Will Quince is the new schools minister following a reshuffle prompted by mass resignations last week. The MP for Colchester served as children’s minister from September until last Wednesday, when he resigned in protest over Boris Johnson’s leadership. However, he rejoined the department on Thursday as a minister of state, and was confirmed as schools minister today. Quince has announced he will retain responsibility for special educational needs and disabilities, including the SEND green paper, which he led as children’s minister. Quince replaces Robin Walker, who also resigned last Wednesday. He had told Schools Week he was willing to return to the role, but has not rejoined the DfE ministerial team. Brendan Clarke-Smith is the new children’s minister, while Andrea Jenkyns is minister for skills, further and higher education. Universities and skills were previously two separate briefs but have now been combined, indicating the DfE will continue with just five ministers, one fewer than before the resignations. James Cleverly was appointed education secretary last week, the third person to hold the title in just two days. Baroness Barran continues as academies minister. Meet the ministers James Cleverly, education secretary Responsible for Early years Children’s social care Families Teacher recruitment and retention The school curriculum School improvement Academies and free schools Further education Apprenticeships and skills Higher education Oversight of the departmental coronavirus (covid-19) recovery Will Quince, schools minister Responsible for Qualifications (including links with Ofqual) Curriculum including relationships, sex, and health education and personal, social, health and economic education Standards and Testing Agency and primary assessment School accountability and inspection (including links with Ofsted) Supporting a high-quality teaching profession including qualifications and professional development Supporting recruitment and retention of teachers and school leaders including initial teacher training Teaching Regulation Agency Support for raising school standards including the National Tutoring Programme School revenue funding, including the national funding formula for schools School efficiency and commercial policy Education Investment Areas, Opportunity North East and Opportunity Areas (jointly with Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for the School System)) Pupil premium Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including high needs funding School food, including free school meals Coronavirus (COVID-19) recovery for schools Brendan Clarke-Smith, children’s minister Responsible for Children’s social care Families Children in care, children in need, child protection, adoption and care leavers Early years and childcare Disadvantaged and vulnerable children School sport Alternative provision Behaviour, attendance and exclusions Children and young people’s mental health, online safety and preventing bullying in schools Policy to protect against serious violence Coronavirus (covid-19) recovery for children’s services and early years Baroness Barran, academies minister Responsible for Academies and multi-academy trusts Free schools and university technical colleges Faith schools Independent schools Home education and supplementary schools School governance and intervention in underperforming schools School capital investment (including pupil place planning) Education investment areas, opportunity north east and opportunity areas (jointly with minister of state (minister for school standards)) Admissions and school transport Digital strategy and technology in education (edtech) Safeguarding in schools and post-16 settings Counter extremism in schools and post-16 settings Departmental efficiency and commercial policy Andrea Jenkyns, skills, FE and HE minister Responsible for T-levels Qualifications reviews (levels 3 and below) Higher technical education (levels 4 and 5) Apprenticeships and traineeships Further education providers, workforce, funding and accountability Institutes of technology Local skills improvement plans and local skills improvement fund Adult education, including, the national skills fund and the uk shared prosperity fund Careers education, information and guidance including the careers and enterprise company Reducing the number of young people who are not in education, employment or training Further education and higher education quality Higher education reform Lifelong loan entitlement Student experience and widening participation in higher education Student finance (including the student loans company) International education strategy and international students Coronavirus (covid-19) recovery for further education services, universities and higher education institutions
Keith Legge 13 July 2022 Don’t get too comfortable in your seats, hopefully a new ministerial team will take over soon, with a better vision for primary and secondary schools, an improved process for university admissions and financial support for students.