It’s been a summer of huge change. The EU referendum result in June was the catalyst, resulting in a new Prime Minister, a major cabinet reshuffle and significant changes to government structure. Here’s a round-up of who’s who in the new cabinet.
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is no more, and has been replaced by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. This means that responsibilities for skills and higher education now fall under the remit of the Department for Education, and we have come full circle, as many veterans of the sector will recognise.
This change to the machinery of government may provide some welcome clarity around roles, but we must watch carefully to see how budgets are aligned during the merger, in case the government is tempted to use it as an opportunity to make savings in an area already under severe financial pressures.
We also have some new faces in key roles. We hope that fresh faces mean some new ideas and a willingness to listen and compromise. Here’s a look at the key faces we’ll be working with when they return to parliament on 3 September:
Justine Greening - Secretary of State for Education, Minister for Women and Equalities
There were many names touted to succeed Nicky Morgan, but Justine Greening’s appointment came somewhat as a surprise. She is the first Education Secretary in the history of British politics to be educated at a comprehensive school. Many hope that her experience of the mainstream school system will be a valuable asset in the role.
Ms Greening takes on a bigger brief than her predecessor, with overall responsibility for education (starting from early years), skills, and higher education.
Nick Gibb - Minister of State for School Standards
One of the ministers who held onto his job was Schools Minister Nick Gibb. This is an indication that he’ll be given time to see through his reforms to education, including controversial testing in primary schools and commitment to phonics. He’s also committed to reforming maths, and announced £41m support to 8,000 primary schools in England to roll out a South Asian style of teaching.
Gibb may have retained his job to provide some continuity during a period with many changes. His challenges include managing the transition to more academies, reforming the national funding formula for schools, and problems with recruiting enough quality teachers.
Robert Halfon - Minister of State for Apprenticeships and Skills
The resignation of Nick Boles was almost inevitable, following his ill-fated stint as campaign manager for Michael Gove’s leadership bid. The timing of the vacancy could hardly have been worse. The Post-16 Skills plan (following the Sainsbury review) was hot off the press, the area reviews for colleges were still in progress, and there was growing discontent at delays to further details on the apprenticeship levy.
The appointment of Rob Halfon is a clear indication of the government’s continued commitment to apprenticeships, as he has been a known champion of apprenticeships for a number of years. He won a Politician of the Year award from Avanta for his part in promoting apprenticeships, and he was the first MP to employ a full time apprentice. Mr Halfon will have some real challenges to address when parliament returns, as he takes responsibility for finishing the reforms that Nick Boles started.
Other ministers include:
Jo Johnson - Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation
Edward Timpson - Minister of State for Vulnerable Children and Families
Caroline Dinenage - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Women, Equalities, and Early Years
Lord Nash - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the School System
We look forward to working with the new ministerial team and hope that we can work together to create a system that works for all learners.
