Minister of State for Schools explained

Post:	Minister of State for School Standards
Insignia:	Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government) (2022).svg
Insigniacaption:	Royal Arms of His Majesty's Government
Department:	Department for Education
Incumbent:	Catherine McKinnell
Incumbentsince:	8 July 2024
Style:	Minister
Nominator:	Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Appointer:	The Monarch
Appointer Qualified:	on advice of the Prime Minister
Termlength:	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 RumboldMP for Mitcham and Morden		June 1987	24 July 1990	Conservative		Margaret Thatcher(Third Thatcher ministry)
	Tim EggarMP 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 ForthMP for Mid Worcestershire		20 July 1994	2 May 1997	Conservative		John Major(Second Major ministry)
	Stephen ByersMP for North Tyneside		2 May 1997	27 July 1998	Labour		Tony Blair(First Blair ministry)
	Estelle MorrisMP for Birmingham Yardley		28 July 1998	8 June 2001	Labour		Tony Blair(First Blair ministry)
	Stephen TimmsMP for East Ham		11 June 2001	24 October 2002	Labour		Tony Blair(Second Blair ministry)
	David MilibandMP for South Shields		24 October 2002	16 December 2004	Labour		Tony Blair(Second Blair ministry)
	Stephen TwiggMP for Enfield Southgate		16 December 2004	5 May 2005	Labour		Tony Blair(Second Blair ministry)
	Jacqui SmithMP for Redditch		6 May 2005	5 May 2006	Labour		Tony Blair(lll)
	Jim KnightMP for South Dorset		5 May 2006	5 June 2009	Labour		Tony Blair(lll) Gordon Brown (l)
	Vernon CoakerMP for Gedling		8 June 2009	11 May 2010	Labour		Gordon Brown(l)
Minister of State for Schools
	Nick GibbMP for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton		13 May 2010	4 September 2012	Conservative		David Cameron(Coalition)
	David LawsMP for Yeovil		4 September 2012	8 May 2015	Liberal Democrat		David Cameron(Coalition)
Minister of State for School Standards
	Nick GibbMP for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton		12 May 2015	15 September 2021	Conservative		David Cameron (II) Theresa May (I)(II) Boris Johnson (I)(II)
	Robin WalkerMP for Worcester		16 September 2021	6 July 2022	Conservative		Boris Johnson (II)
	Will QuinceMP for Colchester		7 July 2022	7 September 2022	Conservative		Boris Johnson (II)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for School Standards
	Jonathan GullisMP for Stoke-on-Trent North		8 September 2022	28 October 2022	Conservative		Liz Truss (I)
Minister of State for Schools
	Nick GibbMP for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton		26 October 2022	13 November 2023	Conservative		Rishi Sunak(I)
	Damian HindsMP for East Hampshire		13 November 2023	5 July 2024	Conservative
Minister of State for School Standards
	Catherine McKinnellMP for Newcastle upon Tyne North		8 July 2024	Incumbent			Keir Starmer(I)

Notes and References

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