Department for Education
The Department for Education is responsible for children’s services and education, including early years, schools, higher and further education policy, apprenticeships and wider skills in England.
Secretary of State
Gavin Williamson
Secretary of State for Education
Ministers of State
Michelle Donelan - Minister of State (Education)Nick Gibb - Minister of State (Education)
Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State
Vicky Ford - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)Gillian Keegan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Baroness Berridge - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Latest News (from Department Twitter Feed)
- 13 Apr 2021, 6:13 p.m.
- All remaining university and higher education students will be able to return to campus and resume in-person learning from Monday 17 May at the earliest, alongside Step 3 of the roadmap for leaving lockdown. https://t.co/OLvErENZ1H - Link
- 9 Apr 2021, 11:23 a.m.
- Some absolute classics in here 🎹🎵 https://t.co/jEjTbwpcN1 - Link View All Department for Education Tweets
Department for Education Commons Appearances
Oral Answers to Questions is a regularly scheduled appearance where the Secretary of State and junior minister will answer at the Dispatch Box questions from backbench MPs
Other Commons Chamber appearances can be:- Urgent Questions where the Speaker has selected a question to which a Minister must reply that day
- Adjornment Debates a 30 minute debate attended by a Minister that concludes the day in Parliament.
- Oral Statements informing the Commons of a significant development, where backbench MP's can then question the Minister making the statement.
Westminster Hall debates are performed in response to backbench MPs or e-petitions asking for a Minister to address a detailed issue
Written Statements are made when a current event is not sufficiently significant to require an Oral Statement, but the House is required to be informed.
Most Recent Commons Appearances by Category
| Date | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Mar. 01 | Oral Questions | Oral Answers to Questions |
| Apr. 15 | Urgent Questions | University Students: Compensation for Lost Teaching and Rent |
| Apr. 13 | Written Statements | Higher Education |
| Apr. 15 | Westminster Hall | Adult Skills and Lifelong Learning |
| Jan. 18 | Adjournment Debate | Covid-19: Schools |
Department for Education has not tabled any Bills during the current Session.
Department for Education - Laid Secondary Legislation
| Dates | Department | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
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Laid 8 Apr 2021 In Force 30 Apr 2021 |
Department for Education |
National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure (Designated Institution in Further Education and Revocations) Order 2021 Parliamentary Status - Text of Legislation |
Made negative procedure |
| This Order designates the institution of the National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure for the purposes of section 28 of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 (“the Act”). This designation is made in the context of the merger of an existing further education college into the group structure of the University of Birmingham, with the designated institution being a subsidiary of the University. This designation takes effect on 30th April 2021 and designates the institution as an institution within the further education sector as defined in section 91(3) of the Act. | |||
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Laid 31 Mar 2021 In Force 1 Sep 2021 |
Department for Education |
Early Years Foundation Stage (Miscellaneous Amendments) and Childcare Fees (Amendment) Regulations 2021 Parliamentary Status - Text of Legislation |
Made negative procedure |
| These Regulations amend the Early Years Foundation Stage (Learning and Development Requirements) Order 2007 (S.I. 2007/1772, “the 2007 Order”), the Childcare (Fees) Regulations 2008 (S.I. 2008/1804) and the Early Years Foundation Stage (Welfare Requirements) Regulations 2012 (S.I. 2012/938, “the 2012 Regulations”). | |||
Petitions addressed by Department for Education
| Current Signatures | Final Signatures | Title | Petition Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
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508,776 c. 2,734 added daily |
515,248 (Estimated) |
Prioritise teachers, school and childcare staff for Covid-19 vaccination Sign this petition Gov Responded - 23 Feb 2021 Debated on - 11 Jan 2021 |
20 Apr 2021 closes in 2 days, 7 hours |
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Advice from the JCVI on the priority groups for a Covid-19 vaccine does not include school/childcare workers. This petition calls for these workers, who cannot distance or use PPE, to be kept safe at work by being put on the vaccine priority list when such a list is adopted into government policy. |
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353,129 Petition Closed |
Reimburse all students of this year’s fees due to strikes and COVID-19 Gov Responded - 5 Jun 2020 Debated on - 16 Nov 2020 |
23 Sep 2020 closed 6 months, 3 weeks ago |
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All students should be reimbursed of this years tuition fees as universities are now online only due to COVID-19, with only powerpoints online for learning materials which is not worthy of up to £9,250. Furthermore, all assessments are being reconsidered to ‘make do’ and build up credits. |
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270,660 Petition Closed |
Require universities to partially refund tuition fees for 20/21 due to Covid-19 Gov Responded - 24 Sep 2020 Debated on - 16 Nov 2020 |
29 Jan 2021 closed 2 months, 2 weeks ago |
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The quality of online lectures is not equal to face-to-face lectures. Students should not have to pay full tuition fees for online lectures, without experiencing university life. The Government should require UK universities to partially refund tuition fees while online teaching is implemented. |
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Departmental Select Committee
Education Committee
Commons Select Committees are a formally established cross-party group of backbench MPs tasked with holding a Government department to account.
