Bridget Phillipson’s First Year as Education Secretary

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What impact has Bridget Phillipson had on the teaching profession?

Since July 2024, Phillipson has launched what she describes as a “reset” in the relationship between teachers and government. With a focus on teacher recruitment, SEND support and Ofsted reform, has the profession seen a meaningful shift?

Resetting trust with the profession

In her opening communications, Phillipson sought to reset and rebuild relations with teachers, unions, and leaders—stressing respect and collaboration as vital starting points.

For most teachers I work with, the shift in tone alone offered much-needed relief—VAT debates aside.

Phillipson relaunched major campaigns with targets to improve teacher recruitment – 6,500 new teachers across parliament, alongside FE staff – backed by refreshed incentives. A £1.7 million SEND “lending libraries” pilot was introduced, delivering tools like reading pens and iPads to ~4,000 schools—promising improved behaviour and inclusion.

Two key announcements may shape Phillipson’s legacy: curriculum reform and a new approach to inspection. The goal? Less pressure on schools through more transparent and useful reporting for parents. But asking an underfunded watchdog to assess 40 criteria in a one-day visit remains flawed. Headteachers are rightly sceptical, while Ofsted defends the shift with cherry-picked surveys. This, despite the answer staring right in front of them.

Professor Becky Francis (hurrah)  was appointed to conduct a formal review of curriculum and assessment, meanwhile the Department for Education paused Latin grants to redirect funding into wider teaching and curriculum support.

At the Bett Show in January 2025, Phillipson unveiled a “digital revolution” agenda—promoting AI and ed‑tech to reduce workload, support teaching quality, and enhance pupil outcomes. Generative AI guidance has (only just) followed, but it’s new territory for us all, with schools left to decipher much of it alone.

In the last 12 months we’ve seen teacher pay rises, although FE and support staff remain underpaid and under-appreciated. Major reform also includes the Children’s WellBeing and Schools Bill aims to improve provision for safeguarding children and improving regulation of care. The bill currently sits with the House of Lords and is due for a third reading before reaching royal approval. The aims include expanded breakfast clubs and wraparound care to ease pressure on staff and families.

Of course, they are the usual partnerships with external providers, various key announcements in the FE and apprenticeship sector, blending education, social care, and innovation—integrating teaching into broader societal infrastructure as part of Labour’s opportunity mission. Big reforms bring about big risks …

Sticking Points

While it’s funding teacher recruitment and mental health, the 20% VAT has sparked concerns, projected to raise ~£1.5 bn by 2028–29 in the King’s speech. Independent schools warn of closures, reduced bursaries, and a rush into state sectors—pressuring budgets – with critics questioning whether state schools can absorb SEND or niche pupils displaced by VAT-affected private schools. Critics fear state schools can’t absorb a potential influx of displaced SEND pupils, especially without added capacity.

Having read the Independent School Council’s (ISC) annual report, international student numbers have fallen by 2.6% since last year  pupil numbers across the board are down: by nearly 11,000. The sharpest fall has been in the main intake years 3 and 7, with overall fee assistance increasing from 11%, up by 6%.

Into more difficult territory, Ofsted reforms and workload demands on teachers are forever present. The largest unions have asked school leaders who are inspectors to step back from inspection – that’s never going to work! The additional income and the opportunity to further one’s career inside the inspection process is too much for individuals to give up for the collective benefit.

Unions argue the multi-pillar framework could increase inspection burden, not reduce it—risking workload and wellbeing. To make matters worse, Ofsted recently announced they would appoint specialists to each inspection. Laughable!

People getting in the way?

Finally, the bigwigs can’t stay away. Recently appointed to the House of Lords(!), Amanda Spielman warned that empowering local authorities and standardising academy pay/conditions threatens performance and undermines freedom and rigour. Michel Gove chipped in too, and I’m sure Wilshaw won’t be too far behind either! I don’t know about you, but working in the state system, maintained and academy, I didn’t feel freer in my leadership role.

Meanwhile, has anyone seen what Gavin Williamson has been up to since he got his gong for services to education?

All in all, Bridget Phillipson’s first year has been bold: from digital tools to welcomed pay rises. But VAT politics, SEND reform and Ofsted inspection pressures will continue to cloud the path ahead.

Like any teacher starting their second year in the classroom, next year will hinge on balancing aspiration vs. capacity.

Image credit: Kier Starmer MP (Flickr/iStock)

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