All change (again) at the Department for Education

Following the change of Prime Minister a new Secretary of State for Education has been appointed.

Gillian Keegan has taken on the role, the tenth to hold the position of Secretary of State for Education since 2010. However, early reactions note that this new team at Education do actually have some understanding of the sector.

Gillian Keegan was Skills Minister prior to being appointed Education Secretary and  did an apprenticeship aged 16, instead of A levels, going on to have a successful career before entering politics. It looks like the emphasis on technical vocational education is likely to be a significant theme for this department.

Nick Gibb has returned to the department where he spent almost a decade, being Schools Minister from 2014 to 2021. The current view is that the aim may be to use him to provide stability in the more academic areas that he has long favoured, such as phonics and strict behaviour policies.

Robert Halfon has also been appointed to the department. He has experience as chair of the Commons Education Select Committee for five years and is aware of many of the complex debates at the heart of education. He has also been a long-time advocate for more vocational technical education and skills.

Early reports of the Prime Minister’s plans for a new British baccalaureate are at present lacking detail and schools will be watching with interest to see what remains of the Schools Bill and its aims.