Board meeting: 12 September 2024
Updated 17 March 2025
Applies to England
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Summary of the Department for Education’s board meeting held on 12 September 2024, from 1pm to 3:30pm.
Attendees, presenters and apologies
Member attendees
- Rt Hon Bridget Phillipson MP – Secretary of State for Education (present until 3pm)
- Rt Hon Baroness Smith – Minister for Skills and Minister for the Board (present until 3pm)
- Richard Pennycook – Lead Non-executive Board Member (Chair)
- 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
- Sir Kevan Collins – 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
- Kay Graham – Deputy Director, Strategy Unit
- Hannah Smith – Deputy Director, Strategy Unit
- Anne Spinali – Director, Strategic Finance
- James Green – Chief Risk Officer
Other attendees
- John Edwards – Director General, Regions Group
- Juliet Chua – Director General, Schools Group
- Julia Kinniburgh – Director General, Skills Group
- Helen Alderton – Private Secretary to Secretary of State
- Laura Hoskins – Board Secretary
- Katie Hammond – Head of Investment Management Strategy and Corporate Governance
Apologies
- Justin Russell – Director General, Families Group
1. Introduction, minutes and action tracker
Richard Pennycook, lead non-executive director, took the Chair and welcomed members, and noted apologies. The Secretary of State and Minister for the Board introduced themselves to board members.
The Secretary of State provided reflections on her initial 2 months in the role and thanked Richard Pennycook for his support in chairing this meeting and for stepping into his role as interim chair for Skills England. She expressed thanks, too, to the ministerial team and officials for their efforts since the general election.
Richard Pennycook declared his position as interim chair of Skills England and no other new interests were declared.
2. Performance against outcomes
Warwick Sharp and Tom Stephens presented an update on key outcomes against the Secretary of State’s delivery priorities. This included an update on:
- early years and primary and secondary key stages
- regional disparities in attainment
- post-16 education
- the transition of pupils from primary to secondary education
3. Mission delivery
Warwick Sharp and Tom Stephens provided the board with an overview of the mission-led ways of working, including the department’s role in leading the Opportunity Mission and its wider contribution to other missions.
Missions work would support cross-government collaboration.
The department would develop detailed delivery plans with milestones.
4. 100-day plan
Warwick Sharp presented a progress review of delivery achievements against the plan for the first 100 days since the general election and areas for further action.
5. 500-day plan
The board received an update on the 500-day plan for the department (for the first 500 days following the general election) and noted the importance of data to underpin this.
Plans for the approach to mission delivery would be agile to change and any potential blockers actively managed and mitigated.
6. Finance and spending review update
Anne Spinali provided board members with an overview of the department’s financial position at the fifth month of the financial year.
Board members considered the department’s plans for the Spending Review.
7. Key enablers and risks
Hannah Smith spoke to board members about the key enablers to delivery of departmental priorities, noting the importance of partnerships and digital tools in achieving departmental ambitions.
James Green talked through top tier departmental risks.
8. Any other business
The meeting concluded with reflections and a forward look at upcoming priorities and challenges.