New education secretary pledges to listen to sector

New education secretary Nadhim Zahawi has written an open letter to the education sector, pledging to listen to teachers, beat Covid and improve chances for vulnerable and disadvantaged pupils.

Zahawi was responsible for the Covid vaccines roll-out and has worked at the Department for Education before as children’s minister from January 2018 to July 2019.

Born in Baghdad, Iraq, Zahawi was privately educated in England. He is believed to be the first ever non-white education secretary.

Zahawi's open letter to the sector made a number of pledges, including supporting every child and learner to achieve academic excellence and skills that lead to brilliant jobs, as well as transforming the lives of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged, including those with special educational needs and disabilities and in care. He has also committed to ensuring that those who have lost the most from the pandemic can recover and flourish.

The letter said: "My commitment is to pursue and support excellence for every child and every learner. That means academic excellence and skills that lead to brilliant jobs; but also the surrounding support and care that allow every child to take advantage of those opportunities and make the most of them.

"I will listen to you and work with you to make sure we do right by children and learners. And, with you, I will also listen to children, families, young people and adult learners so that we can spread opportunity far and wide.

"With your help, we are going to invest in and keep strengthening our nurseries and schools, the foundation stone of everyone’s opportunities in life.

"With your help, and with employers, we are going to make changes to post-16 education and training, and maintain our world-class higher education system, which will transform individual life-chances, but also power our economy and make us ever more prosperous.

"With your help, we are going to transform the lives of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged, including those with special educational needs and disabilities and in care, and ensure that those who have lost the most from the pandemic can recover and flourish, and that prosperity benefits all.

"It is a mission I am proud to set out on; and one I know will not succeed unless we can work together. Together, we will beat covid, while building back better and fairer.

"I will be meeting as many of you as possible in the coming months, so that I can hear from you about your work, your plans for the future, and how we can unlock the potential of the nation together."