The new prime minister Theresa May has almost completely revamped the Cabinet, sacking Nicky Morgan as education secretary and replacing her with Justine Greening.
And Downing Street has confirmed that Ms Greening will now take over a vastly expanded brief, which will roll the higher education and the further education budgets into the Department for Education.
It had been a long-held desire of former education secretary Michael Gove to bring every sector of education under one roof.
Nervous times in higher education
Mr Gove pressed the case for his remit to be expanded under the Coaltion but his move was blocked.
Ms Greening now faces taking control of schools, skills and the HE sector at a time of swingeing cuts. Many onlookers in the tertiary phase of education will be hoping their sectors are not used to balance school budgets.
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