At any time there will be number of ongoing investigations into the work of the Department, or issues which fall within the oversight of the Department. Witnesses can be summoned from within the Government and outside to assist in these inquiries.
Select Committee findings are reported to the Commons, printed, and published on the Parliament website. The government then usually has 60 days to reply to the committee's recommendations.
11 Members of the Education Committee
Education Committee Member since 27 Jan 2020
Education Committee Member since 2 Mar 2020
Education Committee Member since 2 Mar 2020
Education Committee Member since 2 Mar 2020
Education Committee Member since 2 Mar 2020
Education Committee Member since 2 Mar 2020
Education Committee Member since 2 Mar 2020
Education Committee Member since 2 Mar 2020
Education Committee Member since 2 Mar 2020
Education Committee Member since 11 May 2020
Education Committee Member since 21 Sep 2020
Education Committee: Upcoming Events
<i>At 10.00am: Oral evidence</i><br/>Dame Sally Coates DBE<br/>Rod Clark - former Chief Executive Officer, Prisoners’ Education Trust and panel member at Coates Review<br/>Peter Stanford - Director, Longford Trust, and panel member at Coates Review<br/>
20 Apr 2021, 9:30 a.m.
Prison Education
View calendar
Education Committee: 8 Current Inquiries
Education Committee: Previous Inquiries
Department for Education Publications
Most Recent Publications
| Date | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Apr. 13 | Remaining university students to return to campus from Step 3 of the roadmap, no earlier than 17 May | News and Communications |
| Apr. 13 | Laptops, tablets and connectivity data as of 13 April 2021 | Statistics |
| Apr. 09 | £280m capital funding boost for children and young people with SEND | News and Communications |
Department for Education Written Questions
Written Questions are submitted by Members of Parliament and the House of Lords to receive information or updates from a Department.
Departments are required to respond in a timely fashion and provide a response or requested information. Written Questions can compel detailed and specific information to be produced, and are frequently used as the source of news stories about the work of a Department.
Latest Written Question
| Date | Title | Questioner |
|---|---|---|
| 16 Apr 2021, midnight | Further Education and Vocational Education: Assessments | Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield) |
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Question to the Department for Education: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans his Department has to integrate increased levels of modular assessment in Further and Technical Education at (a) Level 3 and (b) lower levels. Answered by Gillian Keegan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education) The department is reviewing post-16 qualifications at level 3 and below to ensure that every qualification approved for public funding has a distinct purpose, is high quality, and supports progression to positive outcomes. Our second stage consultation on level 3 advanced technical qualifications (https://consult.education.gov.uk/post-16-qualifications-review-team/review-of-post-16-qualifications-at-level-3/) closed on 31 January 2021, and our call for evidence (https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/post-16-study-at-level-2-and-below-call-for-evidence) on level 2 and below qualifications closed on 14 February 2021. In the level 3 consultation, we proposed that assessing a student’s competence at the end of a course (summative assessment) becomes a key feature of technical education. Summative assessment allows modular delivery of content but gives greater assurance that competence is achieved by assessing knowledge, skills, and behaviours once all learning has been completed. We are considering the circumstances under which it would appropriate for qualifications to diverge from this model. We are carefully reviewing the responses to the level 3 consultation and plan to publish the government response later in the spring. We are developing proposals for consultation on level 2 and below and are considering which design principles might best meet students’ needs. |
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