Board meeting: 16 May 2024
Updated 17 March 2025
Applies to England
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Summary of the Department for Education’s (DfE) board meeting held on 16 May 2024, from 1pm to 3:30pm.
Attendees, presenters and apologies
Member attendees
- Rt Hon Gillian Keegan – Secretary of State for Education (Chair, joined the meeting during the second agenda item)
- Richard Pennycook – Lead Non-executive Board Member (Chair for the first agenda item)
- 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
- Lucy Livings – Regional Director, South West
- Liam Ennis – CSC and SEND Intervention Case Lead, Vulnerable Children’s Unit, South West Regions Group
- James Green – Deputy Director, Major Projects and Risk
- Anne Spinali – Director, Strategic Finance
- Lucy Darling – Delivery Unit
- Charlotte Briscall – Director, Digital
- Susie Owen – Director of Early Years, Childcare, Families and Analysis
Other attendees
- Claire Burton – Interim Director General, Regions Group
- Juliet Chua – Director General, Schools Group
- Julia Kinniburgh – Director General, Skills Group
- Warwick Sharp – Director, Strategy and Delivery
- Helen Alderton – Private Secretary to Secretary of State
- Laura Hoskins – Board Secretary
- Lynne Brumpton – Secretariat Manager
- Anna Haynes – Board Secretariat Officer
Apologies
- Baroness Barran – Minister for the Board and Minister for the School System and Finance
1. Introduction, minutes and action tracker
Richard Pennycook, Lead Non-executive Board Member, took the chair and welcomed members and attendees to the meeting, noting apologies from Baroness Barran and noting that the Secretary of State would arrive late to the meeting. The meeting would not be quorate until the Secretary of State joined.
The minutes and action tracker from the previous meeting would be approved once the meeting was quorate. Declarations of interest were noted.
2. Regions Group spotlight: Plymouth
The board received an overview of pre-16 education, special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision, and Children’s Social Care (CSC) in Plymouth.
Board members discussed place-based, partnership working in Plymouth and how place-based working had supported work in the region.
Board members noted the advantages of using place-based working but recognised the need for tailored approaches to different regions in England due to local nuances.
3. Departmental risk
Board members received an overview of the departmental risk register which had been reviewed prior to this meeting by the Audit and Risk Committee, and the constituent parts of the board.
There was consensus among board members and the Central Risk Team that this would not be a static document or a final product, but rather one that was updated regularly and ‘live’.
The Secretary of State joined the meeting. The meeting became quorate at this point.
Board members discussed the risk register and recommended the inclusion of further risks for the risk management team to consider and noted areas for work on strengthening mitigations, ensuring clear and meaningful ownership of risks and clarity of data in resilience plans.
The board reviewed the departmental risk appetite statement.
4. Departmental finance update
Anne Spinali provided board members with an update on the DfE financial position at year’s end.
Board members subsequently discussed departmental headcount and the admin budget, capital spend, and the delivery of contract delivery.
Following this item, the Secretary of State provided board members with an update on the recently published Migration Advisory Committee report.
5. Departmental performance update
The Board received an overview of delivery across Secretary of State’s priorities.
In addition, the board was provided with an update on Digital, Data and Technology (DDT) delivery, noting that the department continued to engage across-government with networks to review digital skills and strategies.
Board members received an update on the department’s major projects portfolio and delivery performance against these.
6. Early years reform
Director General Justin Russell provided those present with an update on early years reform and the scope to deliver this across the sector.
Board members discussed recruitment of workforce to the childcare sector and the potential benefits of the reforms to the sector.
7. Any other business
Board members approved the minutes of the previous meeting and action tracker.