A new temporary boss is to take over York's education department for a term with back-up from three of the city's headteachers.

Jim Winter, currently deputy education director at Wakefield Council, is to run the department for the City of York Council during the summer term.

The temporary appointment is being made after the departure last year of former director Mike Peters and the imminent departure of deputy director Chris Edwards at the end of April.

Once Mr Edwards leaves, the only remaining top managers will be Craig Shaw, who is head of management services and now an assistant director, and Murray Rose, who is acting assistant director.

Three headteachers, George Gilmore, from Galtres Special School, Michelle Burns, from Oaklands School in Acomb, and Angela Johnson, from Fishergate Primary School, are being recruited to work for the council for up to three days a week each during next term.

Coun Janet Looker, executive member for education, denied this was because the department was so short-staffed it needed to draft in headteachers, and said instead they were being asked to help and advise Mr Winter in his job.

She said: "The person coming in won't know York or the schools so the heads will be able to put some of their skills into helping things go forward, like the Special Educational Needs Review.

"They won't come out of school permanently, it will only be two or three days a week and they have all got good deputies in school.

"We take headteachers out of schools for all sorts of things already."

Meanwhile, she said the council would be advertising the permanent director post and were working on a package of job vacancies to sort out the management structure in the department.

Coun Looker said they would be looking at taking on another assistant director and re-advertising the principal adviser post vacated by Mike Viner last year.

She said vacancies had not been filled over the last few months because the council had decided to wait until a permanent director had been appointed.

"It seemed sensible at the time to let it wait, not to dash in and appoint a lot of people. But we can't leave it any longer," she said.

"We now have a temporary management structure in place and are looking to have a new team in place by the autumn term."

Updated: 08:54 Monday, April 02, 2001