Who are the new DfE ministers?

The new ministerial team at the Department for Education is taking shape following the appointment of education secretary Lucy Powell.

The reshuffle took place after Andy Burnham became prime minister, replacing Sir Keir Starmer.

Ms Powell’s predecessor, Bridget Phillipson, retained her role as minister for women and equalities, which she previously carried out alongside her education role. She will report into the prime minister.

Ms Powell’s brief as education secretary remains the same as her predecessor, including:

• Early years and childcare
• Children’s social care
• Teacher quality, recruitment and retention
• The school curriculum
• School improvement
• Academies and free schools
• Further education
• Apprenticeships and skills
• Higher education
   

Georgia Gould retained as DfE minister

It has been confirmed that Georgia Gould, who has been working as schools minister, will continue to be a minister of state for the DfE.

Since first joining the DfE as the minister for school standards in September 2025, Ms Gould has led the government’s special educational needs and disabilities reforms.

Her work leading the DfE’s SEND public engagement events - designed to show that the government listened to teachers and leaders when developing the reforms - has generally been well-received by the sector.

As of the latest reshuffle, her brief now includes oversight of independent special schools, the Teacher Regulation Agency and the review of relationships, sex and health education (RSHE). Her brief comprises:

• School improvement, intervention and inspection
• Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE)
• Special educational needs and disabilities and high needs
• Special schools (including independent special schools)
• Initial teacher training and incentives
• Teacher retention, including the early career framework and teacher training entitlement
• School leadership
• School governance
• Teacher pay and pensions
• School support staff
• Core school funding
• Pupil premium
• Qualifications (including links with Ofqual)
• The national curriculum
• Access to sport, arts and music in education, working with other departments
• Alternative provision
• Admissions and pupil movement
   

Baroness Smith of Malvern keeps skills

Jacqui Smith, minister for skills across the DfE and Department for Work and Pensions, keeps her role.

She is also minister for women and equalities, working alongside Ms Phillipson.

Her DfE brief includes:

• Governance, intervention and accountability of further education colleges
• Funding for education and training, provision and outcomes for 16- to 19-year-olds
• Further education financial stability and workforce
• Access to higher education, participation and the lifelong learning entitlement
• Quality of higher education and the student experience (including the Office for Students)
• Student finance (including the Student Loans Company)
• Technical and vocational qualifications (level 3 and below), including T levels
• Higher technical education (levels 4 and 5)
• Careers advice
• Support for young people aged 16 to 19 not in employment, education or training (Neet)
• Skills strategy and delivery
• Technical excellence colleges
• International education
   

Olivia Bailey is out

Olivia Bailey has been sacked from her role as early education minister.

She replaced Stephen Morgan as minister for early education in September 2025, after being elected as the MP for Reading West and Mid Berkshire in July 2024.

Former journalist Paul Waugh appointed minister

Paul Waugh, MP for Rochdale and former editor of PoliticsHome, has been appointed as a junior DfE minister.

He has taken on Ms Bailey’s brief, with a few additions. Mr Waugh will be responsible for tackling the issue of illegal schools and for young carers, with faith schools moving into his remit after previously sitting with Ms Gould.

He will also be responsible for intervention in failing schools and school improvement, meaning three ministers now have school intervention as part of their brief. His responsibilities include:

• Early years education, including for children with SEND
• Childcare and the home learning environment
• Early years workforce
• Early communication skills and early intervention
• Best Start Family Hubs and parenting
• Breakfast clubs
• School food, including free school meals
• The Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme
• School attendance, including the register of children who are not in school
• Mental health support in schools
• Behaviour, preventing bullying and exclusions in schools
• School uniform
• Young carers
• Independent schools
• Illegal schools
• Faith schools
• Intervention in failing schools, and school improvement
• Use of data, digital technology and AI in education

Josh MacAlister retained

Josh MacAlister replaced Janet Daby as minister for children and families in September 2025, and will be staying at the DfE as a junior minister.

Before his appointment, Mr MacAlister led the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care and was previously the chief executive of the social work charity Frontline.

He has kept his previous responsibilities in the reshuffle, with a few additions. Tackling antisemitism in education is now in Mr MacAlister’s in-tray, as well as the creation of new free schools, and local authority intervention.

Mr MacAlister will also now deputise for Ms Powell in emergencies.

His brief includes:

• Children’s social care
• Children in care and children in need
• Looked-after children
• Child protection
• Adoption
• Kinship care and foster care
• Care leavers
• The children’s social care workforce
• Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children 
• A single unique identifier for children and use of children’s social care data 
• Family support including the Families First Partnership programme 
• Child protection, safeguarding and serious incidents
• Prevention of serious violence in schools and post-16 settings
• Counter extremism in schools and post-16 settings
• Out-of-school settings
• School safeguarding and guidance on keeping children safe in education
• Maintenance and improvement of the education estate
• Environmental sustainability in the education sector

   

  This article was updated on 13 August 2026 with full ministerial briefs after they were confirmed.