# Minister of State for Schools

The role of Minister of State for School Standards, formerly Minister of State for Schools is a mid-level position in the Department for Education in the British government.
The current minister is Catherine McKinnell.

## 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.

## Responsibilities

The minister is responsible for the following:
* 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 | Name | Took office | Left office | Political party | Prime Minister |
| Minister of State, Education and Science ||||||||
| | Angela Rumbold MP for Mitcham and Morden | June 1987 | 24 July 1990 | Conservative | Margaret Thatcher (Third Thatcher ministry) |
| | Tim Eggar MP 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 Forth MP for Mid Worcestershire | 20 July 1994 | 2 May 1997 | Conservative | John Major (Second Major ministry) |
| | Stephen Byers MP for North Tyneside | 2 May 1997 | 27 July 1998 | Labour | Tony Blair (First Blair ministry) |
| | Estelle Morris MP for Birmingham Yardley | 28 July 1998 | 8 June 2001 | Labour | Tony Blair (First Blair ministry) |
| | Stephen Timms MP for East Ham | 11 June 2001 | 24 October 2002 | Labour | Tony Blair (Second Blair ministry) |
| | David Miliband MP for South Shields | 24 October 2002 | 16 December 2004 | Labour | Tony Blair (Second Blair ministry) |
| | Stephen Twigg MP for Enfield Southgate | 16 December 2004 | 5 May 2005 | Labour | Tony Blair (Second Blair ministry) |
| | Jacqui Smith MP for Redditch | 6 May 2005 | 5 May 2006 | Labour | Tony Blair (lll) |
| | Jim Knight MP for South Dorset | 5 May 2006 | 5 June 2009 | Labour | Tony Blair (lll) Gordon Brown (l) |
| | Vernon Coaker MP for Gedling | 8 June 2009 | 11 May 2010 | Labour | Gordon Brown (l) |
| Minister of State for Schools ||||||||
| | Nick Gibb MP for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton | 13 May 2010 | 4 September 2012 | Conservative | David Cameron (Coalition) |
| | David Laws MP for Yeovil | 4 September 2012 | 8 May 2015 | Liberal Democrat | David Cameron (Coalition) |
| Minister of State for School Standards ||||||||
| | Nick Gibb MP for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton | 12 May 2015 | 15 September 2021 | Conservative | David Cameron (II) Theresa May (I)(II) Boris Johnson (I)(II) |
| | Robin Walker MP for Worcester | 16 September 2021 | 6 July 2022 | Conservative | Boris Johnson (II) |
| | Will Quince MP for Colchester | 7 July 2022 | 7 September 2022 | Conservative | Boris Johnson (II) |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for School Standards ||||||||
| | Jonathan Gullis MP for Stoke-on-Trent North | 8 September 2022 | 28 October 2022 | Conservative | Liz Truss (I) |
| Minister of State for Schools ||||||||
| | Nick Gibb MP for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton | 26 October 2022 | 13 November 2023 | Conservative | Rishi Sunak (I) |
| | Damian Hinds MP for East Hampshire | 13 November 2023 | 5 July 2024 | Conservative | Rishi Sunak (I) |
| Minister of State for School Standards ||||||||
| | Catherine McKinnell MP for Newcastle upon Tyne North | 8 July 2024 | Incumbent | Labour | Keir Starmer (I) |