Education in the UK is fairly complicated, primarily because there are differences in each country. With several zigs and a handful of zags, determining the structure of the Department for Education (DfE) is tricky.
We’re going to straighten out the zigs and unravel the zags to give you a picture of the education system in the UK.
Let’s start with …
The Department for Education
Essentially, the Department for Education (DfE) is responsible for children’s services and education, from early years to apprenticeships and the development of wider skills.
It is also responsible for developing and implementing education policies that ensure, among other things, that the system is 100% non-discriminatory.
The DfE has a long list of responsibilities:
Improving access to learning opportunities, boosting productivity, and focussing on strategies that help students develop personal skills like critical thinking, teamwork, and communication.
It also aims to increase education standards so that all UK students are armed with the information, knowledge, skills, and qualifications they need to succeed in school and at work. However, this can only be achieved with the support of education authorities in other departments and ministries, including:
- Department for Digital Culture Media and Sport (DCMS)
- Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
- Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)
All-in-all, the DfE is supported by 18 agencies, public bodies, and non-ministerial departments.
The Departmental Board
The board plays advisory and supervisory roles. As an advisor, the focus is on strategy, operations, and policy deliverability.
As a supervisor, the focus is on the department’s performance.
The board also supervises the Audit and Risk Committee and the Nominations Committee.
Putting on its advisory hat again, the board recommends issues for escalation. It also requests committees to reexamine issues that haven’t been satisfactorily resolved.
Board members start with:
- The Chair: Secretary of State for Education
Then move onto:
- Minister for the School System and Student Finance
- Lead non-executive board member
- Four non-executive board members
- Permanent Secretary
- Director General: Strategy Group
- Chief Operating Officer and Director General: Operations and Infrastructure Group
Standing Invitations go to:
- Minister for Schools
- Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships, and Higher Education
- Minister for Children, Families, and Wellbeing
- Director General: Skills Group
- Director General: Schools Group
- Director General: Families Group
Now, we encounter our first committee.
Audit and Risk Committee (ARC)
ARC provides guidance on strategic processes for risk, control, governance, and the governance statement.
ARC also has the power to refer specific issues to the Implementation Committee where they are dissected, challenged, and subject to collaborative problem-solving.
Finally, ARC identifies and refers certain risks to the Performance and Risk Committee for deeper assessments and inspections.
Committee members start with …
- The Chair
Then move to
- 4 Independent members
A group of additional attendees
- The Permanent Secretary
- Chief Operating Officer and Director General: Operations and Infrastructure Group
- Head of Internal Audit
- National Audit Office representative
Nominations Committee
The Nominations Committee deals with matters related to recruitment, succession planning, and remuneration.
It reports to the Departmental Board and has the power to make recommendations to the Leadership Team.
Committee members start with …
- The Chair: Lead Non-Executive Board Member
Then move to:
- 4 Non-executive board members
Role-specific attendees
- Permanent Secretary
- Director: Human Resources and Transformation
The Leadership Team
The Team plays a primarily supportive role, assisting the Permanent Secretary to run the department efficiently, especially the delivery of its business and government education policy.
The team reports to the Departmental Board and is ably assisted by several sub-committees and local education authorities that oversee specific areas of governance:
- People matters
- Data, digital, and technology
- Performance and risk
- Investment decisions and monitoring
Team members start with …
- The Chair: Permanent Secretary
Then move to:
Role-specific members
- Director General: Regions Group
- Director General: Skills Group
- Director General: Schools Group
- Director General: Families Group
- Director General: Strategy Group
Structure Of The Education Sector In Scotland
While the education sector’s structure in Scotland is similar to that in England, there are some differences.
Responsibility for running Scotland’s education system lies largely with its executive agency, Education Scotland*. Nursery schools fall under the ambit of Education Scotland and the Care Inspectorate (essentially social care and social work), while private schools are overseen by the Scottish Council for Independent Schools.
Go deeper and you’ll see that the implementation of policies and day-to-day running is managed by the 32 local authorities in the country.
Local authorities must comply with and carry out the education principles, guidelines, and policies mandated by the central government.
The structure of the education sector looks like this:
Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills
- Minister for Childcare and Early Years
- Minister for Further Education and Science
- Minister for Employment and Training
*Education Scotland is an executive agency that aids in the improvement and management of Scottish education.
Structure Of The Education Sector In Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland’s education sector is structured similarly to that in England.
It starts with:
The Department of Education Northern Ireland
The department’s main responsibility is promoting education and ensuring education policies are properly implemented.
And move to:
Permanent Secretary
- 3 Deputy Secretaries
- Chief Inspector of the Education and Training Inspectorate
- 8 Division Heads
- Departmental Board
- DE Corporate Governance Framework
Structure Of The Education Sector In The Republic of Ireland
The Education and Training Boards Ireland (ETBI) is the national representative body that collectively represents and promotes the 16 Education and Training Boards (ETBs).
Positions in the ETBI include:
- EYBI Chief Executives
- Directors of Further Education and Training
- Directors of Schools
- Directors of Organisation, Support, and Development Forums
- Forum networks and groups
Structure Of The Education Sector In Wales
The Welsh education structure starts with:
Department of Education and Skills (DfES)
The head of the department is:
Cabinet Secretary for Education
The Secretary is responsible for implementing education policy, training, and children’s services.
The Secretary is supported by:
- Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning
- Minister for Education, Culture, and the Welsh Language
- Minister for Education, Children, Lifelong Learning and Skills
Does The Structure Of The Education Sector Make A Difference To Procurement?
Would it surprise you to know that yes, it does make a difference?
For a start, the key decision-makers occupy different roles at each level in the department. This affects the approach to procurement – the procurement strategies.
For example, decision-makers in the Ministry for Childcare and Early Years might have different requirements – and standards of requirements – than those in sub-committees related to digital technology or risk.
You must understand the structure to correctly target central government education authorities, local authorities, charity groups, and academy trusts.
Working with an experienced business-to-government (B2G) marketing agency will ensure you reach the right people with the right marketing message that will give your procurement strategy the boost it needs to win more tenders in the education sector.
Cadence Marketing has decades of experience in the public sector. Contact us to find out how our expertise creates nuanced marketing strategies for your success in the primary, secondary, and higher education markets.
