What was your highlight of 2024?
I’ve been really proud of all we’ve done to start work on the Opportunity mission, and to set really clear goals to help break the link between background and success – it couldn’t be more important, and touches something at the heart of good public service, which is to make sure our services work best for those that need them most.
I’ve also been really pleased that long-term, sustained work – often not very glamourous – has been making a difference. On top of some really good results for England in international tests that compare how we do with other countries, where our position keeps strengthening, it was great to see more children meeting the expected standard both when starting school, and at the end of primary school this year; GCSE, T-level and A-level results going smoothly and setting young people up for their futures; as well as apprenticeship achievements reaching their highest level in years, with over 162,000 completions.
Both the April and September 2024 stages of our big childcare rollout have gone really well, too – and working parents can now get 15 hours of free childcare from the term their child is 9 months old – that’s a real revolution for families, and will rise to 30 hours next September. Children’s social care reform is also well under way, with the children’s wellbeing bill due to give it legislative underpinnings soon. Most of all, though, I’m proud that all these successes have been team efforts – across the department, but also the wider education and children’s social care systems.
What was the hardest part of being a leader in 2024?
Leadership is a privilege, and I try to focus on that most of the time! There was definitely a moment, though, as the election was called, when I wondered if we would have enough time to prepare as well as we wanted to. We knew we’d need to rethink our priorities, reset our approach, and make plans rapidly so we could move fast but also well on day one – and also that throughout, we had to keep delivering for children and learners. Everyone across DfE worked together, with a big focus on good communication and learning, to make sure that, as things changed, everyone felt as supported and clear as possible on their role in shaping the future. I couldn’t be prouder of how the department stepped up.
What are the main challenges facing your organisation in the coming year – and how are you planning to meet them?
The government’s agenda for children and learners is hugely ambitious, and we’ll need to be creative and focused to make progress while managing resources carefully. We also know that we’ve done the easy bit of missions – getting people enthused – and now we have to build really big relationships that can endure through hard choices and the tests that come with practical delivery. We’ll also be pushing forward on major priorities, like expanding childcare and supporting more apprenticeships. We’re making great progress and I’m looking forward to building on those foundations as we move forward into 2025.
What was the best Christmas present you’ve ever given or received? And the worst?
The best was a present my husband and I got each other – which was a year’s worth of ‘nice things to do together’, one a month, for the following year. Some were big things – like theatre tickets – but others were simpler ideas for spending time with each other. It was great to have a whole year punctuated with joys to look forward to. The worst is hard – I do try to appreciate the thought even if the object is a bit weird! Not quite a present I was given, but what springs to mind is that my aunt used to have a gnome war with a nearby family – they’d give each other the worst gnome they could find each year, and everyone there had to pretend to absolutely love it.