Commenting on the appointment of as Secretary of State for
Education, Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of
School and College Leaders, said:
“While we extend a warm welcome to as Education Secretary and
wish her well in her new role, we have to express our concern at
the high turnover rate of Education Secretaries. This is the
sixth incumbent in eight years and the third during Boris
Johnson’s premiership. Education is a vital public service and a
complex sector which requires deep understanding, knowledge and
continuity. This constant chopping and changing does not provide
stable leadership.
“Nadhim Zahawi has been in the post for less than a year during
which time he has introduced a schools white paper which proposes
very significant attainment targets and structural changes to the
education system with no real idea of how either of these
objectives will be achieved. A large section of the accompanying
Schools Bill has had to be withdrawn because of criticism that it
represented an unacceptable centralisation of power.
“Michelle Donelan will therefore face a considerable challenge in
taking forward these proposals. Furthermore, the actual crisis
facing schools and colleges is the fact that there is a very
serious problem of teacher shortages which is making it difficult
for them to recruit the teachers they need. This comes after a
decade of pay erosion which has seen the real value of salaries
fall by a fifth. It is a crisis compounded by soaring energy
costs which are putting intense strain on budgets that simply
cannot withstand any more pressure. These are real and present
dangers to the education system that will require urgent
resolution.”
