The former education recovery commissioner Sir Kevan Collins will scrutinise and advise the Department for Education on school standards, it was confirmed today.
The DfE announced today that Sir Kevan has been appointed as a new non-executive board member on a three-year term to “provide scrutiny and advice on government’s delivery of high and rising standards in schools”.
The department also revealed it is restructuring to place special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and alternative provision (AP) within its schools group in a bid to “ensure it can deliver improvements to inclusion in mainstream schools”.
Speaking to school and education sector leaders in a personal capacity at an event hosted by Tes in Westminster last week, Sir Kevan said he was “pretty agnostic” about school structures.
He also said he was “unhappy personally” about any “personal obsessions around ideology in education that isn’t linked to the evidence and about driving outcomes”.
High and rising standards across schools
Sir Kevan was previously appointed as the Covid education recovery tsar under Boris Johnson’s government in 2021 but resigned after his plans for a national recovery effort were not supported financially by ministers.
Commenting on Sir Kevan’s appointment, education secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “Our push for high and rising standards across our state schools began on day one, with first steps including recruiting 6,500 new teachers.
“I have moved quickly to make sure my department can deliver on our mission to break down the barriers to opportunity so every child has the best start in life.
“Sir Kevan has been an outstanding force for good in schools, especially his work advocating for our teachers and children during the pandemic, and he will play a crucial role in advising the department,” she added.
Sir Kevan said: “There are real challenges facing our schools and I am looking forward to being part of a renewed drive to ensure that we tackle these with bold and fresh new ideas, to deliver high and rising standards in every corner of the country.”
He was previously the chief executive of the Education Endowment Foundation and also has experience as a classroom teacher and as director of children’s services in Tower Hamlets.
Sir Kevan’s appointment has been approved by the commissioner for public appointments.
Labour sets up DfE ministerial team
His appointment comes as the new government appointed a ministerial team at the DfE.
Ms Phillipson was announced as education secretary last week.
The former chair of the Labour Party, Anneliese Dodds, has joined the DfE as minister of state for women and equalities. Jacqui Smith is returning to government as a House of Lords peer covering higher education, further education and skills.
The former shadow schools minister Catherine McKinnell has been appointed as education minister.
The government announced yesterday that Stephen Morgan and Janet Daby are also joining the department as parliamentary under-secretaries of state.
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