Kit Malthouse is announced as Education Secretary – Sector Reaction

Kit Malthouse has been announced as Education Secretary as a part of the new cabinet after Liz Truss was announced as the new Prime Minister.

Kit Malthouse’s Background

Kit’s full name is Christopher Laurie Malthouse. He trained to be a chartered accountant at Touche Ross & Company, qualifying in 1995. He then left and worked as Finance Director of the Cannock Group. He led the management buyout of the part of that group called County Holdings and became chairman of the company.

Kit is a chartered accountant by background. He trained to be a chartered accountant at Touche Ross & Company in 1995. He was also Chair of County Holdings.

Education

Kit attended Sudley County Primary school and then Liverpool College before studying Politics and Economics at Newcastle University.

Political career

• Kit was a councilor on Westminster Council from 1998 to 2006.
• He was a member of the London Assembly from 2008 to 2016. He served as Deputy Mayor for Policing 2008 to 2012 and Deputy Mayor for Business and Enterprise from 2012 to 2015.
• In May 2015, he was elected as Conservative MP for North West Hampshire.
• He was previously Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Family Support, Housing and Child Maintenance at the Department of Work and Pensions from 9 January 2018 to 9 July 2018.
• He was previously Minister of State for Housing from 9 July 2018 to 25 July 2019.
• He was Minister of State in the Home Office and Ministry of Justice from 14 February 2020 to 7 July 2022, and Minister of State (Minister of State for Crime, Policing and the Fire Service) for the Home Office from 25 July 2019 to 14 February 2020.
• Kit was Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster between 7 July 2022 and 6 September 2022.

Career outside politics

Kit is a chartered accountant, founding a midlands-based finance company, which he now chairs (County Holdings).

Personal life

Kit is married with 3 children.

Sector Response

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said:

“We welcome Kit Malthouse to the role of Education Secretary, the fourth person to hold this post this year. The critical and urgent issue that he must address is the dire funding situation facing schools and colleges, as a result of soaring energy bills and pay awards for which there is no additional government funding. This situation will result in cuts to educational provision unless the government provides urgent financial assistance. We look forward to the Prime Minister’s anticipated announcement on energy prices and very much hope these measures will include schools and colleges. But this will not solve the education funding crisis on its own and more support will be needed.

“The other critical issue is a severe and widespread shortage of teachers. The new Education Secretary has to work with the education sector to improve not only graduate recruitment but the retention of staff. Far too many teachers currently leave the profession early in their careers.

“Funding and teacher supply directly affect the outcomes and life chances of children and young people. They are the essential resources upon which every other ambition and goal relies. Rhetoric and white papers will not improve attainment and social mobility without these prerequisites. We urge the new Education Secretary to focus on what really matters rather than the policy gimmicks and political posturing which often emanate from the government.”

Bill Watkin, Chief Executive of the Sixth Form Colleges Association said:

“The Sixth Form Colleges Association looks forward to working with the new Prime Minister, Liz Truss, and Secretary of State for Education, Kit Malthouse, to ensure that every sixth form student in England receives a word class education. There are some major issues to address including: funding levels in the face of inflation and increased costs, recruitment in the face of teacher and support staff shortages, the future role of applied general qualifications, and the implications of colleges moving to the public sector alongside growing interest in academisation.

“Every single sixth form college has been judged by Ofsted to be good or outstanding; colleges have an established tradition of excellent student outcomes and destinations, they have experience and expertise in governance and finance, and they are working effectively with families of local schools and universities. The sector has a great deal to offer and we’ll be doing everything we can to ensure that the new administration recognises this, and provides colleges with the support and resources they need to deliver the very best education for students.”

Kevin Courtney, Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union, said: 

“We welcome Kit Malthouse to his new role as Education Secretary.

‘This is one of the most important jobs in Government though you wouldn’t think so given the way the role has been treated as an afterthought in recent years. In the past 8 years we have had nine Education Secretary’s. 

Children and young people are paying the price for this constant upheaval and the lack of grip and understanding on the many issues facing the education service. These include the chronic underfunding of our schools and the immediate issue of how schools will weather the cost-of-living crisis and pay their gas and electricity bills, teacher pay, workload, teacher recruitment and retention and rising levels of child poverty.

