Ofsted: Zenna Atkins on Michael Gove and Sally Morgan

Three years is "quite short" for someone to hold the top job at Ofsted, and it normally goes to a post holder for four or five years, said a past chairman.

Zenna Atkins told the Daily Politics that "most of us accept there is a need for a change and move on", and it was unusual for someone to complain, as she recalled her appointment to the role she held from 2006-10.

She said "diversity was vital", and she would be disappointed if "we were going back to the dreaded days of pale, male and stale".

Education Secretary Michael Gove has defended his decision to replace Baroness Sally Morgan as head of the school inspectorate, saying there was always a "need to refresh" heads of public bodies.

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