The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) was a

United Kingdom government department The Government of the United Kingdom is divided up into departments. These, according to the government, are responsible for putting government policy into practice. There are currently 23 ministerial departments, 20 non-ministerial departments ...

between 2001 and 2007, responsible for the

education system The educational system generally refers to the structure of all institutions and the opportunities for obtaining education within a country. It includes all pre-school institutions, starting from family education, and/or early childhood education ...

(including higher education and

adult learning Adult education, distinct from child education, is a practice in which adults engage in systematic and sustained self-educating activities in order to gain new forms of knowledge, skills, attitudes, or values. Merriam, Sharan B. & Brockett, Ralp ...

) as well as children's services in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. The department was led by

Secretary of State for Education and Skills The secretary of state for education, also referred to as the education secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, responsible for the work of the Department for Education. The incumbent is a member of the Ca ...

. The DfES had offices at four main locations:

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

(both at the Sanctuary Buildings and Caxton House),

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

(Moorfoot),

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...

(Mowden Hall), and

Runcorn Runcorn is an industrial town and cargo port in the Borough of Halton in Cheshire, England. Its population in 2011 was 61,789. The town is in the southeast of the Liverpool City Region, with Liverpool to the northwest across the River Mersey. ...

(Castle View House). The DfES was also represented in

regional Government Offices Government Offices for the English Regions (GOs) were established in 1994 by the John Major government. Until 2011, they were the primary means by which a wide range of policies and programmes of the Government of the United Kingdom were deliver ...

. The DfES had jurisdiction only in England as education was the responsibility of the Scottish Government,

Welsh Assembly Government Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

and the

Northern Ireland Assembly sco-ulster, Norlin Airlan Assemblie , legislature = 7th Northern Ireland Assembly, Seventh Assembly , coa_pic = File:NI_Assembly.svg , coa_res = 250px , house_type = Unicameralism, Unicameral , hou ...

. On 28 June 2007, the DfES was split up into the

Department for Children, Schools and Families Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) was a department of the UK government, between 2007 and 2010, responsible for issues affecting people in England up to the age of 19, including child protection and education. DCSF was replac ...

(DCSF) and the

Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) was a UK government department created on 28 June 2007 to take over some of the functions of the Department of Education and Skills and of the Department of Trade and Industry. Its h ...

. The DCSF was later reorganised as the

Department for Education The Department for Education (DfE) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for child protection, child services, education (compulsory, further and higher education), apprenticeships and wider skills in England. A Department ...

in 2010.

History

The Department of Education and Science was created in 1964 with the merger of the offices of Minister of Education and the Minister of Science, with Quintin Hogg as minister. In 1992 the responsibility for

science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

was transferred to the

Cabinet Office The Cabinet Office is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for supporting the prime minister and Cabinet. It is composed of various units that support Cabinet committees and which co-ordinate the delivery of government objecti ...

's Office of Public Service and the Department of Trade and Industry's

Office of Science and Technology The Office of Science and Technology (OST), later (briefly) named the Office of Science and Innovation, was a non-ministerial government department of the British government between 1992 and 2007. The office was responsible for co-ordination of ...

, and the department was renamed Department for Education. In 1995, in the reshuffle after the Conservative leadership election of that year, the department merged with the

Department of Employment The Secretary of State for Employment was a position in the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. In 1995 it was merged with Secretary of State for Education to make the Secretary of State for Education and Employment. In 2001 the employment functions ...

to become the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE). After the 2001 general election, the employment functions were transferred to the new

Department for Work and Pensions , type = Department , seal = , logo = Department for Work and Pensions logo.svg , logo_width = 166px , formed = , preceding1 = , jurisdiction = Government of the United Kingdom , headquarters = Caxton House7th Floor6–12 Tothill Stree ...

, with the DfEE becoming the Department for Education and Skills (DfES). In 2007, the responsibilities for adult education,

further education Further education (often abbreviated FE) in the United Kingdom and Ireland is education in addition to that received at secondary school, that is distinct from the higher education (HE) offered in universities and other academic institutions. I ...

, and

higher education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after completi ...

were transferred to the new Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills. The remainder of the education system moved to the DCSF.

Secretaries of State for Education and Skills

Permanent Secretary

The permanent secretary of a UK Department is the senior civil servant. While working under the direction of the political ministers (normally members of the relevant government in the UK, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland), the PS (and other senior civil servants, especially the Finance Director) has many traditional and statutory responsibilities that are aimed at ensuring that government departments are, as far as possible, run in the public interest. Permanent Secretaries: * David Bell: Jan 2006 – Jun 2007 (subsequently PS of DCSF) *Sir

David Normington Sir David John Normington, (born 18 October 1951) is a retired British civil servant. He served as the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Education and Skills from 2001 to 2005, and then of the Home Office until 2011. From 2011 until 2 ...

: May 2001 – Dec 2005 (DfES) *Sir

Michael Bichard Michael George Bichard, Baron Bichard (born 31 January 1947) is a former public servant in the United Kingdom, first in local and then as a civil servant in central government. He was director of the Institute for Government, currently serves a ...

: Jul 1995 – May 2001 (DfES/DfEE) *Sir Timothy Patrick Lankester: Feb 1994 – Jul 1995 (DfE/DfEE) *Sir Geoffrey Holland: Jan 1993 – Jan 1994 (DfE) *Sir John Caines: Jul 1989 – Jan 1993 (DES/DfE) *Sir David Hancock: May 1983 – June 1989 (DES) *Sir James Arnot Hamilton: May 1976 – May 1983 (DES) *Sir William Pile: Aug 1970 – May 1976 (DES)

References

External links

Official Archived WebsiteScience Learning Centres website
The national network of Science Learning Centres provides Continuing Professional Development for everyone involved in science education. The network is a joint initiative by the Department for Education and Skills and the Wellcome Trust. {{DEFAULTSORT:Department For Education And Skills Higher education in the United Kingdom History of education in England Public education in the United Kingdom Education and Skills

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Government agencies established in 2001 Government agencies disestablished in 2007 2001 establishments in the United Kingdom 2007 disestablishments in the United Kingdom

History

Secretaries of State for Education and Skills

Permanent Secretary

See also

References

External links