Education Honours Committee recruiting for three new members

The government is recruiting for three new members of the Education Honours Committee to recommend who should receive honours for their contributions to education.

Candidates for honours can be put forward by the public, government departments and other professional bodies and the Committee then puts its recommendations to the Prime Minister to be submitted to the Queen.

The honours include damehoods and knighthoods and are awarded biannually through the New Year’s list, announced on New Year’s Day, and the Queen’s Birthday list, announced in June.

The post is not paid and requires members to work just two days a year, although ‘some extensive preparatory reading’ is also required.

The person specification outlines that members should be ‘an expert in the area covered by the Committee’s work’ , with experience ‘especially sought’ in higher education; primary education; and education in one or more of the devolved administrations.

Additionally, it calls on candidates ‘to demonstrate the ability to act with independence of judgement’ and ‘have the capacity to be able to handle a large volume of submissions in a timely and efficient manner’.

Applications are open until 30 November.