Transparency data

Board meeting: 11 February 2026

Updated 2 June 2026

Applies to England

Attendees and presenters

Member attendees

• Rt Hon Bridget Phillipson MP – Secretary of State for Education
• Rt Hon Baroness Smith – Minister for Skills
• Sir Kevan Collins – Lead Non-executive Board Member
• Stuart McMinnies – Non-executive Board Member
• Margaret Casely-Hayford – Non-executive Board Member
• Rebecca George – Non-executive Board Member
• Naomi Eisenstadt – Non-executive Board Member
• Steve Crocker – Non-executive Board Member
• Susan Acland-Hood – Permanent Secretary
• Jane Cunliffe – Chief Operating Officer
• Tony Foot – Director General, Strategy Group

Presenters

• Warwick Sharp – Director, Strategy and Delivery
• Alice Lakeman – Deputy Director, Central Strategic Finance
• Helen Lund – Deputy Director, Strategy Unit
• Kay Graham – Deputy Director, Strategy Unit
• Claire Hughes – Strategy Unit
• Helen Waite – Deputy Director, Family Support Division
• Jonathan Bacon – Deputy Director, Foster Care Policy
• David Greedus – Foster Care Policy
• Gemma Peck – Director, Skills Strategy

Other attendees

• Julia Kinniburgh – Director General, Schools
• Sinead O’Sullivan – Interim Director General, Skills
• Tim Coulson – Director General, Regions
• Gila Sacks – Director General, Families
• Graeme Henderson – Principal Private Secretary to the Secretary of State
• Vikki Forsyth – Board Secretary
• Lynne Brumpton – Corporate Governance Manager

Apologies

• Sir Peter Bazalgette – Non-executive Board Member
• Anne Spinali – Director, Strategic Finance

1. Introduction, minutes and action tracker

Sir Kevan Collins took the chair and welcomed members to the meeting. Apologies were noted from Sir Peter Bazalgette and Anne Spinali, for whom Alice Lakeman would deputise in the finance update.

The minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 11 December 2025 were approved as a correct record.

Two board members declared new interests, which would be reflected in the department’s conflict of interests register. 

The board secretary provided an update on the action tracker and board members accepted the recommendation to close all actions.

2. Year ahead 2026 – strategy into delivery

Officials provided board members with a forward look for the year ahead, particularly noting the department’s increased focus on delivery of its commitments.

The Secretary of State joined the meeting at this point and Sir Kevan Collins remained in the chair.

Board members discussed the upcoming delivery milestones, the importance of bringing together strategic work strands around understanding adolescence, and how to present the broader social and economic benefits of this work as well as its benefits to children and parents. Board members noted the need to focus on the top delivery priorities for the upcoming year, while keeping a strategic overview across the bigger picture to ensure overall coherence.

3. Finance update

Board members received an update on the department’s financial position.

Board members discussed management of the admin, capital and programme budgets.

4. Children’s outcomes and local partnership working

Officials provided board members with an overview of a new programme of work exploring children’s outcomes and local partnership working.

Board members discussed the need to clearly prioritise and articulate the department’s asks of local areas, the importance of clearly articulating local areas’ accountability and interventions, the importance of effective feedback loops and identifying what early signals would indicate the strategy was working. Board members noted the need to co-create delivery milestones in partnership with local areas.

5. Renewing Fostering: homes for 10,000 more children

Officials provided an overview of the department’s Renewing Fostering action plan, which had been published on 4th February 2026.

The Secretary of State left the meeting. Sir Kevan Collins continued in the chair.

Baroness Smith joined the meeting.

Board members discussed the need for a strong communications campaign at the right time to grow the number of foster carers. Board members noted the need to focus on understanding and retaining current foster carers as well as recruiting new ones.

6. Post-16 education and skills white paper – pivoting to delivery

Officials provided information on plans to deliver the ambition outlined in the Post-16 education and skills white paper, published on 20th October 2025, and sought board members’ views on how to maintain support from employers, local areas and other government departments as DfE implemented the strategy.

Board members discussed skills needs relevant to other government departments, the importance of young people’s engagement with employers starting early and the need to gain a better understanding of the different routes that young people might take to career destinations.

7. Any other business

Board members were advised that the Audit and Risk Committee (ARC) would undertake the role of receiving and reviewing the annual report on the department’s sustainability and climate-related risk work, as part of ARC’s detailed work on the department’s annual report and accounts. 

Board members were advised that Stuart McMinnies would be the DfE lead for the non-executive director-led internal efficiency review being organised by HM Treasury. The board would be kept updated on this work.  

The meeting concluded at 16:00.