Mr Gaskin joined Bristol City Council from Portsmouth

Former teacher John Gaskin 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.

'Much-improved'

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

Mr Gaskin who is to take up a position in the private educational sector, said: "I have enjoyed working at Bristol City Council and believe the foundations exist for a very successful education service."

In a statement the city council said: "Mr Gaskin has overseen major improvements in the performance of the education service with better GCSE results and a much-improved assessment by Ofsted.

Council leader Barbara Janke said: "John leaves behind a healthy department, an excellent management team and a service that is making real progress."

Bristol's Secondary Headteachers' Association issued a statement saying: "We are extremely grateful to John Gaskin for his leadership and support over the last two years and wish him well in his new role as Director of Learning Services with Prospects."