The secretary of state for education, also referred to as the education secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, responsible for the work of the Department for Education, only overseeing education in England. The incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. As education is fully devolved to the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive, the post holder has no jurisdiction or influence in education policy or direction in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
The office holder works alongside the other Education ministers. The corresponding shadow minister is the shadow secretary of state for education, and the work of the secretary of state is also scrutinised by the Education Select Committee.
The current education secretary is Lucy Powell.
Responsibilities Corresponding to what is generally known as an education minister in many other countries, the education secretary's remit is concerned primarily with England. This includes: Early years Children's social care Teacher recruitment and retention The national curriculum School improvement Academies and free schools Further education Apprenticeships and skills Higher education Oversight of the departmental coronavirus (COVID-19) response Oversight of school infrastructure improvement
History A committee of the Privy Council was appointed in 1839 to supervise the distribution of certain government grants in the education field. The members of the committee were the Lord President of the Council, the Secretaries of State, the First Lord of the Treasury, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. From 1857 a vice-president was appointed who took responsibility for policy.
On 1 April 1900, the Board of Education Act 1899 abolished the committee and instituted a new board, headed by a president. The members were initially very similar to the old committee and the president of the board was the Lord President of the council; however, from 1902 this ceased to be the case and the president of the board was appointed separately (although the Marquess of Londonderry happened to hold both jobs from 1903 to 1905).
The Education Act 1944 replaced the Board of Education with a new Ministry of Education.
The position of Secretary of State for Education and Science was created in 1964 with the merger of the offices of Minister of Education and the Minister for Science. The postholder oversaw the Department of Education and Science.
From June 1970 to March 1974, this post was held by future prime minister Margaret Thatcher.
In 1992, the responsibility for science was transferred to the Cabinet Office as the Office of Science and Technology, and the department was renamed Department of Education. In 1995 the department merged with the Department of Employment to become the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) and 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 under Gordon Brown's new premiership, the DfES was split into two new departments; the Department for Children, Schools and Families, and a Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, under two new secretaries of state.
In 2002 the position was incorporated as a corporation sole.
The ministerial office of the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills was, in late 2009, amalgamated into the new ministerial office of Peter Mandelson, as the newly-created Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills – itself an amalgamation of the responsibilities of the Secretaries of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and Innovation, Universities and Skills. The Secretary of State has remit over higher education policy as well as British business and enterprise.
From 14 July 2016 to 8 January 2018 the post was held by Justine Greening, as her predecessor, Nicky Morgan, was sacked by Theresa May. Greening resigned after rejecting a reshuffle to the Department for Work and Pensions.
On 7 July 2022, Michelle Donelan became the shortest-serving cabinet member in British history, when she resigned as Education Secretary 35 hours after being appointed.
List of office holders
Vice-President of the Committee of the Council on Education (1857–1902) Colour key (for political parties):
Vice-President of the Committee Term of office Party Prime Minister William Cowper 5 February 1857 21 February 1858 Whig Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston Charles Adderley 12 March 1858 11 June 1859 Conservative Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby Robert Lowe 24 June 1859 26 April 1864(resigned) Liberal Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston Henry Bruce 26 April 1864 26 June 1866 Liberal John Russell, 1st Earl Russell Henry Lowry-Corry 26 June 1866 19 March 1867 Conservative Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby Lord Robert Montagu 19 March 1867 1 December 1868 Conservative Benjamin Disraeli William Edward Forster 9 December 1868 17 February 1874 Liberal William Ewart Gladstone Dudley Ryder, Viscount Sandon 2 March 1874 4 April 1878 Conservative Benjamin Disraeli Lord George Hamilton 4 April 1878 21 April 1880 Conservative A. J. Mundella 3 May 1880 9 June 1885 Liberal William Ewart Gladstone Edward Stanhope 24 June 1885 17 September 1885 Conservative Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury Sir Henry Holland, Bt. 17 September 1885 28 January 1886 Conservative Lyon Playfair, 1st Baron Playfair 13 February 1886 20 July 1886 Liberal William Ewart Gladstone Sir Henry Holland, Bt. 3 August 1886 25 January 1887 Conservative Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury William Hart Dyke 25 January 1887 11 August 1892 Conservative Arthur Dyke Acland 25 August 1892 21 June 1895 Liberal William Ewart Gladstone Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery John Eldon Gorst 4 July 1895 8 August 1902 Conservative Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury
