Department for Education Science Advisory Council
Provides independent advice to the Department for Education to maximise the quality of scientific research informing policy development and delivery.
Role
The role of the Department for Education Science Advisory Council (DfE SAC) is to support the Department for Education Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA) in providing independent scientific advice to DfE on matters relevant to its policy development and delivery.
DfE SAC was established in 2024 and has up to 12 independent experts.
Membership
- Athene Donald (chair), Professor Emerita of Experimental Physics, University of Cambridge
- Mark Mon-Williams (deputy chair), Chair of Cognitive Psychology, University of Leeds
- Chris Bonell, Professor of Public Health and Sociology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
- William J Browne, Professor of Statistics and Head of the School of Education, University of Bristol
- Claire Crawford, Professor at the Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities, University College London
- Michael Cribb, Chartered Structural Engineer and Associate Director, Arup
- Dougal Hargreaves, Professor of Paediatrics and Population Health, Imperial College London
- Sonya Krutikova, Professor of Economics, University of Manchester, and Deputy Research Director, Institute for Fiscal Studies
- Rose Luckin, FRSA, Professor Emerita of Learner Centred Design at University College London
- Amy Orben, Programme Leader of the Digital Mental Health Research Programme, MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge
- Paul Ramchandani, LEGO Professor of Play in Education, Learning and Development, University of Cambridge
- Michael J Reiss, Professor of Science Education at the Institute of Education, University of London and University College London
SAC meetings are attended by the Department for Education Chief Scientific Adviser Russell Viner, a DfE non-executive board member and other officials as required.
Members of SAC must declare any significant political activity, and this is detailed in the register of interests, which will be published in due course.
Terms of reference
It is within SAC’s responsibility to:
- provide independent scientific advice to DfE on matters relevant to its policy development and delivery
- support the work of DfE’s CSA by acting as a forum for the discussion of science and technology within DfE
- identify and share relevant emerging scientific or technological advances or trends with relevant DfE officials
- facilitate effective links between DfE, the wider scientific community, stakeholder groups
SAC members may suggest areas of work, but SAC will only work on topics with the agreement of DfE CSA.
Members
Members are expected to attend quarterly plenary meetings and contribute to short turnaround requests where possible. DfE may also request advice from SAC on an ad hoc basis or in emergencies. As well as responding to incoming work, members should proactively share their ideas and knowledge where they consider it will add value.
Members are appointed by DfE CSA following a fair and open competition. They will be appointed for a 3-year term and may be reappointed a maximum of twice, to serve on SAC for up to 9 years in total. SAC members will not be remunerated for their time, but are able to claim reasonable travel and subsistence costs in alignment with DfE policy for non-civil servants. The annual time commitment will be up to 8 days. Members should abide by The Seven Principles of Public Life and are expected to declare any potential conflicts of interests.
Chair and deputy chair
The same expectations apply to the chair and deputy chair. Additionally, the chair is responsible for ensuring that SAC’s aims are being met and working with the SAC secretariat and the CSA to structure SAC’s workplan.
The chair is responsible for chairing quarterly SAC meetings and working with the CSA to shape the strategic direction of SAC’s work. The chair may also be consulted by the secretariat to ensure that the balance of member skills is appropriate for any of the SAC’s tasks.
The deputy chair supports the work of the chair and acts as chair in the event of their absence.
The chair and deputy chair are appointed by the DfE CSA following a fair and open competition. They are appointed for a 3-year term and may be reappointed once. The chair and deputy chair will not be remunerated for their time, but will be able to claim reasonable travel and subsistence costs in alignment with DfE policy for non-civil servants. The annual time commitment will be up to 10 days.
Meetings
Plenary meetings will be held quarterly and include attendance by the DfE CSA, a DfE non-executive board member and other relevant DfE officials. Smaller, task-relevant meetings and workshops will occur as needed in response to departmental requests and needs. Where appropriate, senior officials from DfE and its agencies will attend SAC meetings.
Outputs and publications
DfE SAC’s outputs may include programmes of work, meeting agendas, minutes and reports on specific topics. These will be made publicly available where possible.
Governance
DfE SAC operates in accordance with the Government Office for Science’s Code of Practice on Scientific Advisory Committees. SAC reports to the DfE CSA.
Secretariat
DfE officials provide the secretariat function to SAC. The secretariat is the first point of contact for the chair and members of SAC. It develops SAC’s workplan with the CSA and SAC chair, by aligning commissions from DfE officials, suggestions from SAC members, and departmental priorities. The secretariat is responsible for compiling a register of interests for SAC members.
Sub-groups
SAC may establish time-limited sub-groups in relation to emergencies, or to carry out in-depth studies and other pieces of work. These will usually be chaired by a member of SAC. Sub-groups may also include co-opted members to provide appropriate expertise. The secretariat for sub-groups will usually be held by relevant policy teams rather than by the core SAC secretariat.
Minutes
Minutes of plenary meetings are available: