County Council appoints new Corporate Director for Education

Cumbria County Council have today announced that Victoria Ashfield, currently Assistant Director of Education with Durham County Council, has been appointed as the Council's new Corporate Director - Education and will take up post in the Autumn. 

Leader of the County Council, Rex Toft says: 

"We were delighted to appoint Victoria Ashfield as Corporate Director - Education and look forward to working with her. She will take up officer leadership of this key and largest County Council service at a time of change and challenge. We are confident she will do so with great success, and will be much valued by the teaching profession, by her corporate colleagues in the Authority, and by the County Councillors who place such emphasis on the contribution which education makes in all walks of life." 

Commenting on her appointment Victoria Ashfield says: 

"I am delighted to have been successful in becoming the new Corporate Director - Education for Cumbria County Council. I enjoy working in a County and my roots have always been in the North. Cumbria has many parallels with Durham, with its mix of urban and rural communities, and I am looking forward to bringing my experiences and understanding of those issues to Cumbria." 

County Councillor Joan Stocker Cabinet Spokesperson for Education says 

"I really welcome Victoria's appointment. This Administration is determined to go on building with schools our very successful education services through a further improvement process and a focus on integrated learning and care for young people. Victoria is exactly the right person to make a difference in these areas." 

Victoria has worked for Durham County Council for over 10 years in a wide variety of key roles in the Education Department. She is originally from the North East and went to University in the Midlands. She started her secondary teaching career in and around Birmingham. Victoria then went on to work for Wolverhampton Borough Council as a General Inspector for Languages and also has experiences of infant and special school teaching. She has worked for the DfES on a number of projects and is qualified to inspect Local Education Authorities on behalf of Ofsted.