Woman at centre of Ed Balls ‘bully’ row is former Kirklees teacher

THE woman at the centre of a high-level political row is a former Dewsbury teacher, the Examiner can reveal.

Huddersfield MP Barry Sheerman yesterday accused schools minister Ed Balls of being “a bit of a bully” after he pushed forward with the appointment of Maggie Atkinson as Children’s Commissioner for England.

It emerged last night that Mrs Atkinson was head of English at Birkdale High School in Dewsbury from 1987 to 1989.

She also worked as a school inspector in Kirklees from 1992 to 1998.

However, Mr Sheerman – who chairs the House of Commons Select Committee on Children, Schools and Families – believes Mrs Atkinson is not suitable for the job of Children’s Commissioner after the committee interviewed her for an hour earlier this month.

Mr Sheerman told the Examiner: “We thought she was competent but she didn’t have a good interview. The committee decided unanimously that this job – which involves taking on a very powerful secretary of state – wasn’t her sort of thing.”

However, Mr Balls decided to push ahead with Mrs Atkinson’s appointment despite the select committee’s opinion.

But Mr Balls said it was his job to take “tough decisions”.