Commenting on the appointment of Bridget Phillipson as Secretary of State for Education, Daniel Kebede, General Secretary of the National Education Union, said;
“I warmly congratulate Bridget Phillipson on her appointment as Secretary of State for Education.
“Since she became shadow education secretary in November 2021, the NEU has been impressed by Bridget’s commitment to improving the life chances of students, especially those from deprived backgrounds. Her commitment stands in stark contrast to the chaos from her political opponents, with six different Conservative education secretaries in less than 3 years.
“After the chaos of recent times, NEU members are hopeful that Bridget Phillipson will usher in a period of stability and seriousness at the Department for Education. She has expressed a willingness to reset the relationship between Ministers and the profession, which is absolutely vital if we are to turn the corner and start recruiting and retaining enough teachers and support staff. Making education a national priority should have at its core the raising of the status of the profession.
“One of the Education Secretary’s early decisions in Government will be on the teacher pay award for this September. Her predecessor shamefully sat on this decision prior to the General Election, showing a complete disregard for school leaders who need to know the pay award to plan their budgets for the next academic year. The NEU is calling on the new Secretary of State to right the wrong of Gillian Keegan and to immediately publish the pay review body report and the Government’s 2024-25 pay and funding offer.
“This will be the first of many wrongs from the revolving door of her recent predecessors that the new Secretary of State will need to put right. The NEU stands ready to work with Bridget Phillipson and the new Government to achieve the very best outcomes for our children and young people.”