James Sunderland looks back on some significant milestones of Education Secretary Gillian Keegan and the Department for Education who have delivered some huge achievements – working towards delivering the Prime Minister’s priorities of Growing the Economy and ensuring a world class education for all.

 Below is a short report card of what’s happened over recent months…

• Thanks to new investment in the Autumn Statement, next year the Government will be funding schools at their highest levels in history in real terms – at nearly £60 billion.
   
• There are record number of teachers in England’s schools – over 468,000, that is up by 27,000 since 2010.
   
• Our Primary aged children became the best in the western world at reading with England coming 4th out of 43 comparable countries in the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) rankings international study for primary reading proficiency.
   
• The Government is ending teacher strike action having accepted the STRB’s recommendations for 2023/24 teacher pay awards in full.  This is being recommended as a ‘properly funded’ deal by all four teaching unions to their members. This means that teachers and leaders in maintained schools will receive an increase of 6.5%, the highest pay award in three decades.
   
• In doing so, from September the Government will have delivered on the 2019 manifesto commitment to raise the starting salary for teachers to a minimum of £30,000. This is a competitive salary – and will help continue to build on the record numbers of teachers in our schools.
   
• This Conservative Government is making the largest investment in childcare in England’s history – taking investment from £4 billion each year on its existing childcare offer, to £8 billion in total by 27-28 to support more parents to return to work and help grow the economy largest ever expansion of free childcare in England. The Government's childcare plans will save working parents an average of £6,500 per year.
   
• The Government is cracking down on rip off degrees courses that have high drop-out rates, don’t lead to good jobs, and leave young people with poor pay and high debts. The Government also introduced world-leading freedom of speech legislation – and the Lifelong Loan Entitlement.

The Department for Education also continues to support its Holiday Activities and Food programme with £200 million per year, to provide heathy meals, enriching activities to children from low-income families over the holidays.