Secretary of State confirms dropping of the Schools Bill
The education select committee held an accountability session this week, hearing from the Secretary of State for Education, Gillian Keegan MP. This was her first appearance at the select committee since her appointment as Secretary of State.
Committee chair, Robin Walker MP, asked Keegan where education sat in the government’s priorities, and also what her priorities are as Secretary of State. Keegan said that education was high on the Prime Minister’s agenda, with education being seen as the closest thing we have to a silver bullet in addressing levelling up. She added that the government had made it a clear priority with the funding announcements in the Autumn statement.
On her priorities, Keegan said that she was passionate about apprenticeships. Additionally, she wanted to see reform across the education system, ensuring children get the best start in life, have the option of going to a good school, and get the best advice for their careers after school. Keegan said she wanted to see more done to improve opportunities for that 50% that don’t attend university.
Walker noted on the smaller ministerial team at the Department, with no dedicated universities minister. Keegan said that universities are still a focus, but wanted to see greater collaboration across the further education and higher education sector, with a greater emphasis on the opportunities more broadly for post-16.
In discussing the priorities and focuses of the new ministerial team, Keegan was asked about the future of the Schools Bill. The Secretary of State said that the bill would not be progressing in this parliament. However, she remains committed to the objectives that underpinned the bill and that not all aspects of the Schools White Paper require legislation.
In response to questions from Conservative MPs about grammar schools, Keegan made clear her commitment to academisation. She praised the work grammar schools do, but said that they are not the answer for the majority of students.
Rather, she said that wanted to focus on what can be done to ensure children can access good and outstanding schools, and that academies have been central to that. The academy structure, she argued, made the biggest difference to children and young people, by promoting collaboration between schools, investing more in leadership and teaching, and giving schools autonomy.
In Schools North East’s 2019 Manifesto for North East Education, we argued for greater support for early years, and a curriculum accessible to all pupils. As such it is encouraging that the new Secretary of State recognises the need for support throughout children and young people’s time in education, from early years to further and higher education.
However, schools are facing significant challenges since the pandemic, exacerbating the perennial problems schools face. The dropping of the Schools Bill, but continued commitment to the principles underlying it, creates uncertainty for the education sector. Schools North East will continue to lobby the new ministerial team for stability in the sector, as schools address the challenges of the pandemic.
