Board meeting: 11 November 2024
Updated 17 March 2025
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Summary of the Department for Education’s (DfE) board meeting held on 11 November 2024.
Attendees and presenters
Member attendees
- Rt Hon Bridget Phillipson MP – Secretary of State for Education (Chair)
- Rt Hon Baroness Smith – Minister for Skills and Minister for the Board
- Richard Pennycook – Lead Non-executive Board Member
- Susan Acland-Hood – Permanent Secretary
- Toby Peyton-Jones – Non-executive Board Member
- Sir Peter Bazalgette – Non-executive Board Member
- Stuart McMinnies – Non-executive Board Member
- Jack Boyer – Non-executive Board Member
- Jane Cunliffe – Chief Operating Officer
- Tony Foot – Director General, Strategy Group
Presenters
- Warwick Sharp – Director, Strategy and Delivery
- Tom Stephens – Deputy Director, Delivery Unit
- Hannah Smith – Deputy Director, Strategy Unit
- Anne Spinali – Director, Strategic Finance
- Stephen Wan – Deputy Director, Skills Group
Other attendees
- John Edwards – Director General, Regions Group
- Juliet Chua – Director General, Schools Group
- Julia Kinniburgh – Director General, Skills Group
- Justin Russell – Director General, Families Group
- Helen Alderton – Private Secretary to Secretary of State
- Laura Hoskins – Board Secretary
- Laura Latham – Head of Corporate Governance and ALB Partnerships and Assurance
1. Introduction, minutes and action tracker
Rt Hon Bridget Phillipson, the Secretary of State for Education, took the Chair and welcomed members to the meeting.
The minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 12 September 2024 were approved as a correct record; new declarations of interests and the action tracker were noted.
2. Finance update
Anne Spinali introduced the item and provided an overview of the 2024 to 2025 in-year financial position, the outcome of Phase 1 of the Spending Review and the 2025 to 2026 financial year.
The board discussed funding for the department’s programmes, noting ongoing discussions with HM Treasury ahead of the Spending Review.
The board noted outcomes from collaboration with other government departments on children’s social care funding.
3. Departmental performance
Board members received an overview of the department’s performance against delivery, noting key improvements and risks.
The Opportunity Mission dashboard was discussed, focusing on the Best Start in Life and Every Child Achieving and Thriving Pillars.
Discussions included the dashboard’s scope and ability to inform the department on mission delivery.
4. DfE priorities framed by missions
Warwick Sharp and Hannah Smith updated on the department’s delivery priorities for mission-driven government.
Board members discussed the importance of high-quality data.
Early engagement and cross-departmental working were noted as important tools for the delivery of priorities.
5. Post-16 strategy – delivering skills and contributing to growth and other missions
Julia Kinniburgh and Stephen Wan provided an overview of the Skills Strategy and its link to the Growth Mission.
The board discussed the importance of a coherent skills system and its constituent parts.
The Skills Strategy was endorsed by the board.
6. Any other business
There were no items on this occasion.
The meeting concluded at 5pm.