David Bell (university administrator)

Sir David Robert Bell KCB DL (born March 1959) is a public policy analyst who is Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University of Sunderland. He was previously Vice-Chancellor of the University of Reading for six years. Prior to that, he was Permanent Secretary at the Department for Education and its predecessor departments from January 2006 until 2012. Before that he was Chief Inspector of Schools at the Office for Standards in Education from 2002.

Bell studied history and philosophy at Glasgow University and obtained his Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) from Jordanhill College of Education. He also has a Master of Education degree in management and administration from Glasgow University. Bell then held teaching posts at primary schools in Glasgow, moving on to become a deputy head, and then a headteacher at Kingston Primary School, in Thundersley, Essex.^[1]

In 1990, Bell became assistant director of education at Newcastle City Council. During this time he spent a year as a Harkness Fellow at Georgia State University, Atlanta, studying education and local government reform across the United States of America. Bell trained as an Ofsted team inspector in 1993. He became a Registered Inspector in 1994 and carried out inspections in primary schools. He was promoted to director of education and libraries at Newcastle City Council in 1995 and became chief executive of Bedfordshire County Council in 2000.^[1]

Bell took up his post as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools on 1 May 2002.^[2][3] He was Chief Inspector for over three years and, in January 2006, he became Permanent Secretary at the Department for Education and Skills, named the Department for Children, Schools and Families from June 2007, and then the Department for Education from May 2010.^[4]

In September 2012,^[5] Bell left the civil service to become the vice-chancellor of the University of Reading. He succeeded Acting Vice-Chancellor Tony Downes.^[6]

In 2016 a move to reorganise the structure of Reading University provoked student protests.^[7] On 21 March 2016, staff announced a vote of no confidence in Bell,^[8] the no-confidence motion being backed by 88% of those who voted.^[9]

Bell left the University of Reading in September 2018 and was succeeded by Robert Van de Noort as acting vice-chancellor.^[10] Bell had left "under a cloud", according to Times Higher Education^[11] when it emerged that Reading had returned a £20 million deficit, largely because of its Malaysia campus.

Bell began his new role as Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University of Sunderland on 24 September 2018.^[5] He announced the closure of history, politics, modern languages and public health courses, and of research in those fields, on 13 January 2020.^[12]

It was announced in an email from Sir David Bell on 18 September 2024 that St Mary's Childcare Centre based at City Campus will close permanently on 23 July 2025.^[13] "The Childcare Centre is currently running at a substantial loss. This means that it is subsidised by the University, with the subsidy for 2023/24 projected to be in excess of £250,000.^[13]" said Bell. It is of note that Sir David Bell's salary is in excess of the subsidised cost of the childcare centre each year, his salary being £301,334 plus £2024.35 in expenses for the year of 2021 and £307,008 plus £6167.61 for the year of 2022.^[14] "Last academic year, the service was used by 45 families, including 17 members of staff and 11 students. Currently, there are 34 children registered in the Centre." said Sir David Bell.^[13]

Sir David Bell announced on 12 January 2023 that the National Glass Centre building would be closed (and probably demolished) within 3 years.^[15] Bell says that due to the cost of the relocation estimated at £9.4million, it has instead decided to close the course in summer 2026, with recruitment stopping from September [2024].^[16] This is despite a £250million capital development budget for the University^[17] and will shutter the centre, which is a heritage and history of glassmaking at Sunderland since the 7th century.^[16] As a consequence, the University announced on 22 March 2024 that its glass and ceramics academic programme will close in summer 2026, despite offering course places to students only a week earlier that would have required the facility to stay open until at least 2031. As of November 2024, he has yet to offer any apology or compensation to those students affected. ^[18]

His actions have been called "cultural vandalism" and a threat to education and Sunderland's existing heritage. ^[19]

Under the leadership of David Bell, staff at the University of Sunderland have faced departmental restructuring and combining of faculties^[20] and voluntary severance offers with caveats that if not enough voluntary severance offers are taken, targeted layoffs and redundancies will be undertaken.^[21][22] On 30 September 2024, the University and Colleges Union (UCU) warned the institution is considering 76 redundancies, including 60 out of 549, more than one in ten, of its academic staff.^[23][24] The union added: "This is the second formal notification of redundancies in under six months. In neither this, nor the previous notification, were any management jobs put at risk."^[25] It is of note that during this period of layoffs and restructuring, a new executive member of staff was appointed, for the position of Pro Vice Chancellor of Learning and Teaching.^[26]

16th May 2024, it was announced that parking at the University of Sunderland will see a rise from £1.30 to £6 per day - or 462% - and from 35p to £1.60 per hour.^[27] This has seen considerable calls for the price to return to the previous rate from the student and staff unions.^[28][27] It is of note that while students, staff, and visitors' rates will increase to these amounts, the executive staff do not face the same rise in parking charges, with the previous rate of £56.10 per month increasing to £144.00 per month, a 156.7% increase compared to the 462% increase for staff, students, and other visitors. Several students have withdrawn from their courses due to the increased costs being untenable. ^[29]

Bell was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 2011 Birthday Honours^[30] and a Deputy Lieutenant of Tyne & Wear in 2020.^[31]