A BURY woman who has harnessed her educational expertise to help improve failing schools has been awarded an OBE in the Queen's New Year Honours list.
Mrs Marilyn Cook works at the Preston office of HM Inspector of Schools, Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) and was previously a primary school teacher and headmistress in Salford.
Her OBE was in honour of her services to education, particularly the improvement ofschools.
Mrs Cook (58), originally from London, lives in Gisburn Drive, Bury, with her husband. They moved to Bury 14 years ago. She became a schools inspector in 1983 and continued in her role when OFSTED was created six years ago. She has worked in many UK towns and cities, and also spent time in Africa.
About the award, she said: "I feel very honoured. This has come totally out of the blue. Someone somewhere must have nominated me.
"I am delighted for the Inspectorate and the group of people I work with, and I'm very grateful to the schools in which I have worked."
Mrs Cook is attached to the school improvement division which works with failing schools and those with serious weaknesses.
As a link inspector, she works with a number of schools in the North West and her expertise helps towards eradicating problems and weaknesses which caused them to be judged as failing.
Mrs Cook is the author of a much-praised and influential publication, entitled Lessons Learned From Special Measures.
The book drew on her own experiences and focused on how failing schools tackle a variety of problems to improve themselves.
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