Department for Education
| Department for Education | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Department overview | |
| Formed | 2010 |
| Preceding Department | Department for Children, Schools and Families |
| Jurisdiction | England |
| Headquarters | London, England, UK |
| Annual budget | £57.6 billion (current) |
| Minister responsible | Michael Gove MP, Secretary of State for Education |
| Department executive | Chris Wormald, Permanent Secretary |
| Child agencies | Education Funding Agency National College for School Leadership Standards and Testing Agency Teaching Agency |
| Website | |
| www.education.gov.uk | |
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| This article is part of the series: Politics and government of the United Kingdom |
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Foreign policy
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The Department for Education (DfE) is a department of the UK government responsible for issues affecting people in England up to the age of 19, including child protection and education.
A Department for Education previously existed between 1992, when the Department of Education and Science was renamed, and 1995 when it was merged with the Department for Employment to become the Department for Education and Employment.
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History [edit]
The DfE was formed on 12 May 2010 by the incoming Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition government, taking on the responsibilities and resources of the Department for Children, Schools and Families.
In June 2012 the Department for Education committed a breach of the UK's Data Protection Act due to a security flaw on its website which made email addresses, passwords and comments of people responding to consultation documents available for download.[1]
Predecessor bodies [edit]
- Committee of the Privy Council on Education, 1839–1899
- Education Department, 1856–1899
- Board of Education, 1899–1944
- Ministry of Education, 1944–1964
- Department of Education and Science, 1964–1992
- Department for Education, 1992–1995
- Department for Education and Employment (DfEE), 1995–2001
- Department for Education and Skills (DfES), 2001–2007
- Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), 2007–2010
Responsibilities [edit]
The department is led by the Secretary of State, currently Michael Gove. The Permanent Secretary is Chris Wormald. DfE is directly responsible for state schools in England. The predecessor department employed the equivalent of 2,695 staff as of April 2008 and planned to reduce to 2,620 by the end of April 2009.[2]
Ministers [edit]
The Department for Education's Ministers are as follows: [3]
| Minister | Rank | Portfolio | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Rt Hon Michael Gove MP | Secretary of State | Overall responsibility | |
| The Rt Hon David Laws MP | Minister of State for Schools [4] | Pupil Premium, raising attainment, narrowing the gap; Teachers; School improvement, accountability, inspection; Funding; Admissions; Raising the participation age, and financial support for young people; Teaching Agency, National College; Child Poverty and Social Mobility Strategy; OFSTED | |
| Edward Timpson MP | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children & Families | Adoption, fostering and residential care home reform; Child protection; Special educational needs; Family law and justice; Children’s and young people’s services; School sport; CAFCASS; Office of Children’s Commissioner for England | |
| Matthew Hancock MP | Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Skills | Apprenticeships; FE and 16-19; Careers | |
| Elizabeth Truss MP | Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Education & Childcare | Childcare and early learning; Assessment, qualifications, and curriculum reform; Behaviour, attendance; School food review; Reducing bureaucracy; Standards and Testing Agency; OFQUAL | |
| Lord Nash | Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Schools | Academies, Free Schools, UTCs, Studio Schools, independent schools; School organisation; Education Funding Agency | |
| Key | Conservative | |
|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrat |
Matthew Hancock works jointly between the department and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.[5] David Laws works jointly between the department and the Cabinet Office.
Board [edit]
As of 15 March 2012[update] the board:[6]
- Permanent Secretary - Chris Wormald
- Director-General for Children, Young People and Families - Tom Jeffery
- Acting Director-General Education Standards - Stephen Meek
- Acting Director-General for Infrastructure and Funding - Andrew McCully
- Director Finance and Commercial Group - Simon Judge
- Private Office - Hilary Spencer
- Legal Adviser's Office - Claire Johnston
Non-executive board members:[7]
- Anthony Salz; lawyer
- Theodore Agnew; businessman
- Dame Susan John, DBE; Headteacher, Lampton School
- John Nash, sponsor, Pimlico Academy
Locations [edit]
As of 15 March 2012[update], the DfE has five main sites:[8]
- Castle View House, Runcorn
- 2 St Paul's Place, Sheffield
- Mowden Hall, Darlington
- Sanctuary Buildings, Great Smith Street, London, Greater London, SW1P 3BT
- Standards and Testing Agency, Coventry
Executive agencies [edit]
Teaching Agency [edit]
The Teaching Agency is responsible for administering the training of new and existing teachers in England, as well as the regulation of the teaching profession. It was established on 1 April 2012, replacing the Training and Development Agency for Schools and parts of the General Teaching Council for England.
Standards and Testing Agency [edit]
The Standards and Testing Agency (STA) is responsible for developing and delivering all statutory assessments for school pupils in England.[9] It was formed on 1 October 2011 and took over the functions of the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency. The STA is regulated by the examinations regulator, Ofqual.[10]
Education Funding Agency [edit]
The Education Funding Agency (EFA) is responsible for distributing funding for state education in England for 3-19 year olds, as well as managing the estates of schools and colleges. The EFA was formed on 1 April 2012 by bringing together the functions of two non-departmental public bodies, the Young People's Learning Agency and Partnerships for Schools.[11]
National College for School Leadership [edit]
The National College for School Leadership offers headteachers, school leaders and senior children's services leaders opportunities for professional development.
Devolution [edit]
Education, youth and children's policy is devolved elsewhere in the UK. The department's main devolved counterparts are as follows:
- Department of Education
- Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister (children and young people) [12]
References [edit]
- ^ Fiveash, Kelly (October 19, 2012), ICO: Education ministry BROKE the Data Protection Act, The Register, retrieved December 7, 2012
- ^ DCSF Annual Report
- ^ Cabinet Office List of Government Departments and Ministers: Department for Education
- ^ The Rt Hon David Laws MP
- ^ Ministers: John Hayes MP
- ^ http://www.education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/departmentalinformation/boardmembers accessed 15/3/2012
- ^ Non-Executive Members, DfE Board
- ^ http://www.education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/departmentalinformation/locationdetails/a0022/where-to-find-us accessed 15/3/2012
- ^ "Standards and Testing Agency". Department for Education.
- ^ "STA Feedback and complaints". Department for Education.
- ^ "The creation of the Education Funding Agency". Department for Education.
- ^ OFMDFM Children and young people
- ^ http://wales.gov.uk/topics/educationandskills/?lang=en
External links [edit]
- Department for Education
- Official department YouTube channel
- Official Flickr presence
- Teaching Agency
