Minister of State for Schools

United Kingdom Minister of State for School Standards
Royal Arms of His Majesty's Government
Incumbent Georgia Gould since 6 September 2025
Department for Education
Style	Minister
Nominator	Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Appointer	The Monarch on advice of the Prime Minister
Term length	At His Majesty's pleasure
Website	https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/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 Georgia Gould

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		Portrait	Took office	Left office	Political party	Prime Minister
Minister of State for Education
	Edward Boyle MP for Birmingham Handsworth		1 April 1964	16 October 1964	Conservative		Douglas-Home
	Peter Legh, 4th Baron Newton		1 April 1964	16 October 1964
Minister of State, Education and Science
	Bertram Bowden, Baron Bowden		19 October 1964	11 October 1965	Labour		Wilson I
	Reg Prentice MP for East Ham North		20 October 1964	6 April 1966
	Edward Redhead MP for Walthamstow West		11 October 1965	7 January 1967
	Goronwy Roberts MP for Caernarfon		6 April 1966	29 August 1967			Wilson II
	Shirley Williams MP for Hitchin		7 January 1967	13 October 1969
	Alice Bacon MP for Leeds South East		29 August 1967	19 June 1970
	Gerald Fowler MP for The Wrekin		13 October 1969	19 June 1970
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Education and Science
	John Ganzoni, 2nd Baron Belstead		24 June 1970	5 June 1973	Conservative		Heath
Minister of State, Education and Science
	Norman St John-Stevas MP for Chelmsford		5 June 1973	4 March 1974	Conservative		Heath
	Gerald Fowler MP for The Wrekin		8 March 1974	18 October 1974	Labour		Wilson III
	Norman Crowther Hunt, Baron Crowther-Hunt		18 October 1974	23 January 1976			Wilson IV
	Gerald Fowler MP for The Wrekin		23 January 1976	10 September 1976			Callaghan
	Gordon Oakes MP for Widnes		10 September 1976	4 May 1979
	Janet Young, Baroness Young		7 May 1979	14 September 1981	Conservative		Thatcher I
	Paul Channon MP for Southend West		5 January 1981	13 June 1983
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Education and Science
	Peter Brooke MP for City of London and Westminster South		13 June 1983	19 November 1985	Conservative		Thatcher II)
Minister of State, Education and Science
	Chris Patten MP for Bath		5 September 1985	10 September 1986	Conservative		Thatcher II
	Angela Rumbold MP for Mitcham and Morden		10 September 1986	24 July 1990			Thatcher III
	Tim Eggar MP for Enfield North		24 July 1990	14 April 1992			Major I
	Emily Blatch, Baroness Blatch		14 April 1992	20 July 1994			Major II
	Eric Forth MP for Mid Worcestershire		20 July 1994	2 May 1997
	Stephen Byers MP for North Tyneside		2 May 1997	27 July 1998	Labour		Blair I
	Estelle Morris MP for Birmingham Yardley		28 July 1998	8 June 2001
	Stephen Timms MP for East Ham		11 June 2001	24 October 2002			Blair III
	David Miliband MP for South Shields		24 October 2002	16 December 2004
	Stephen Twigg MP for Enfield Southgate		16 December 2004	5 May 2005	Labour Co-op
	Jacqui Smith MP for Redditch		6 May 2005	5 May 2006	Labour		Blair III
	Jim Knight MP for South Dorset		5 May 2006	5 June 2009	Labour Co-op		Blair III Brown
	Vernon Coaker MP for Gedling		8 June 2009	11 May 2010	Labour		Brown
Minister of State for Schools
	Nick Gibb MP for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton		13 May 2010	4 September 2012	Conservative		Cameron–Clegg
	David Laws MP for Yeovil		4 September 2012	8 May 2015	Liberal Democrat
Minister of State for School Standards
	Nick Gibb MP for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton		12 May 2015	15 September 2021	Conservative		Cameron II May I & II Johnson I & II
	Robin Walker MP for Worcester		16 September 2021	6 July 2022			Johnson II
	Will Quince MP for Colchester		7 July 2022	7 September 2022
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for School Standards
	Jonathan Gullis MP for Stoke-on-Trent North		8 September 2022	28 October 2022	Conservative		Truss
Minister of State for Schools
	Nick Gibb MP for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton		26 October 2022	13 November 2023	Conservative		Sunak
	Damian Hinds MP for East Hampshire		13 November 2023	5 July 2024
Minister of State for School Standards
	Catherine McKinnell MP for Newcastle upon Tyne North		8 July 2024	6 September 2025	Labour		Starmer
	Georgia Gould MP for Queen's Park and Maida Vale		6 September 2025	Incumbent	Labour
							Burnham