ahead to replace Woodhead

A successor to the post of Britain's chief inspector of schools will not be appointed until after the next general election.

Chris Woodhead resigned just over two weeks ago following a six-year stint in which he increasingly clashed with the education secretary, David Blunkett, and MPs on the House of Commons education select committee. The decision to wait till after the next election to appoint a successor to Woodhead is intended to stifle the controversy stirred up by his departure. He has already made it clear that despite leaving his post he will still voice his criticisms of the education system. His new appointment as a commentator and consultant for the Daily Telegraph will give him a platform to criticise government policy on education.