I am honoured and delighted to have been confirmed as the
@educationgovuk
Permanent Secretary.
Shaping the Department and supporting its committed, brilliant staff to do the best possible job for children, and for student and learners of all ages, has never mattered more.
A privilege to welcome
@bphillipsonMP
as the new Secretary of State for Education today, and to hear her talk so passionately about opportunity and public service.
A privilege to be at the launch of this excellent new campaign this evening - with so many coming together to recognise that we all need to be part of the village that raises every child.
Ahead of the launch of our new campaign designed to raise awareness of the critical importance of early childhood, The Princess of Wales has written an open letter outlining why this issue is so important.
#ShapingUs
Delighted to welcome
@nadhimzahawi
to DfE as our Secretary of State for Education.
On behalf of DfE colleagues we look forward to working with you to help children and learners of all ages to realise their potential.
Happy Christmas to one and all - to everyone who has worked so hard and well all year in education, training and children’s social care, and especially to those working over Christmas to keep children safe.
An honour and a privilege to represent the Department for Education
@educationgovuk
and the civil service at the funeral of The Queen this morning. She was the consummate public servant.
Thank you to all the volunteer governors and trustees who play such an important role in making our schools, trusts, further education and sixth form colleges the very best they can be. Volunteers week (1-7 June) recognises your hard work and selfless dedication. Thank you all!
I was proud to represent the Department for Education at the Coronation today. You could feel the tug of history behind and before; the music was soaringly glorious; and at the heart of it all was public service.
Wishing a very Happy Christmas to you all, and especially thinking of those working over the festive season in support the most vulnerable children, for whom Christmas may be a time of crisis rather than of respite. I salute your dedication and commitment. (1/2)
On the first anniversary of the national lockdown, we remember those who have lost their lives to COVID. Today is also a day for reflection and hope. We must not let the lessons of the pandemic slip away; we must capture, act and use them to shape the future of education.
Delighted to have a conversation with
@GordonBrown
today to discuss his important role as the UN’s Special Envoy for Global Education, technology in education and international education recovery.
Great to see children and young people returning to schools, colleges and universities across the country.
A big thank you to all that helped make it happen, including hardworking
@educationgovuk
staff.
It's been an exciting day for pupils, parents and school staff as children and young people return to schools and colleges and are reunited with friends and colleagues.
The smiles, cheers and laughter say it all 😊
#BackToSchool
A privilege to be with
@nadhimzahawi
today at
@westcovacademy
for the start of the School Rebuilding Programme - a huge pleasure to meet the brilliant staff and pupils
Thanks to all at Monega Primary School for hosting the launch of the Schools White Paper this morning. This picture from the wall of the hall says it all, for me - thank you to Miss Harris and her whole team
@nadhimzahawi
@educationgovuk
@TheBoleynTrust
Fantastic to meet many of our external partners last night at
@educationgovuk
reception. I know how important it is that we continue to work closely together to meet the challenges ahead.
Thank you to the students at
@Westking
for showcasing the great work of their college.
Great speaking with
@JuliaGillard
today about the importance of girls’ education, education recovery after lockdown and her work on the forthcoming Global Education Summit.
Thank you to all the amazing teachers, school leaders, teaching assistants and support staff for inspiring us with your passion, skill and dedication. I salute you all!
#ThankATeacherDay
Register now for the first-ever Policy Festival: Celebrating People and Places. The week-long event beginning 9 May will feature exciting speakers plus the launch of the new Policy Profession website
To celebrate National Adoption Week,
@educationgovuk
is supporting the launch of a new nationwide campaign,
#YouCanAdopt
, to bust myths around who is eligible to adopt and explore what the adoption process involves.
And to everyone, whether you are working over Christmas, or having a much-needed moment of repose, thank you all for your hard work, flexibility and determination through what has been an extraordinary year. (2/2)
This
#InternationalWomensDay
it’s in our power to make a difference - for ourselves and for others. I
#ChooseToChallenge
the default pattern of what good leadership looks like to encourage the next generation of female leaders.
#WSWD2021
– Thank you to all the Social Workers out there – you are brilliant, dedicated and hugely valued. I hope you all take time to celebrate and be proud of the support you give to children and families today. Happy World Social Work Day!
