Zahawi new minister beyond exam crisis

'No time to waste' on catch-up funds, head teachers tell Zahawi

Heads' leader call for quick funds to be deployed. With the new education secretary's most important job is to provide more funding and quickly for pupils' recovery from Covid.

Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of the NAHT, said recovery from Covid is the most important challenge for the new sectary of state.

Covid education funding has been the source of major controversy as plans being announced that only involved around a 10th of the funding was available. Rather than what was needed.

Mr Whiteman has said that Mr Zahawi will now need to convince HM Treasury to invest in more catch up. Along with the speed of the deployment we also need more he says.

“There is a long list of pressing matters for the new secretary of state to attend to but none is more important than making sure schools are able to deliver a successful recovery for all pupils, following so many months out of the classroom," Mr Whiteman said.

Covid catch-up funding 'should be Nadhim Zahawi's number one priority'

“The prime minister's promise that no child would be left behind due to learning lost during the pandemic now needs to be delivered. Schools will need a radically more ambitious package of investment from the Treasury in order to get the job done.

“Convincing the chancellor is the key. And whilst there will be many different conflicting priorities at the Treasury this autumn, the case must be made that funding educational recovery is an investment in this country's future, not simply another drain on the nation’s finances. This comes at a time that Gavin Williamson will be remembered for the GCSE and A level chaos over covid. Which although Gavin protested he had no choice with the matter. The debarcle and failure to innovate meant he will go down as the most ineffective minister in living memory.

The previous minister from Williamson was Gove.. Who was although competent was a lot more divisive. He thought of the Eduction sector as the blob. He managed to reform. But failed to bring the industry with him.

While Gavin Williamson’s legacy is remarkably he was one of the few ministers who got the sector together. Just in a way he never imagined.