Calls for stability as education secretary changes again
Education unions have called for stability as Gillian Keegan was appointed as the new Education Secretary. Ms Keegan, who is the MP for Chichester and a former skills minister, becomes the fifth person to hold the post this year.
Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union commented: ‘We welcome Gillian Keegan to the position of Education Secretary. They are, staggeringly, the tenth education secretary in 12 years, and the fifth in just four months. This does not fill teachers, parents or students with any confidence that this Government is treating the education brief as one of the most important jobs in Cabinet.’
Meanwhile Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, extended a welcome to the new education secretary but said the ‘revolving door shows a complete disregard for the importance of what should be a key government post and it must stop. Education matters more than this. It is a vital public service. Schools and colleges deserve stable political leadership which addresses the crucial issues of inadequate funding and severe staff shortages caused by a government which has undervalued the workforce and sapped its morale.’
Also welcoming Ms Keegan to her post was Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT school leaders union, who also noted the high turnover of secretaries of state, remarking: ‘Education is far too important to be subjected to such damaging levels of instability. The challenges facing schools are urgent and are affecting the lives and life-chances of millions of children, right now.” Noting the imminent spending review he added that ‘the new Education Secretary has just days to get to grips with the reality of the situation facing schools, listen to the profession, and make a compelling case to the Treasury for the funding so urgently needed. School leaders will be hopeful that in Gillian Keegan we might now finally have an Education Secretary who understands that education should be seen not as a drain on the nation’s finances, but as the best investment that can be made in our country’s future – and who stays the course to the next election to make education a priority for this government again.’
Ms Keegan, who was born in Leigh, Lancashire, went to primary school in Yorkshire and a comprehensive secondary school in Knowsley, Merseyside. She left school at 16, the first education secretary to have done so since Alan Johnson (who served between 2006 and 2007). Ms Keegan said she was ‘deeply honoured’ to be appointed to the role, stating: ‘Education transforms lives - I know that talent is spread equally around the country and I will work tirelessly to ensure opportunity is also.’
Elsewhere in the Department of Education (DfE), both Nick Gibb and Robert Halfon have returned as ministers. Mr Halfon was previously a skills minister at the DfE, and subsequently has served as chair of the education select committee since 2017. For Mr Gibb his latest appointment is a continuation of a long association with the DfE, having previously served in various ministerial roles in the department from 2010 to 2012, and again between 2014 and 2021.