Northern Ireland Education Minister appoints Members to the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA)

Education Minister Paul Givan has announced the appointment of four new members of the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment, alongside one returning member for a second term, following a public appointments competition.

Professor John Anderson, Miss Sarah-Lucy Hynds, Mr Ivor Johnston, Mrs Donna O'Connor and Dr Jennifer Roberts take up their posts with effect from 1 February 2025.

Welcoming the appointments, Paul Givan said: “I am pleased to make these appointments today, as the successful candidates will add to the current expertise and experience on the Council. This will prove invaluable in ensuring CCEA's procedures and actions support my Department's wider strategic priorities in relation to curriculum, assessment and qualifications.

“The new members will bring a wealth of private and public sector experience to the CCEA Council. The successful candidates have extensive experience and backgrounds in such areas as governance and strategic decision making. Their significant knowledge and skills will play a key role in underpinning the work of the Council.

“Finally, I would also like to extend my thanks to the outgoing members for their contribution to the Council's work and achievements.”

CCEA is a non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department of Education and is responsible for keeping under review all aspects of the curriculum, examinations and assessment for schools including developing, conducting and moderating qualifications and assessments, and developing resources to support the implementation of the curriculum.

The four new appointments are as follows:

Professor John Anderson is a non-Executive Director of the Controlled Schools Support Council. He is a Consultant and Programme Board member of the Education Authority EdIS Programme, Independent Chairperson of the Education Network (Northern Ireland) Innovation Forum and visiting Professor at Ulster University. He is a former Director of the Microelectronics Education Programme, Education Technology Strategy Coordinator and senior member of the Education and Training Inspectorate. He does not hold any other public appointments.

Miss Sarah-Lucy Hynds is Principal of Saintfield High School. She is an Associate of the Association of Education Advisers (AoEA) and acts as an Assessor for recruitment purposes for the Education Authority. She is also a member of the Saintfield Community Association, collaborating with the Community Centre and developing strong links with the Trustees to deliver wider initiatives for the benefit of the school and the wider community. She does not hold any other public appointments.

Mr Ivor Johnston is a member of the Alpha Housing Association's Audit and Governance Committee, and a Member of the Assembly Commission Audit and Risk Committee. He is a former Director of Finance in the Education Authority, Interim Director of Finance and Corporate Affairs in the Agri Foods and Bio-Sciences Institute Northern Ireland, Principal Project Accountant in the Police Service for Northern Ireland (PSNI), Head of Business Capability, Serious and Organised Crime Agency Finance Directorate and was Head of Finance in the National Crime Agency. He does not hold any other public appointments.

Dr Jennifer Roberts is a Senior Lecturer in Queen's University Belfast and is employed within the School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work. She is a Programme Director of the PGCE English programme and works across the PGCE programme. She is also the Director of Internationalisation within the School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work and works within the faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. She does not hold any other public appointments.

Returning to the Council for a second term, following a public appointments competition:

Mrs Donna O'Connor is the Head of Organisational Development with the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) and Chairperson of the National Fire Chief's Council (NFCC) Oversight & Scrutiny group for Coaching and Mentoring. She is a former Principal lecturer at Belfast Metropolitan College, where she played a key role in supporting the Director of Curriculum with the strategic management of Teaching and Learning and Curriculum Development. She holds two other public appointments as a current CCEA Council Member (and Chairperson of its Audit, Risk and Assurance Committee) and a school Governor of St Mary's Primary School, both for which she receives no remuneration.

Notes to editors:

1. The Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) is an Executive NDPB sponsored by the Department of Education. CCEA's role is to keep under review and provide advice on the three areas of the curriculum, examinations and assessment. The constitution of the CCEA is set out in Schedule 3 of the Education (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 and its membership comprises a Chairperson and 13 members.
2. The appointments will commence on 1 February 2025 for a four-year term (unless terminated before that time). The member posts are not remunerated, however members are eligible to claim travel and subsistence allowances necessarily incurred on Council business. The expected time commitment for members on the CCEA Council is approximately 2 days per month.
3. This competition was widely advertised including in the Public Appointments section of NI Direct. 
4. These appointments have been made in accordance with the principles and practices of the Code of Practice of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. 
5. All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland requires the political activity of appointees to be published. Miss Hynds, Mr Johnston, Mrs O'Connor and Dr Roberts have not declared any political activity in the last five years. Professor John Anderson has declared that during the last five years he was a Tally Clerk on behalf of the Alliance Party at a UK Parliamentary election count.