Breathtaking National Youth Choirs of Great Britain 40th anniversary concert last night - congratulations to all involved (and in a small moment of the personal and professional joys coming together - also contains daughters….)
@natyouthchoir
@natyouthalumni
And finished off with a round table on education recovery at the Embassy (think we need to review meeting room standards in the Department). Thanks to all who gave their time so generously to these excellent conversations.
@MennaRawlings
@UKinFrance
.
@ChildrensComm
has launched “The Big Ask”, today. It is open to every child and young person in England, their parents, carers and teachers or support staff. Get involved and let
@Rachel_deSouza
know about your hopes and dreams for the future.
#TheBigAsk
I had an inspiring and insightful day yesterday visiting Grafton Primary School and Trinity School in Dagenham. It was fantastic to see a wide range of classes underway at Trinity, and to speak to the children and staff at Grafton about their experience during the pandemic.
Today I saw schools in Blackpool working in collaboration to improve literacy 📚✏️
Watch this to see how our Opportunity Areas funding is helping schools across the town to improve outcomes for children👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽
This
#BlackHistoryMonth
DfE is proud to be hosting a programme of events to celebrate the contribution that Black people have made to British history, culture, art, music, and sports.
@educationgovuk
is committed to continuing to be a diverse and inclusive workplace for all.
I am delighted to share that from this week, up to £635m has been made available for installing low carbon technology in public buildings, with an increase in funding of up to 30% for education settings. This will help to cut emissions and save on energy bills.
It was great to be at the House of Lords yesterday to meet our amazing Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers and Top 50
#SME
Apprenticeship Employers in person and to thank them for their continued commitment to
#apprenticeships
.
#TopAppsEmployers
@educationgovuk
has committed to listening, learning and leading the efforts to combat the climate crisis.
I’m incredibly proud of our new draft Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy - putting the fight against climate change at the heart of our education system.
#COP26
Thank you to all the trustees & FE governors who play such an important role in making our academy trusts and colleges the very best they can be.
@TrusteesWeek
recognises your hard work and selfless dedication. Thank You!
#TrusteesWeek
Today is the first day of National Care Leavers’ Week.
@educationgovuk
is raising awareness of the challenges that care leavers face, celebrating their achievements, and highlighting the work across Government to improve care leavers’ outcomes.
I enjoyed an insightful and inspirational virtual visit to Adel Beck Secure Children’s Home in Leeds earlier today. Truly amazing to witness the passion and dedication of staff, and all the hard work going on to support every young person to reach their full potential.
Congratulations to all those recognised in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours List.
In particular, well done to my colleague Mike Green, who has received a Companion of the Order of the Bath for his work on the department’s School Building Programme.
#Honours2020
#ThankATeacherDay
is a chance for us to reflect on the incredible work that educators do. I want to thank all the incredible teachers we work with in the DfE, and to give a special thanks to my maths teacher Mrs Penzer, who grew us in ways we couldn’t imagine.
#WhoHelpedYou
Brilliant to be at St Matthew’s Primary School today for their Breakfast Club. It was impressive to see the work that teachers and other staff have done to keep children learning during these challenging circumstances.
I have so many fond memories of reading with my children. That’s why this
#WorldBookDay
we’ve partnered with
@Literacy_Trust
to share some top tips for parents. I recommend Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones, which is one of my childhood favourites! 📚
We ❤️ how Jackie Birch from
@HindleyStPeters
found out she was Primary School Teacher of the Year!
The celebrations from pupils 🎉
The big announcement from
@Mrs_katjones
💃
And the congrats from
@rodstewart
for dressing as a rock star to teach times tables 🎸
@thequeenmehreen
Today is
#worldbloodcancerday
.
It was great to join
@CSCancerNetwork
and
@DKMS_uk
yesterday to help promote awareness of blood stem cell donation, and be part of the ‘super swab’. Join the register and you might save a life.
Hugely excited as the first ever
#PolicyFestival
kicks off today, celebrating people and places. The five-day event is open to all civil servants, who can register for as many sessions as they wish to here:
Earlier this week I had the pleasure of visiting
@edengirlscov
and to listen to some of their pupils recite their own wonderful poems. With today being
#NationalPoetryDay
I wanted to share some of their students’ incredible work with you all.
