The Board

The information authority board receives its authority from Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) and Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) Ministers and is empowered by further education and training organisations through the signing of a protocol.

The authority is accountable to Ministers and all organisations across the sector for balancing the demand for data against that needed by providers to run their businesses.

The board makes far-reaching decisions to reform data and information standards and processes and requires all stakeholders to abide by them. It does this by:

• Appraising, approving and rejecting requests for the collection of new data.
• Agreeing the definition of reports, sets of data and their dissemination cycle.
• Setting standards and definitions for all data collected from learning providers about learners, the derived variables generated from that data and standard reporting to all stakeholders.
• Incorporating relevant existing and emerging external data standards into those for further education.

Current members of the information authority board and the organisations they represent are:

Graham Jones, Chairman and former principal and Chief Executive, Sutton Coldfield College

Susan Pember, Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS)

Caroline Miller, Head of Adult Learning, Kenton College 

Bob Powell, Chief Executive of HOLEX, the national network of local adult learning providers
 
Isabel Nisbet, Director of Regulation and Standards, Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA)

Jon Collis, Operations Director, National Training Resources

Julian Gravatt, Director of Funding and Development, Association of Colleges (AoC)

Malcolm Britton, Divisional Head of Analytical Services, Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF)

Margaret Coleman, Regional Director for Yorkshire and the Humber, Learning and Skills Council (LSC)

Mario Ferelli, Head of Funding and Analytical Services, Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE)

Melanie Hunt, Director of Learning and Skills, Office for Standards in Education (OfSTED)

Chris James, Director of Research and development, Asset Skills

Ivor Jones, Deputy Chief Executive and Executive Director of Strategy and Business Development, Lifelong Learning UK (LLUK)

Daniel Mason, Local Government Association Policy Consultant on Children and Young People’s issues, Local Government Association (LGA)

Ian Pryce, Principal and Chief Executive, Bedford College

Board Meetings

Details of upcoming information authority board meetings, minutes, agendas and other papers can be found on the Board Meetings pages.