 Gwynne Jones will remain as head of schools for a few months |
The education official in charge of the re-organisation of small schools in Gwynedd is leaving for another job. Dr Gwynne Jones is to move back to head Cynnal, the body which advises and inspects standards in schools in Gwynedd and Anglesey.
One teachers' union expressed "surprise" at the move, but said education was under pressure both financially and politically.
Gwynedd Council said it would be a "challenge" to find his successor.
Dr Jones was appointed as head of schools in the county three years ago.
Since then he has been involved in discussions about the future organisation of small schools within the county - plans which have met considerable resistance from some parents and governors.
Although there is no suggestion that Dr Jones is moving because of this pressure, the secretary of the NUT teaching union in Gwynedd, Neil Foden, said he was surprised.
"I got the impression that the move to Gwynedd as head of schools was a promotion from his previous job with Cynnal.
"Several officers in the education department are frustrated these days however, because of the pressures created by the extra work the re-organisation process has created and the fact there are not enough resources to work with."
Mr Foden said there was work to do in the primary education sector and possibly in post-16 education too, with "influence" coming from the assembly government.
Anyone in a situation of service chief would nowadays find it impossible to reach the targets they were set, he added.
Council leader Richard Parry Hughes said: "His new job will involve elements of special needs education and will be a challenge.
"It will also be a challenge for us to fill his shoes, but not an impossible challenge."
Referring to the re-organisation of schools, Mr Parry Hughes said "resources" would increasingly be central to the discussion.
This would mean they would have to look even harder at the situation, he added.
Dr Jones said he was not in a position to comment on the move at present.
He will remain in the post for several months. The council said it hoped to appoint his successor early in spring.
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It will also be a challenge for us to fill his shoes, but not an impossible challenge