I had a brilliant time seeing the Department’s HAF programmes in action with
@SirHvHArts
@Young_Camden
@CamdenCouncil
It was great to see children learning life skills in cookery classes, and expressing their creativity in photography and fashion campaign design and graffiti art.
Over the past couple of days I’ve had the pleasure of visiting our Sheffield site for their site festival. It’s been wonderful to meet so many of our Sheffield-based staff and take part in their exciting programme of events (1/2)
3/3 I wanted to say a special thank you to all the social workers and family support workers working to support and protect vulnerable children over the Christmas period. You should be proud of the amazing work you do to keep our young people safe and happy.
We’re helping those children who have suffered the most disruption during the pandemic. Our Holiday Activities and Food programme will provide fun activities, learning opportunities and healthy meals for disadvantaged children across England.
Sheffield yesterday, Nottingham today, and now back in London this evening for a stonking Civil Service Choir concert of Vivaldi - a great end to the day, and at the interval everyone seems to be enjoying it…
A joyful day today visiting Holiday Activities and Food groups in Lambeth (on my bike). Everything from marigold-growing to street dance to go-kart maintenance, and great food too. Inspiring young people and remarkable organisers and volunteers
#HAF2022
Have a look at Alisha’s inspiring story, which shows the difference apprenticeships can make.
We’re putting employers at the hearts of the Skills Bill, introduced in Parliament today.
Really proud of Family Hubs analysis, the School Rebuilding Programme, and the Student Loans Company Evolve Programme for their nominations - superb work
#csawards
It was great to celebrate ten years of the National Careers Service yesterday, and to visit St Marylebone Job Centre, seeing both the fantastic service careers advisors provide to the public, and the excellent join-up with Job Centre + colleagues.
Great visit to Nottingham today - really enjoyed meeting everyone at Farnborough Spencer Academy (especially impressed by your excellent students) and then lovely to see colleagues in our Nottingham office
What was my favourite book as a child? An impossible question for a voracious bookworm - but if I had to pick one, it would be Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones. Happy
#WorldBookDay
On Friday I visited St Luke’s Primary School in Canning Town and met with the Eco team, Justice Committee and Young Carers Network. I spoke to lots of inspiring and committed children about how they are making a difference at their school and supporting their wider community.
Today's the day! It's time to find out who the winners are of this year's Civil Service Awards. We have a wide variety of departments and projects represented today, check out the shortlist on and support your colleagues!
#CSAwards
#ProudCivilServant
Excellent day in Sheffield - talking about how we can be a great partner to the city, listening to my brilliant Sheffield-based colleagues, and visiting Sheffield college. Thanks to everyone for your time and insights.
Solving the Cyber Escape Room, co-chairing the Policy Profession Question Time event, learning user-centred design techniques by thwarting squirrels, spot mentoring and touring the stands - all as part of
#CivilServiceLive
in Manchester today. Thanks to everyone for a great day.
The prospect of a new flexi-job apprenticeship scheme is an exciting one for both employers and learners. This will open up more careers to apprentices in sectors with flexible employment patterns and short term roles - as we build back better from the pandemic.
@StephenMorganMP
visited our Breakfast Club yesterday along with
@SusanAclandHood
(Permanent Secretary for the DfE). He found it truly inspiring and was so thankful to talk to the children and staff about their experiences.
It was wonderful to hear from students at
@UTCPortsmouth
today with colleagues across the department. The students were passionate about their learning and articulate about how the college and its partners have shown them future possibilities and challenged them to be their best.
We're extending our Period Products Scheme so more students can access free period products in their school or college.
No-one should have to miss out on education due to their period.
Find out more details about the scheme on our blog.
Thank you to all at
@AngelOak_AC
and to colleagues from STEP for a brilliant visit. The learning walk was excellent, and the conversations thoughtful, but the highlight was hearing ideas and inspiration from three young leaders with bright futures.
