Opposition parties and teaching unions have accused ministers of presiding over a “carousel of education secretaries” after Kit Malthouse became the fifth person to hold the job in just less than a year.
Malthouse, the former Cabinet Office minister, was appointed by Liz Truss on Tuesday, taking over from James Cleverly, who had been in the job only two months and who was moved to be foreign secretary.
The rapid turnover began on 15 September last year when Gavin Williamson was sacked as education secretary as part of a reshuffle by Boris Johnson.
Williamson was replaced by Nadhim Zahawi, but Zahawi was shifted to become chancellor on 5 July after Rishi Sunak resigned, the start of an exodus of ministers intended to force the scandal-rocked Johnson to quit.
Zahawi was replaced by his universities minister, Michelle Donelan, who lasted just 48 hours in the job before she resigned. Cleverly, who had been a Foreign Office minister, took charge for two months.
The period covers a particularly turbulent time for the education sector, including the unprecedented disruption to schools, nurseries and higher education because of Covid, and often severe funding and staffing issues.
While Williamson had been education secretary for just over two years when he was sacked, he is one of nine Conservative MPs to have taken the job in the past eight years, a sequence starting with Michael Gove, who left the role in July 2014.
Even counting Gove’s four-year stint, since the Conservatives took power in 2010 education secretaries have lasted on average fractionally over 16 months. Education is devolved, so almost all their role is connected only to England.
“This is a Conservative government in disarray and our children are paying the price,” said Bridget Phillipson, Labour’s shadow education secretary. “We now have the fifth education secretary in just a year, but the previous four have left us with a growing attainment gap, childcare crippling family finances, and a failed skills policy meaning fewer opportunities later in life.”
Munira Wilson, the Liberal Democrats’ education spokesperson, said: “This uncaring Conservative carousel of education secretaries cannot be trusted with our young people’s future any longer. As the fifth secretary of state for education in a year, and one who hasn’t displayed much of a passion for the subject, this post is clearly just a stepping stone for Kit Malthouse.”
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Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “Education is far too important to be subjected to such damaging levels of instability. I hope that in Mr Malthouse we will now have the clarity of a long-term secretary of state who can set out a clear plan that deals with the issues, and then stays long enough to see that plan through.”
Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said: “This is one of the most important jobs in government, though you wouldn’t think so given the way the role has been treated as an afterthought in recent years.
“Children and young people are paying the price for this constant upheaval and the lack of grip and understanding on the many issues facing the education service.”
