Kelly Tolhurst has been appointed as minister for schools and childhood at the Department for Education, and has been put in charge of policy on academic selection.
The new brief means she will oversee some of the responsibilities held by former schools and children’s ministers. Her brief includes “strategy for schools, including standards and selection”. Selection was not mentioned in the briefs of her recent predecessors.
It comes after Liz Truss pledged during her leadership campaign to lift the ban on new grammar schools. However, it is not yet clear whether she will do so before the next election, with parliamentary time scarce.
It means four DfE ministers now have some level of responsibility for schools policy.
Education secretary Kit Malthouse has a broader oversight role of issues like the curriculum and school improvement. Jonathan Gullis was appointed earlier this month as minister for school standards.
It was also confirmed this week that Baroness Barran has kept her role as minister for the school system. In this role, she is responsible for academies, governance, school capital funding, admissions and safeguarding, and will also take oversight of colleges.
Andrea Jenkyns becomes minister for skills.
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