Ms Tomlinson's predecessor stood down in February

Heather Tomlinson, has been given the job of education director which is believed to pay �100,000-plus.

It comes after the council was told by Ofsted "improvement of achievement remains a matter of urgency" following an inspection last year.

Ms Tomlinson is currently corporate director of education and children's strategy at Nottingham City Council.

Councillor Peter Abraham, said: "We were all very impressed with her.

"We have in Ms Tomlinson someone who can build on the work of our current director, John Gaskin, and take us forward."

Ms Tomlinson has more than 25 years' experience in education, including six years at Nottingham.

City council

She said: "I am delighted to accept this exciting new role and am looking forward to working with staff, schools, elected members and partners to build on the progress already achieved."

Ms Tomlinson's predecessor in the role, former teacher John Gaskin, decided to stand down in February.

He joined Bristol City Council in September 2002, a time when the city's schools were rated among Britain's poorest by Ofsted inspectors.

Many families in the city had moved house to ensure a preferable school for their children and Ofsted reports regularly criticised the leadership of the city council.

At the same time, the council spent more on children than many comparable authorities with �4,000 being spent for each child under five in the city.

Nearly the same amount went on secondary school children while �2,500 was spent for each primary school child under the authority's care.