Education Secretary Michael Gove has revealed the five new appointees to the board of Ofsted.
They have all been appointed to serve on the board for three years alongside John Roberts, who was already a board member, who has been reappointed.
Duties performed by the new board members will include inspecting the first free schools which are due to open in September. Despite having increased autonomy the schools will still be subject to Ofsted inspections, unlike the top-performing academies who Gove intends to exempt from the routine check-ups.
Ofsted's chair, Baroness Morgan of Huyton, said: "I am delighted to welcome our new Board members, bringing with them the skills and experience to make a valuable contribution and those who use the services we inspect and regulate. I am especially pleased the board is strengthened by the addition of members with adult skills, higher education and social care and look forward to working with them."
The board members are:
Linda Farrant: A qualified accountant, currently vice-chair of NHS Hertfordshire and non-executive director of Metropolitan Housing Trust. She has an MSc in public service management and has spent her career in local government working on finance, regeneration policy and practice.
Andy Palmer: A director of education and skills at BT. He is a member of Edexcel's qualification board and the department for business, innovation and skills employer reference group, among others.
John Roberts: A member of the board since 2006, he was chief executive of the Post Office for eight years and now chair of the board of governors for Hampton School.
Paul Snell: A trustee and council member at Action for Children. Former chief inspector of the commission for social care inspection and previous director of social services for Nottingham City Council.
Sir Alan Steer: A former head teacher at Seven Kings School. He has previously been an education adviser to the government, specialising in behaviour and discipline at school. He was also initially appointed as a co-opted member of Ofsted as an education expert in 2008.
Professor Geoff Whitty: Currently an advisor to the House of Commons education committee. He is a former director of the institute of education at University of London and used to work as a teacher at both primary and secondary level. He has also served as president of the college of teachers.
Michael Gove added: "I am very pleased to make these appointments to the Ofsted Board. The appointees are all highly talented people committed to improving state education."