A college principal has been picked by government as its preferred candidate to take over from Katharine Birbalsingh as chair of the Social Mobility Commission.
Alun Francis, outgoing principal of Oldham College, has been filling in as interim chair since January. The former deputy chair has been overseeing the State of the Nation report, which aims to cement the commission’s shift from focusing solely on talented youngsters moving from the “bottom” to the “top” social mobility rungs.
“The Commission has been working hard for two years to build a solid foundation for some new thinking about the focus and priorities of policy,” Francis said.
“This is a tremendous opportunity to bring this work to fruition. I especially hope to draw on my experience of working in further education, and my knowledge and understanding of so-called ‘left behind’ people and places, to make a positive contribution.”
