Olivia Bailey and Josh MacAlister appointed as new education ministers
Olivia Bailey: Minister for Early Education
Olivia Bailey, MP for Reading West and Mid Berkshire, has today been appointed as the new Minister for Early Education, taking over from Stephen Morgan.
Bailey brings extensive political and policy experience to the role. She has served as the Chair of the Labour Women’s Network, deputy General Secretary of the Fabian Society, and as a senior aide to the Prime Minister. More recently, she was PPS to Work and Pensions secretary Liz Kendall.
Josh MacAlister: Children and Families Minister
Josh MacAlister, MP to Whitehaven and Workington was also appointed as the new Children and Families Minister. MacAlister first trained as a teacher and went on to teach citizenship.
Within months of becoming an MP, MacAlister tabled a bill to ban smartphones in schools in October 2024. He has also established Frontline, a graduate social working training programme.
Although the DfE have not published either minister’s lists of responsibilities, our Chief Executive, Tim McLachlan, and Executive Chair, Purnima Tanuku, recently met with Olivia Bailey and look forward to continue working with her.
NDNA Executive Chair, Purnima Tanuku CBE said:
“We welcome the new Early Education Minister Olivia Bailey to her new role and look forward to working with her at this crucial time of change and challenge for nurseries. Many are struggling to meet demand for the 30 hours childcare expansion and now also have the new Ofsted inspection framework to absorb.
“We wish her predecessor Stephen Morgan well in his new role. Stephen was the first Early Education Minister, a title that NDNA campaigned for ahead of the General Election. He really engaged with the sector at a time of great change and challenge, visiting lots of NDNA member nurseries and speaking at our conference.”
Stephen Morgan now moves to the Government Whip’s Office as a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury.
New updates from the DfE
On 16 September, the following changes also took place in the Department for Education and the Department for Work and Pensions:
- Responsibility for apprenticeships, adult further education, skills, training and careers, and Skills England, will move from the Department for Education to the Department for Work and Pensions.
- Responsibility for higher education, and further education, skills, training and careers for those aged 19 years and under will remain with the Department for Education.
- Baroness Smith of Malvern, the Minister for Skills, will serve jointly across the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Education.
- Department for Education
- early education
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