Sarah Wyatt

Statistician/Team Leader with the Department of Communities and Local Government

BSc Statistics and Operational Research, Macquarie University (Sydney, Australia)

Since joining the GSS in 2003 as a Statistical Officer in the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), I have had my fair share of high-profile roles. My first post, for example, involved working on Schools Performance Tables, an area that attracts a huge amount of public interest. On publication day, the figures we produced, dominated the pages of almost every newspaper in the country. 

My current role (I have now moved to the Department of Communities and Local Government in Local Government Finance) involves developing the formulae that divide up approximately £27 billion in Government grants between the local authorities in England. This also generates substantial public and media interest, so my earlier experience has come in useful. 

I have really enjoyed working in the GSS. During my time here, I have also been encouraged to complete a Postgraduate Certificate in Applied Statistics (the course was paid for by my department and I was given additional leave to study and sit my exams).