Highland Council appoints Education Chief Executive Officer

Nicky Grant has been appointed by The Highland Council as Executive Chief Officer for Education and Learning, where she has been working as an interim appointment since September 2020.

Education Committee Chair, Cllr John Finlayson said: “I am delighted to announce that Nicky Grant will be continuing in her role of ECO for Education and the post will now be her substantive post. This has been a challenging year for everyone in our schools as we recover from the coronavirus pandemic, including the difficult task of seeing the safe return to in-school learning for all pupils and Nicky along with all school staff has been a key part of this challenging process. The Education Committee and I look forward to continuing our work with her in transforming and consolidating the service to ensure continued improvements to our large school estate and further enhancing the learning journey for all pupils in Highland.”

Nicky Grant has previously worked for The Highland Council in her roles as Interim Head of Education and Head Teacher of Alness Academy.

She was also previously Depute Head Teacher at Elgin High School with Moray Council since 2016, and before that was Depute Head Teacher at Kemnay Academy, Aberdeenshire.

Her principal subject was physical education which she previously taught at schools in West Lothian. Prior to this she was a professional footballer, playing for Arsenal and Frankfurt among others, and was capped 99 times for her country.

Ms Grant said: “It is a privilege to be offered the opportunity to continue to improve our education and learning experience for the current and future children and young people in Highland. I am passionate about improving outcomes for all of our pupils and supporting our young people to progress to a positive post-school destination.

“Effective partnership working is essential to helping us reach our goals within the service and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our stakeholders and Partners for their engagement with our Council. I look forward to continuing this partnership working so we can remain connected to our communities. This summer, I shall spend time listening to our children and young people during our planned Summer of Hope programmes of events, I am excited for the future of Education and Learning in the Highlands."

Lead Education spokesperson for the Opposition, Cllr Graham Mackenzie said: “I would like to congratulate Nicky on her appointment and wish her every success in her future career. The Council remain committed to raising attainment, especially for our most vulnerable pupils and also maximising the health and wellbeing for all pupils and staff members in our schools.”