Minister of State for Schools

United Kingdom Minister of State for School Standards
Royal Arms of His Majesty's Government
Incumbent Catherine McKinnell since 8 July 2024
Department for Education
Style	Minister
Nominator	Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Appointer	The Monarch on advice of the Prime Minister
Term length	At His Majesty's pleasure
Website	https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/minister-of-state-for-schools

The role of Minister of State for School Standards,[1] formerly Minister of State for Schools[2] is a mid-level position in the Department for Education in the British government.

The current minister is Catherine McKinnell.[3]

History

In the Major ministries, the role was known as Minister of State for Education and Science and Minister of State for Education.

In the Brown ministry (2007 to 2010), the position of Minister of State for Schools and Learning worked at the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

In the Cameron ministries, the role was known as Minister of State for Schools.

Under Liz Truss's tenure, the role was demoted to a parliamentary under-secretary position known as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for School Standards.[4][5]

Responsibilities

The minister is responsible for the following:[6]

• recruitment and retention of teachers and school leaders (including initial teacher training, qualifications and professional development)
• supporting a high-quality teaching profession and reducing teacher workload
• Teaching Regulation Agency
• admissions and school transport
• school revenue funding, including the national funding formula for schools
• curriculum and qualifications (including links with Ofqual)
• Standards and Testing Agency and primary assessment
• school accountability and inspection (including links with Ofsted)
• support for raising school standards
• school sport
• pupil premium
• relationships, sex, and health education; and personal, social, health and economic education
• behaviour and attendance and exclusions
• early education curriculum and teaching quality
• coronavirus (COVID-19) response for schools

List of ministers

Name		Portrait	Took office	Left office	Political party	Prime Minister
Minister of State, Education and Science
	Angela Rumbold MP for Mitcham and Morden		June 1987	24 July 1990	Conservative		Margaret Thatcher (Third Thatcher ministry)
	Tim Eggar MP for Enfield North		24 July 1990	14 April 1992	Conservative		John Major (First Major ministry)
	The Baroness Blatch		14 April 1992	20 July 1994	Conservative		John Major (Second Major ministry)
	Eric Forth MP for Mid Worcestershire		20 July 1994	2 May 1997	Conservative		John Major (Second Major ministry)
	Stephen Byers MP for North Tyneside		2 May 1997	27 July 1998	Labour		Tony Blair (First Blair ministry)
	Estelle Morris MP for Birmingham Yardley		28 July 1998	8 June 2001	Labour		Tony Blair (First Blair ministry)
	Stephen Timms MP for East Ham		11 June 2001	24 October 2002	Labour		Tony Blair (Second Blair ministry)
	David Miliband MP for South Shields		24 October 2002	16 December 2004	Labour		Tony Blair (Second Blair ministry)
	Stephen Twigg MP for Enfield Southgate		16 December 2004	5 May 2005	Labour		Tony Blair (Second Blair ministry)
	Jacqui Smith MP for Redditch		6 May 2005	5 May 2006	Labour		Tony Blair (lll)
	Jim Knight MP for South Dorset		5 May 2006	5 June 2009	Labour		Tony Blair (lll) Gordon Brown (l)
	Vernon Coaker MP for Gedling		8 June 2009	11 May 2010	Labour		Gordon Brown (l)
Minister of State for Schools
	Nick Gibb MP for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton		13 May 2010	4 September 2012	Conservative		David Cameron (Coalition)
	David Laws MP for Yeovil		4 September 2012	8 May 2015	Liberal Democrat		David Cameron (Coalition)
Minister of State for School Standards
	Nick Gibb MP for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton		12 May 2015	15 September 2021	Conservative		David Cameron (II) Theresa May (I)(II) Boris Johnson (I)(II)
	Robin Walker MP for Worcester		16 September 2021	6 July 2022	Conservative		Boris Johnson (II)
	Will Quince MP for Colchester		7 July 2022	7 September 2022	Conservative		Boris Johnson (II)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for School Standards
	Jonathan Gullis MP for Stoke-on-Trent North		8 September 2022	28 October 2022	Conservative		Liz Truss (I)
Minister of State for Schools
	Nick Gibb MP for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton		26 October 2022	13 November 2023	Conservative		Rishi Sunak (I)
	Damian Hinds MP for East Hampshire		13 November 2023	5 July 2024	Conservative
Minister of State for School Standards
	Catherine McKinnell MP for Newcastle upon Tyne North		8 July 2024	Incumbent	Labour		Keir Starmer (I)

References

1. "Minister of State (Minister for School Standards) - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 2024-07-23.
2. "Minister of State (Minister of State for Schools) - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 2022-11-08.
3. "Catherin McKinnell MP". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2024-07-23.
4. "Profile: Robin Walker, Minister for School Standards". schoolsweek.co.uk. 2021-11-05. Retrieved 2022-03-30.
5. "Schools minister rebuffs calls to decolonise English curriculum". The Guardian. 2021-07-21. Retrieved 2022-03-30.
6. "Minister of State for School Standards - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 2020-10-31.