The Secretary of State for Education in the UK: A Historical Overview

The Secretary of State for Education, also known as the Education Secretary, holds a crucial position in the Government of the United Kingdom. This individual is responsible for the work of the Department for Education, primarily overseeing education in England. As a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom, the Education Secretary works alongside other Education ministers to shape and implement education policy. The remit of the Education Secretary is primarily concerned with England, corresponding to what is generally known as an education minister in many other countries.

Historical Development of the Role

The role of overseeing education within the UK government has evolved significantly over time.

Early Supervision of Education Grants (1839)

In 1839, a committee of the Privy Council was appointed to supervise the distribution of government grants in the education field. The members of this committee included key figures such as the Lord President of the Council, the Secretaries of State, the First Lord of the Treasury, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Establishment of the Board of Education (1900)

The Board of Education Act 1899 abolished the committee and instituted a new board, headed by a president, on April 1, 1900.

Creation of the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1964)

In 1964, the offices of Minister of Education and the Minister for Science were merged, creating the position of Secretary of State for Education and Science.

Separation of Science and Renaming of the Department (1992)

The responsibility for science was transferred to the Cabinet Office as the Office of Science and Technology in 1992, and the department was renamed the Department of Education.

Mergers and Reorganization (1995-2007)

In 1995, the Department of Education merged with the Department of Employment to become the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE). In 2001, the employment functions were transferred to a newly created Department for Work and Pensions, with the DfEE becoming the Department for Education and Skills (DfES). In 2007, the education portfolio was divided between the Department for Children, Schools and Families (responsible for infant, primary and secondary education) and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (responsible for further, higher and adult education).

Amalgamation of Innovation, Universities and Skills (2009)

In late 2009, the ministerial office of the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills was amalgamated into the new ministerial office of Peter Mandelson, as the newly-created Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Key Responsibilities and Challenges

The Secretary of State for Education faces a wide array of responsibilities and challenges in overseeing the education system in England. These include:

Policy Implementation and Reform

The Education Secretary is responsible for implementing and reforming education policies to improve standards, promote equality, and ensure that all students have access to a high-quality education.

Funding and Resource Allocation

The Education Secretary plays a crucial role in allocating funding and resources to schools, colleges, and universities to support their operations and ensure that they have the resources they need to provide a quality education.

Curriculum Development and Assessment

The Education Secretary is involved in the development of the national curriculum and the assessment of student performance, including examinations and qualifications.

Teacher Training and Professional Development

The Education Secretary oversees the training and professional development of teachers to ensure that they have the skills and knowledge they need to effectively educate students.

Addressing Educational Disparities

The Education Secretary is responsible for addressing educational disparities and ensuring that all students, regardless of their background, have the opportunity to succeed in education.

Navigating Political and Public Scrutiny

The Education Secretary is subject to intense political and public scrutiny, and must be able to effectively communicate and defend education policies and decisions.

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Notable Education Secretaries

Several individuals have held the position of Secretary of State for Education, each leaving their mark on the education system.

Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Thatcher served as Education Secretary in the early years of the Heath Government. Official records show that Edward Heath had a poor opinion of his Education Secretary, Margaret Thatcher, and of her department, from the very beginning of her tenure in 1970. Bad chemistry between the two seems to have explained much of the difficulty. A proposed meeting to discuss "The Principles of Education" took 18 months to arrange and Thatcher's suggestion that it take place over a weekend at her home in Kent was instantly dismissed by Heath. Nevertheless the long awaited meeting, which took place at Chequers in January 1972, proved helpful to Thatcher, then at the low point of her time at the Department of Education and Science (DES). The "Principles of Education" were not much discussed at the meeting, in fact. The minute shows Heath springing into life only on the subject of music teaching. Private minutes also show that Heath was highly critical of DES officials - as Thatcher was herself on occasion - finding their paperwork slow and inadequate. The DES could never get it right. Heath complained angrily (with some justice) that "an amicable process for consultation" on reform of student union finance had turned into "a very sour wrangle with Dons and students alike". Thatcher on her part criticised to Heath's face his cherished "Programme Analysis and Review" initiative, designed to identify cuts in bureaucracy and make expenditure savings. She pointed out the heavy demands it made on officials and doubted whether it would improve decision-making. By the end of 1972 Thatcher's position politically was stronger and her relations with Heath a little less strained. In the early years of the Heath Government Margaret Thatcher had a rough time as Education Secretary. During this period the whips at no point suggested that she be moved (or removed). The most significant suggestion for her future dates from October 1972. As the Government prepared to introduce a new statutory prices and incomes policy (one of the most significant of the " U turns " of 1972), the creation of a new Minister of Fair Trading was planned, with responsibility (among other things) for new powers to control prices. The file (PREM 5/ 530) shows that MT was very seriously considered for the job. The Permanent Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry (in whose department the job would have been located) was asked by the Head of the Civil Service to comment on how things would work with MT in the post, a request which strongly implies that the Prime Minister was giving the idea close consideration. The reportâmarked "Confidential and Strictly Personal "âgives a rare insight into official views of MT at this time. She was understood to be "critical of Nat[ionalised] Ind[ustrie]s, especially gas". Her Permanent Secretary at the Department of Education and Science contributed his assessment: "Pile says highly subjective in her reaction to people ". In the event, the job was given to Sir Geoffrey Howe. But MT was in the frame for a further significant move during 1973 (PREM 5/541). The Chief Whip, Francis Pym, sent the Prime Minister a positive assessment of her in June 1973: " Present Performance: held in high esteem by the Party and by her junior ministers. (H)as kept us out of trouble on this front [education]. Future Treatment: would like to move, but not to DHSS because she does not want the "other obvious woman's department". In the event, the reshuffle never took place because the advice was overtaken. The Government itself fell within months.

David Blunkett

David Blunkett served as Secretary of State for Education and Employment from 1997 to 2001. Following Labour's landslide victory in the 1997 general election, he became secretary of state for education and employment, thus becoming Britain's first blind cabinet minister. As secretary of state, Blunkett pursued substantial reforms, ready to take on the teaching unions and determined to ensure basic standards of literacy and numeracy. He was rewarded with extra funding to cut class sizes, notably by abolishing the Assisted Places Scheme. A key pillar of Blunkett's work as education secretary was the introduction of Sure Start, a government programme which provided services for pre-school children and their families. It works to bring together early education, childcare, health and family support. Following the Dearing Report into higher education, Blunkett introduced the Teaching and Higher Education Act 1998 on 26 November 1997, which introduced university tuition fees. He also led the massive expansion in higher education.

Gavin Williamson

Sir Gavin Alexander Williamson served as Secretary of State for Education from July 2019 to September 2021. He served in the role during the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic, including times when schools were closed to most children, and was criticised for the 2020 school exam grading controversy. Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, the Prime Minister announced schools in England were to be closed to most children from 20 March 2020 until further notice. In August 2020, he apologised to schoolchildren for the disruption in the COVID-19 pandemic. He said "…where we haven't got everything great, of course, I'm incredibly sorry for that". On 17 August 2020, Ofqual and Williamson announced that the algorithm method for calculating A Level results would be abandoned, and teacher assessments would be used instead, after pressure from within the Conservative Party and the claim that they had lost the confidence of the teaching profession. There were calls for Williamson to resign, for what The Daily Telegraph called "the fiasco". University admission caps were relaxed, as places had already been allocated based on the algorithm results and the change meant many more students would now meet their first-choice university admission offer grades. In January 2021, GCSE exams were cancelled. The education secretary stated that schools can use optional exams to decide their students' grades. In April 2021, Williamson said that a mobile phone policy ban would be introduced in schools; he also commented that students' behaviour had become worse over the period of lockdown in January.

Nadhim Zahawi

Mr. Zahawi became education secretary at a pivotal time, with the comprehensive spending review to conclude on 27 October, at which the government has said it will issue its much-delayed final response to the Augar review of post-18 education. Mr Zahawi was born in Iraq to Kurdish parents, who fled the country for the UK when he was nine. As a member of the then Business, Innovation and Skills committee, Mr Zahawi unsuccessfully opposed the appointment of Sir Les Ebdon as director of fair access under the coalition government in 2011.

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