Education Sector Action Group (ESAG)

The Education Sector Action Group (ESAG) is chaired by ministers and will provide strategic oversight on the delivery of the UK’s International Education Strategy.

Terms of reference

Purpose

ESAG brings together industry, government and representatives from across the education sector to tackle  concerns and identify opportunities for partnerships.

The education sector will be central to the successful delivery of the Strategy through sector action plans, to be developed and published within the first 100 days of the inaugural ESAG meeting.

Remit

The UK’s International Education Strategy is built around 3 core ambitions: 

  1. To increase the UK’s international standing through education and make the UK the global partner of choice at every stage of learning – a system trusted to deliver excellence and opportunity wherever it operates.

  2. To continue to sustainably recruit high-quality international students from a diverse range of countries, helping them become global changemakers and lifelong advocates for UK values.

  3. Sets a bold ambition for the UK’s thriving education sector: to collectively grow education exports to £40 billion per year by 2030.

ESAG core members will lead development of sector actions plans (SAPs) with the support of advisers within the first 100 days of the inaugural ESAG meeting.

As well as this, the group’s responsibilities are to:

  • provide strategic advice to support the implementation of the UK’s International Education Strategy 2026, including supporting government in developing updates to the strategy as part of the annual review processes

  • identify opportunities for institutional growth, national and international expansion, and the improvement of UK education exports

  • identify and advise on issues of concern relating to international education within the sector

  • offer insights into emerging global trends impacting international education

  • act as a forum for sharing ideas and best practice

  • represent the interests of the education sector across the entire UK and create a coordinated response for large-scale international education opportunities, such as the redevelopment of national education strategies

  • work collaboratively with the UK’s International Education Champion to enhance the reputation of the UK education sector

The group will also provide advice to government and each other on areas including:

  • communicating the UK’s international education offer

  • the development of the UK supply chain for international opportunities

  • targeted activities to respond to the international demand for UK education

  • country and regional priorities

Education sector roles in ESAG

Core members: criteria, role and expectations

The criteria for being a core member is to:

  • represent their sector fairly and equally

  • attend ESAG meetings and engage proactively and fully across their sector to inform ESAG meetings and take forward emerging actions

  • meet due diligence and good practice requirements

The role of a core member is to:

  • be the lead spokesperson at ESAG meetings for an education subsector group of advisers

  • consider and confirm advisers for their sector

  • set up subsector working group meetings with advisers, as required, in good time to respond to asks of ESAG; representing the views of the whole subsector

  • attend all ESAG meetings

  • lead the development of sector action plans within the first 100 days of the inaugural ESAG meeting, in collaboration with advisers

  • track delivery of sector action plans in collaboration with advisers

  • report progress on delivery of sector actions plans to ESAG as required on behalf of the sector and advisers

Advisers: criteria and role

The criteria for being an adviser is to:

  • support ESAG and their core member representative with expertise and knowledge

  • commit to work with the core member to develop sector action plans, and to report progress, through the core member, to ESAG meetings

  • commit to attend ESAG meetings as required (likely when agendas focus on specific sectors)

Company representatives will be brought into meetings from time to time for their market insight, including any market access barriers they face.

The role of an adviser is to:

  • attend subgroup meetings organised by the core member

  • attend ESAG meetings when required and requested by the core member

  • contribute to the development of sector action plans in collaboration with the core members, within the first 100 days of the inaugural ESAG meeting

  • deliver delegated elements of the sector action plans

  • report progress on delivery of the sector actions plans to the core member in advance of ESAG meetings and as required

Selection of members to the ESAG will be based on keeping numbers to a minimum whilst making it the most effective group it can be.

Membership

Core ESAG members are:

  • Chair, UK Skills Partnership

  • Chief Executive, Early Years Alliance

  • Chief Executive, National Association for Special Educational Needs (NASEN)

  • Director, Universities UK International (UUKi)

  • Deputy Director General, British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA)

  • Chief Executive, English UK

  • CEO, Independent Schools Council (ISC)

Adviser ESAG members are:

  • Association of British Schools Overseas (AoBSO) 

  • Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) 

  • British Association of Independent Schools with International Students (BAISIS)

  • British Council 

  • British Education Travel Association (BETA) 

  • Cambridge University Press Assessment (CUPA) 

  • Council of British International Schools (COBIS) 

  • ECCTIS

  • IDP 

  • Independent Higher Education 

  • Pearson 

  • Quality Assurance Agency 

  • Study Group/Destination for Education 

  • Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) 

  • UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA)

ESAG Government Representatives

International Education Champion

Professor Sir Steve Smith

Cross-government departments

  • Department for Business and Trade (DBT)

  • Department for Education (DfE)

  • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)

Devolved governments

  • Northern Ireland

  • Scotland

  • Wales

Additional government departments

  • Cabinet Office

  • Home Office/UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI)

  • Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT)

  • Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)

Meeting dates

The group meets 3 times per year.

Minutes

Read the latest.

Secretariat

The DBT minister responsible for the education sector, the DfE Skills Minister and the FCDO International Development Minster co-chair the Education Sector Action Group. Ministers have discretion when deciding the logistics of sharing the chair.

The secretariat is provided by the DBT’s International Education Team.

Contents