Teach Secondary Magazine

Welcome,

“I’ve got a delivery of a trite observation, here. Where do you want it?”

“Ah, splendid – just over there, thanks. Let’s see, is this thing
working? Okay, here goes – ‘Let’s all give a warm welcome to Lucy
Powell, recently apppointed the eleventh Education Secretary we’ve
had in the last ten years!’”

Yes, we can all chuckle ruefully at how many people have held the
top job at the DfE over the past decade, though that absurd turnover
perhaps says rather more about the haplessness of several recent Prime Ministers than it does about our national priorities when it comes to shaping education policy.

Before being shuffled out of the role in the wake of Andy Burnham’s appointment as PM, Bridget Phillipson had set a few wheels in motion. Say what you will about the decisions and errors of Keir Starmer’s administration, the team at Sanctuary Buildings couldn’t be accused of coasting.