Policy paper

UK Education Ministers Council Communiqué: 27 January 2022

Updated 26 June 2023

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The UK Education Ministers Council (UKEMC) met on Thursday 27 January by video conference. The meeting was chaired by The Rt Hon Nadhim Zahawi MP, Secretary of State for Education.

The attendees were:

  • from the UK government:
    • The Rt. Hon. Nadhim Zahawi MP, Secretary of State for Education
    • Alex Burghart MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Skills
  • from the Scottish Government:
    • Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills
  • from the Welsh Government:
    • Jeremy Miles AS/MS, Minister for Education and Welsh language
  • from the Northern Ireland Executive:
    • Michelle McIlveen MLA, Minister for Education
    • Heather Cousins, Deputy Permanent Secretary to the Department for the Economy

The Chair opened the meeting by welcoming attendees to the inaugural meeting of the UKEMC, an Education Interministerial Group. He expressed his hope that this new structure would build on the extensive and mutually beneficial engagement that the governments of the UK had enjoyed on education, particularly in relation to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Chair presented the Terms of Reference for the UKEMC, noting that they were developed in alignment with the recently agreed Review of Intergovernmental Relations. The UKEMC agreed to adopt the Terms of Reference and agreed to meet quarterly.

The UKEMC discussed the ongoing response to and recovery from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on education. This included mitigating measures used by education settings in dealing with Omicron, as well as programmes introduced to support education recovery and wellbeing, particularly for those from vulnerable and disadvantaged backgrounds.

Each government then presented its strategic priorities for education which included areas of shared interest such as:

  • the poverty-based attainment gap
  • skills, including lifelong learning
  • supporting learners and families in education through the pandemic

The UKEMC agreed to focus discussion on these priorities at future meetings, as well as for the governments of the UK to continue collaborating on arrangements for qualifications and examinations in 2022.

It was agreed that the Scottish Government would host the next meeting.

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