The Ministry of Education (1944-1964) was a central government department governed by the Minister of Education, with responsibility in

England and Wales England and Wales () is one of the three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. The substantive law of the jurisdiction is En ...

for: # Promoting the education of people; # Developing educational institutions; # Developing

policy Policy is a deliberate system of guidelines to guide decisions and achieve rational outcomes. A policy is a statement of intent and is implemented as a procedure or protocol. Policies are generally adopted by a governance body within an orga ...

to provide a comprehensive educational service; # Securing the effective execution of the education policy by

local education authorities Local education authorities (LEAs) were local councils in England that are responsible for education within their jurisdiction. The term was used to identify which council (district or county) is locally responsible for education in a system wi ...

The Ministry of Education was created by the

Education Act 1944 The Education Act 1944 (7 and 8 Geo 6 c. 31) made major changes in the provision and governance of secondary schools in England and Wales. It is also known as the "Butler Act" after the President of the Board of Education, R. A. Butler. Historians ...

Scottish education Education in Scotland is overseen by the Scottish Government and its executive agency Education Scotland. Education in Scotland has a history of universal provision of public education, and the Scottish education system is distinctly differe ...

was subject to the Education (Scotland) Act 1945 whereby the Scottish Office, under the

Secretary of State for Scotland The secretary of state for Scotland ( gd, Rùnaire Stàite na h-Alba; sco, Secretar o State fir Scotland), also referred to as the Scottish secretary, is a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), secretary of state in the Government of the Unit ...

, undertook similar responsibilities to the Ministry of Education but for Scotland. Northern Irish education was subject to the Education Act (Northern Ireland) 1947, passed by the Northern Ireland parliament at Stormont, which provided powers to the Minister of Education to: * appoint members of the Northern Ireland Advisory Council for Education * appoint additional members of education committees for Northern Ireland local education authorities

History

The Ministry of Education was created by the

and was preceded by the Board of Education, which had been created by the Board of Education Act 1899. The Ministry of Education lasted twenty years until 1964, when it was merged with the

Ministry of Science A Science Ministry or Department of Science is a ministry or other government agency charged with science. The ministry is often headed by a Minister for Science. List of Ministries of Science Many countries have a Ministry of Science or Ministry ...

to create the Department of Education and Science. This reorganisation followed the recommendations of the Robbins Committee on Higher Education.

Ministers

The Minister of Education was in charge of the Ministry of Education and was in effect a corporation sole. The following

members of parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

or members of the

house of lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminst ...

have held the office: - Colour key (for political parties):

Parliamentary Secretaries

The Minister of Education could appoint a Parliamentary Secretary who was the junior minister in the Ministry of Education albeit still a political appointment. The following

have held the office: - Colour key (for political parties):

Civil Service

The administration of the Ministry of Education was undertaken by the civil service under the leadership of the

Permanent Secretary A permanent secretary (also known as a principal secretary) is the most senior civil servant of a department or ministry charged with running the department or ministry's day-to-day activities. Permanent secretaries are the non-political civil ...

of Education.

Organisation

The Ministry of Education was organised into branches which were constantly re-organised over the twenty years of the ministry, but the following list is of the branches which have existed at one time or another: -

Central Advisory Councils for Education

The Education Act 1944 set-up two Central Advisory Councils for Education, one for England and one for Wales. The Minister of Education appointed the members of each council which were mainly made-up of: - * Senior and experienced educators in the public education system (e.g. a senior experienced & highly qualified nursery nurse) * Scholars in the theories of learning who were often university professors The Ministry of Education provided secretaries to the councils and funded their time, The Minister appointed the chairmen of the councils The councils advised the minister on questions raised by the minister or issues identified by the councils The advise was either made public through published reports or kept confidentially within the ministry

References

{{Reflist

External links

A timeline of education in England
Education, Ministry of

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 ...

United Kingdom, Education 1944 establishments in the United Kingdom 1964 disestablishments in the United Kingdom