Pupils striked over school closure plans

"There's no magic formula, otherwise it would have been done already.

"What we must do is demonstrate that every aspect of our work makes a contribution.

"Every individual working within the education department really needs to be constantly reminding themselves of that key issue."

Mr Jenkin has a long history in education - for the past three years he has acted as a troubleshooter, being parachuted in to steer struggling authorities in the right direction.

He said that part of the problem lies in a lack of good publicity for schools.

'Critical point'

"As a service, we're not very good at shouting about the things that we really do well," he said.

"Parents and teachers will be watching closely to see how much he can achieve in his short stay.

"My job within the education department is to be able to help individuals to be more focused in the job they do and to work on people's strengths."

Before taking on the job in Bristol he spent six months in Hull improving performance in schools there, moving the city from near the bottom of the league tables.

"Hull was at that critical point where it was about to turn a corner," he said.

"I'm not yet in a position to say where Bristol is. All I do know is there are a lot of very dedicated people who want to see Bristol move up those league tables."

Mr Jenkin will stay in Bristol until the end of May, when a permanent director will be appointed.