Education director appointed
Ruth is the current Head of Education at the council.
The appointment was announced by the Council’s Chief Executive and the Leader of the Council after a day of interviews.
The appointment was made on 27 June by an interview panel of councillors and the Chief Executive of the council. The position of corporate director covers a wide remit which includes all educational services in the council; culture, heritage and libraries; community learning and development; organisational development; human resources and communications.
Aubrey Fawcett, Inverclyde Council’s Chief Executive, said: “I am delighted to announce the appointment of Ruth Binks as our new Corporate Director of Education, Communities and Organisational Development. Ruth has been head of service with the council since 2015 and in that time has presided over some significant service delivery improvements.
“Local government and other public services face difficult times with shrinking budgets and a range of pressures to deliver more with less. Ruth has been a key member of the council’s education service in recent years and this new position as corporate director gives her an opportunity to build on that foundation of success to deliver even more for the people who matter – the children, families and residents of Inverclyde.”
Inverclyde’s Council leader, Councillor Stephen McCabe, said: “I am pleased that we have appointed Ruth to be the Corporate Director of Education, Communities and Organisational Development. We are widely regarded as being one of the best education providers in the country. Ruth is a person who always strives for improvement and that entirely fits in with the way Inverclyde Council operates. As a council we don’t rest on our laurels.
“Our school estate might be the best in the country and our educational attainment may punch well above its weight but I am confident that Ruth will continue to lead a team that will strive for further improvement day in day out. This is a wide ranging role in the Council and covers, on top of schools and education, a vast range of services which will be an opportunity for Ruth to stretch her leadership skills. I wish Ruth well and look forward to working with her in her new role.”
Ruth said: “It would be fair to say that no one at the council wanted to see this job come up at this time. It happened because of the tragic loss of our colleague and friend Wilma Bain. I hope I can pick up where Wilma left us with one of the strongest, hardest working and best performing education services in the country. I am personally delighted to have been given the opportunity by the council to become the new Corporate Director for Education, Communities and Organisational Development. Within this directorate, which covers a broad range of frontline and corporate services, we have people already delivering high quality services for Inverclyde and I am looking forward to helping to lead them to even more success.”
Ruth Binks began her career as a professional musician. She played flute and piccolo with some of the country’s most celebrated orchestras and travelled around the world.
She became a class teacher in Highland Council teaching in primary schools from 1998 to 2004 before becoming head teacher at Croy Primary School and Central Primary School until 2011.
She moved into Highland Council’s education department as a quality improvement officer from 2011 until 2012, and then became quality improvement manager until 2015 when she was appointed head of education at Inverclyde Council.