Nick Gibb is back at the DfE, but not (it seems) in his old role as minister of state for school standards. Given that it was never clear why he was sacked in the first place, there might be some natural justice there. I've no idea where he fits into the conservative party's ideological swamp. Is he right wing, centre back, left back, mid field, ... .
The rest of the team is a mixed bag.
I’d say that the new SoS, Gillian Keegan, suggests a swing towards vocational ed and a baccalaureate style – if the DfE curriculum civil servants (and the usual suspects in Ofqual, Ofsted, the exam boards and the Russell Group) don’t obstruct her of course. I’m not placing any bets just yet.
Baroness Barran survives again as minister for the school and college system.
Kelly Tolhurst is minister for schools and childhood (sic).
Andrea Jenkyns is minister for skills
Jonathan Gullis is minister for school standards (Gibb's old job) and
Robert Halfon (like Nick Gibb) is minister for something undefined. He was chair of the Commons education committee where he used to scrutinise ministers. He's also interested in promoting what is known as the 'skills agenda'.
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