ASCL comment on return of Nick Gibb and Robert Halfon

Geoff Barton comments on the appointment of Nick Gibb and Robert Halfon as ministers of state in the Department for Education

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said:

“We welcome Nick Gibb and Robert Halfon back to the Department for Education and look forward to working with them. Mr Gibb is steeped in education and knows the department well. Mr Halfon has been a very effective chair of the Education Select Committee and a powerful advocate for children and young people.

“Mr Gibb is well-known for his allegiance to a traditional diet of academic subjects in schools. If the direction of travel in government is to place a greater focus on technical and vocational education, this aspiration cannot be pigeonholed solely into post-16 education. The government will need to be more flexible in allowing and supporting a choice of subjects that students can study pre-16 which embraces technical and vocational education. At the moment, it is marginalised by the requirements of school performance tables to focus largely on academic subjects.

“And it is of critical importance that schools and colleges are funded sufficiently to teach technical, vocational, and academic subjects. The current situation is that steeply rising costs and inadequate government funding mean many will be left with no alternative but to reduce curriculum options to save money. The government must invest more in education in its autumn statement on 17 November.”