President of the Board of Education (1900–1944) Colour key (for political parties):
President of the Board Term of office Party Prime Minister Spencer Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire 3 March 1900 8 August 1902 Liberal Unionist Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 6th Marquess of Londonderry 11 August 1902 4 December 1905 Conservative Arthur Balfour Augustine Birrell 10 December 1905 23 January 1907 Liberal Henry Campbell-Bannerman Reginald McKenna 23 January 1907 12 April 1908 Liberal Walter Runciman 12 April 1908 23 October 1911 Liberal H. H. Asquith Jack Pease 23 October 1911 25 May 1915 Liberal Arthur Henderson 25 May 1915 18 August 1916 Labour H. H. Asquith Robert Crewe-Milnes, 1st Marquess of Crewe 18 August 1916 10 December 1916 Liberal Herbert Fisher 10 December 1916 19 October 1922 Liberal David Lloyd George Edward Wood 24 October 1922 22 January 1924 Conservative Bonar Law Stanley Baldwin Charles Trevelyan 22 January 1924 3 November 1924 Labour Ramsay MacDonald Eustace Percy, 1st Baron Percy of Newcastle 6 November 1924 4 June 1929 Conservative Stanley Baldwin Charles Trevelyan 7 June 1929 2 March 1931(resigned) Labour Ramsay MacDonald Hastings Lees-Smith 2 March 1931 24 August 1931 Labour Donald Maclean 25 August 1931 15 June 1932(died in office) Liberal Ramsay MacDonald Edward Wood, 1st Baron Irwin 15 June 1932 7 June 1935 Conservative Oliver Stanley 7 June 1935 28 May 1937 Conservative Stanley Baldwin James Stanhope, 7th Earl Stanhope 28 May 1937 27 October 1938 Conservative Neville Chamberlain Herbrand Sackville, 9th Earl De La Warr 27 October 1938 3 April 1940 National Labour Herwald Ramsbotham 3 April 1940 20 July 1941 Conservative Winston Churchill R. A. Butler 20 July 1941 10 August 1944 Conservative
Minister of Education (1944–1964) Colour key (for political parties):
Minister Term of office Party Prime Minister R. A. Butler 10 August 1944 25 May 1945 Conservative Winston Churchill Richard Law 25 May 1945 26 July 1945 Conservative Winston Churchill Ellen Wilkinson 3 August 1945 6 February 1947(died in office) Labour Clement Attlee George Tomlinson 10 February 1947 26 October 1951 Labour Florence Horsbrugh 2 November 1951 18 October 1954 Conservative Winston Churchill David Eccles 18 October 1954 13 January 1957 Conservative Anthony Eden Quintin Hogg, 2nd Viscount Hailsham 13 January 1957 17 September 1957 Conservative Harold Macmillan Geoffrey Lloyd 17 September 1957 14 October 1959 Conservative David Eccles 14 October 1959 13 July 1962 Conservative Edward Boyle, Baron Boyle of Handsworth 13 July 1962 1 April 1964 Conservative Alec Douglas-Home
Secretary of State for Education and Science (1964–1992) Colour key (for political parties):
Secretary of State Term of office Party Prime Minister Quintin Hogg 1 April 1964 16 October 1964 Conservative Alec Douglas-Home Michael Stewart 18 October 1964 22 January 1965 Labour Harold Wilson Anthony Crosland 22 January 1965 29 August 1967 Labour Patrick Gordon Walker 29 August 1967 6 April 1968 Labour Edward Short 6 April 1968 19 June 1970 Labour Margaret Thatcher 20 June 1970 4 March 1974 Conservative Edward Heath Reginald Prentice 5 March 1974 9 June 1975 Labour Harold Wilson Fred Mulley 10 June 1975 9 September 1976 Labour James Callaghan Shirley Williams 10 September 1976 4 May 1979 Labour Mark Carlisle 5 May 1979 14 September 1981 Conservative Margaret Thatcher Keith Joseph 14 September 1981 20 May 1986 Conservative Kenneth Baker 21 May 1986 23 July 1989 Conservative John MacGregor 24 July 1989 1 November 1990 Conservative Kenneth Clarke 2 November 1990 9 April 1992 Conservative John Major
Secretary of State for Education (1992–1995) Colour key (for political parties):
Secretary of State Term of office Party Prime Minister John Patten 10 April 1992 20 July 1994 Conservative John Major Gillian Shephard 20 July 1994 5 July 1995 Conservative
Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1995–2001)
Colour key (for political parties):
Secretary of State Term of office Party Prime Minister Gillian Shephard 5 July 1995 1 May 1997 Conservative John Major David Blunkett 1 May 1997 8 June 2001 Labour Tony Blair
Secretary of State for Education and Skills (2001–2007) Responsibility for Employment moved to the newly formed Department for Work and Pensions.
Colour key (for political parties):
Secretary of State Term of office Party Prime Minister Estelle Morris 8 June 2001 24 October 2002(resigned) Labour Tony Blair Charles Clarke 24 October 2002 15 December 2004 Labour Ruth Kelly 15 December 2004 5 May 2006 Labour Alan Johnson 5 May 2006 28 June 2007 Labour
Secretaries of State for Children, Schools and Families (2007–2010); and Innovation, Universities and Skills (2007–2009) 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). In 2009, the latter department was merged into the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families Colour key (for political parties):
NameTerm of officeLength of termPolitical partyPrime MinisterEd Balls28 June 200711 May 2010Labour Co-opGordon Brown
Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills The only Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills was John Denham MP. In a foreword to the department's White Paper, Innovation Nation, published in March 2008, Denham outlined the importance of innovation as a national commitment:
Colour key (for political parties):
NameTerm of officeLength of termPolitical partyPrime MinisterJohn Denham28 June 20075 June 2009LabourGordon Brown
Secretary of State for Education (2010–present) The Department for Education and the post of Secretary of State for Education were recreated in 2010.