All children will be taught about the importance of conserving and protecting our planet 🌎
With teachers supported to deliver world-leading climate change education 🌱🏫
My announcement at
@COP26
today 👇🏽
Looking forward to speaking at the
@educationgovuk
annual Carol service at St Margaret's Church
@wabbey
I am speaking about Joseph the first Foster dad in the New Testament and Jesus the refugee.
It was a pleasure and a privilege to meet India’s High Commissioner today, and share a fruitful conversation about our shared ambitions for education and partnership.
@HCI_London
A massive pleasure and privilege to sing the Deutsches Requiem - one of my all-time favourite pieces - as a member of the wonderful Civil Service Choir tonight. Thank you,
@CSChoir
Fab rehearsal with
@KensingtonPhil
on Weds and dress rehearsal at
@StJohnsSmithSq
just now. So excited about tonight! Still a handful of tickets left if you're thinking of coming!
Superb visit to Cowes Enterprise College today - thank you for showing me how you pair the highest of academic expectations with brilliant practical careers work.
Today we are delighted to welcome colleagues from the
@educationgovuk
including Permanent Secretary, Susan Acland-Hood, to the academy to discuss our Maritime Futures and careers work. They will be meeting with students and staff, and will visit a Maritime Futures lessons in DT.
1/3 Amazing Christmas episode of Doctor Who which shows that the Timelords know what phenomenal difference fostering and adoption can make. You can change a child’s life too. If you are interested in becoming a foster carer, find out more here:
#SocialWorkWeek2021
- can’t believe it’s the first of its kind in England - so important that we celebrate brilliant social work and aspire for the future too
Welcome to
#SocialWorkWeek2021
- the first week of its kind in England, featuring a unique mix of renowned speakers, panel discussions, workshops and more. Here's what's in store today:
Delighted to attend the Early Careers Workshop yesterday to talk T Levels with some great businesses. Designed with leading employers, with 16 brilliant subjects and a mix of classroom learning and on-the-job training, T-Levels are an excellent choice after GCSEs.
#TLevelsWeek
Delighted that we were able to welcome
@SusanAclandHood
to
@educationgovuk
Manchester office this afternoon, to round off her day of engagements in the city. Uplifting words of thanks and encouragement that were warmly received by colleagues.
It was great to meet with key representatives of supermarkets and sports organisations yesterday to celebrate the brilliant support they provide to our Holiday Activities Food Programme and discuss opportunities for further engagement. Exciting work!
It was great to host a roundtable with my colleagues, Cost of Living Business tsar
@davidjusteat
, supermarkets and sport organisations 🍎🍞⚽🎾
Many
#HAF2022
clubs are already being supported by these companies, but I wanted to ask what more can be done to help children.
I was delighted to open the
@educationgovuk
Apprenticeship Graduation Ceremony yesterday. It was great to see so many people - either at the start of their Civil Service careers or well-established professionals - come together and share their achievements. Well done, everyone!
Properly blown away tonight at the
@JPFoundation
@SpeakersTrust
#JPSpeakOut
Grand Final. Astonishing talent and skill on display from all 15 of the young finalists - an almost impossible judging job, but what a privilege.
Yesterday I had a lovely day in Sheffield, visiting Grace Owen Nursey School and DfE’s Sheffield office. It was a pleasure to meet new colleagues and to learn how Grace Owen have continued to provide an excellent EY service during this pandemic.
1/2 Thanks to
@NorthSomersetC
for hosting me yesterday and allowing me to see the excellent work being done on Early Intervention in the area and to be hear directly from the SEND Student Council about their experiences of the SEND system.
Thanks to everyone at
@UAL
for an excellent visit this morning. Great to see the huge breadth of your offer for students, their skills and creativity. Particularly impressed with the cross-disciplinary approaches and Grow Lab where students unite biology and art.
Thank you to Toyota Manufacturing UK for hosting a virtual visit for
@educationgovuk
colleagues. It was fascinating to hear about your apprenticeship programme and to meet your brilliant, engaged, and dynamic apprentices. It was an inspiring and uplifting visit.
It was another busy day at
#CSLive
in London yesterday: Wednesday Morning Colleagues, an innovative ideas panel, Policy Profession Events and spot mentoring. Thanks to all involved!