‘The Education Secretary cannot ignore the problems. Our current education system is on its knees despite the huge efforts of school, leaders, teachers and support staff to plaster over the cracks. There needs to be a determination from Government to set them right to ensure every child and young person gets the education they deserve.  The new Secretary of State will only deliver workable solutions by listening to and working with the profession, students and parents.  

‘We look forward to meeting and working with Kit Malthouse on the now long list of major flaws and issues in our school and college system”.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said:

“We welcome Kit Malthouse to the role of Education Secretary.

“He is starting his role at a critical time. School costs have sky-rocketed and staff morale has plummeted. The disadvantage gap is at a 10-year high, whilst recruitment to teacher-training falls towards a 10-year low. To put education back on an even-keel will require sharp-elbows in securing emergency funding from Treasury. But it will also require a willingness to listen to and work with the teaching profession, to achieve our shared goal of improving life-chances for all. Right now, the stakes could not be higher.

“Schools need investment not cuts in order to repair the damage done to pupils by the pandemic. Just like households and businesses, schools have been hit hard by rising costs – in particular energy. Our members are reporting new energy bills of hundreds of thousands of pounds – more than 300% increases in many cases. These and other rising costs were not budgeted for when the government set schools’ funding for the year, and school leaders being forced to make impossible decisions on what to cut in order to keep the lights on. The new Secretary of State’s immediate priority must be to secure financial support for schools before they are forced into making further damaging cuts.”

Jane Hickie, AELP Chief Executive:

“On behalf of AELP, I would like to offer my warm congratulations to Kit Malthouse MP on his appointment as Secretary of State for Education. This is one of the most important roles in government- our economic prosperity is reliant on great education- from early years right through to lifelong learning. I look forward to speaking to Kit and his team about the critical role which training providers play in delivering all kinds of post-16 education- including 7 in 10 apprenticeships, the majority of traineeships, skills bootcamps, a wide range of adult education and more.

Our sector is raring to support the government’s vision for a world class skills system- but this will only be achievable with a strong and well-funded skills sector. The new Secretary of State must support learners, employers and providers by urgently tackling the impact of inflation on the sector. Many training providers are struggling with the effects of rising costs, and we would urge him to look at what his department can do to ensure the skills sector is put on a sustainable footing, so providers can continue doing what they do best- delivering high quality training for learners and employers across the country.”

Baker Dearing Educational Trust chief executive Simon Connell said:

“We welcome Liz Truss as the new prime minister and Kit Malthouse’s appointment as Education Secretary. They will both have to knuckle down as schools, including our network of around 50 University Technical Colleges, are facing serious challenges. Spiralling costs, issues around delivering T-levels, and the ongoing reforms to pre-16 education are all taking their toll on educators’ time, resources, and stress levels.

“If we are to build an ‘Aspiration Nation,’ with high-paying jobs making best use of the country’s huge reserves of talent, we must open peoples’ eyes to the benefits of technical education. That means more encounters between employers and school pupils, and bringing technical subjects back into the curriculum.

“It also means promoting the existing technical education routes for young people, including the University Technical Colleges across the country.

“We look forward to working with Liz Truss and Kit Malthouse to achieve these important goals and Get Britain Working.”

Mark Cameron OBE, CEO, The 5% Club said,

“We look forward to working with the New Prime Minister, Rt Hon Liz Truss MP, and the new Secretary of State for Education, Kit Malthouse MP.

“Following a late spring and summer of changes, we hope this new Government can provide some relative stability and, alongside the resolution of the huge challenges facing the UK in the current global environment, are able to focus on optimising the skills system to provide opportunity for all, irrespective of their personal characteristics, geographic location, or background. In so doing, this will deliver and sustain change, drive the necessary improvements in productivity and the economy, and really deliver a Britain that works.”

Matthew Robinson, Commercial Director, Lifetime, said:

“First and foremost, we are hoping for a period of stability in the apprenticeship sector. In the five years since the apprenticeship levy was introduced, we have seen further significant reforms with the introduction of standards, and of course the disruptions of Brexit and COVID-19.

“The cost-of-living crisis will be just as disruptive and challenging for all of us, but we anticipate it will highlight the value of apprenticeships for learners, employers and wider society. To weather these storms, we hope that Kit Malthouse MP and Andrea Jenkyns MP will ensure that the Government maintains the same, if not more, investment in raising the profile of apprenticeships at all levels as a career development route – one which provides genuine democracy of opportunity.”