Ed Balls also announced that the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA), to be known as the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency (QCDA), will develop into an agency for developing curriculum, assessment and qualifications.

Subject to Parliamentary approval, these reforms will be put on a statutory basis, but interim arrangements are being introduced now under QCA's existing regulatory powers.

Kathleen Tattersall is the Chair of the Chartered Institute of Educational Assessors. Until 2003 she was Director General of the Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA), having been Chief Executive of a succession of awarding bodies over the previous twenty years. She will join the QCA Board and lead the regulator in its interim form.

Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, Ed Balls, said:

"I am delighted to announce that Kathleen Tattersall OBE has been appointed to be the first Chair of Ofqual.

"Kathleen will lead Ofqual in its interim form, and, subject to legislation, she will become the regulator's first Chair when it is established as an independent statutory body.

"We have an internationally renowned curriculum, assessment and qualifications system. But the demands on the system are growing. We have in place far-reaching programmes for reforming qualifications and tests at all levels, which will make a key contribution to our plans to meet the economic and social challenges of the years ahead.

"People must be confident that tests and qualifications are as rigorous now as they were in the past, that standards across different qualifications and subjects at the same level are comparable, and that what is studied is both challenging and relevant to today's world.

"Ofqual will be responsible for securing the standards of qualifications, tests and assessment, and for ensuring that public investment in qualifications provides good value for money. Independent bodies already look at appeals against admissions decisions and at the quality of teaching and learning while in school. Our plans mean that at every stage of the school system, independent bodies will have clear responsibilities for ensuring fairness and high standards.

"QCA has shown robust independence in its work, managed the examination system tightly and carefully, and increased confidence in standards amongst teachers and students. Its work sits right at the heart of the education system, and is an important part of securing students' futures. I am grateful to the Board and staff of QCA for their ongoing commitment and hard work and for their contribution to these reforms.

"Today is an important milestone in our plans to provide greater transparency in qualifications and tests and to secure the continuing public confidence in standards on which they depend."

Kathleen Tattersall said

"The creation of Ofqual will herald a new era in the regulation of England's highly respected qualifications and examinations and I am delighted to have been appointed as its first Chair. As new developments come on stream, including Diplomas, we have the opportunity to build on the excellent work of QCA to ensure that our qualification system remains fit for purpose and of the highest quality. For learners, qualifications are a passport to further learning and employment and they deserve nothing less than the best: we will work with all our stakeholders to ensure that this is what they get."