If I Were Bridget Phillipson … [Latest 2022]

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1.1 Rebuilding trust across the education system

1.2 Education manifesto: Where action is needed?

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If you were secretary of state for education, what would you prioritise?

It takes a bold Secretary of State to reshape the English education system. Since taking office in July 2024, Bridget Phillipson has focused on tax on private education, addressing the teacher crisis, reforming inspection, and the school curriculum.

But what else should Phillipson be doing?

Rebuilding trust across the education system

In July 2024, Phillipson began her tenure with an open letter to the teaching profession, setting out her vision to restore trust in education. However, this quickly unravelled when her policies on private education created division just three months later.

One of her key pledges—recruiting 6,500 new teachers—sounds ambitious, yet the fine print reveals this will be phased in over the course of the parliament, making its immediate impact questionable. As expected, reducing teacher workload remains a talking point (like a broken record), but a newer priority has emerged: supporting schools in navigating advances in artificial intelligence.

While progress has been made in some critical areas (Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill), significant challenges remain—particularly in SEND provision and Ofsted reform. I even sent Phillipson a ‘heads-up’ message, highlighting these as her biggest hurdles. Interestingly, the Conservative Secretary of State would reply!

I’ve mapped out ten priority areas where Phillipson needs to take further action.

Education manifesto: Where action is needed?

Assessment: Despite opposition, the primary school phonics and maths assessments will stay, ensuring key stage data supports student progress. As ever, the crux is how the data is used to measure school success.
Curriculum: Shift from a test-focused system to a more balanced approach incorporating music, sport, and creative arts. We still have NO update on the dismal EBacc policy!
Teacher Professional Development: Ensure schools modernise teaching methods by investing in AI and technology. At the annual Bett Show, former SoS have been booed off the stage; not Bridget! Note, teacher CPD in England lacks woefully behind OECD counterparts.
Wellbeing and Mental Health: Emphasise student wellbeing alongside academic success, advocating for a more supportive school environment. Ofsted inspects pupil wellbeing, why not teachers?
SEND Support: Increase funding and support for children with special educational needs, ensuring better access to resources and interventions. This has been a crisis for many years! How can local SEND funding be improved?
Inspections: Where do we start with Ofsted’s report cards?! Parents’ opinions outweigh professional experience, and academic research. I often wonder how many responses to Ofsted’s consultation would result in a U-turn?
Recruitment and Retention: There has been a push for higher salaries for early career teachers and workload concerns, but despite a recent pay-rise, teacher pay for 2025/26 will scupper teacher-numbers.
Workload: Address unnecessary bureaucracy on teachers, allowing more time for classroom teaching. This will never improve unless we provide teachers with reduced timetables to complete work during school hours.
Post-16 Education: Our further education sector receives the least investment. With small changes to higher education fees, ‘earn while you learn’ continues to resonate for me. How do we entice young people to complete a degree and leave with significant debt, if they can post pictures online from home and earn thousands?
Technology: Invest in safeguarding AI to make education more accessible. I suspect this is an unknown for many, and largely out of Phillipson’s hands.