The full membership of the House of Commons education committee has been confirmed. Five Conservative MPs, five Labour MPs and one Scottish National Party MP will serve under the chairship of Robert Halfon, the former skills minister. The committee holds the government and its regulators, like Ofsted and Ofqual, to account on policy, administration and spending. In recent years, it has held inquiries into multi-academy trusts, regional schools commissioners, primary testing, school funding and the supply of teachers. Labour announced before the summer that former shadow education secretary Lucy Powell would join committee veteran Ian Mearns and Westminster newbies Emma Hardy, Thelma Walker and James Frith as its representatives on the committee. But the Conservatives took much longer to put forward members, in a move some critics said was aimed at holding up the committee’s work. The full membership has now been confirmed by parliament after a motion passed without debate late last night. Conservatives Lucy Allan, Michele Donelan and former teacher William Wragg, who served on the last committee, will return to the fold in this parliamentary session. They are joined by Trudy Harrison, the Conservative MP for Copeland. Marion Fellows, the committee’s sole SNP MP in the last session, will also serve again. Education committee membership – full list Chair – Robert Halfon, Conservative MP for Harlow, former skills minister Lucy Allan, Conservative MP for Telford, former committee member Michele Donelan, Conservative MP for Chippenham, former committee member Marion Fellows, SNP MP for Motherwell and Wishaw, former committee member James Frith, Labour MP for Bury North Emma Hardy, Labour MP for Hull West and Hessle, former teacher, NUT activist and Schools Week contributor Trudy Harrison, Conservative MP for Copeland Ian Mearns, Labour MP for Gateshead, former committee member Lucy Powell, Labour MP for Manchester Central, former shadow education secretary Thelma Walker, Labour MP for Colne Valley, former headteacher William Wragg, Conservative MP for Hazel Grove, former teacher
12 September 2017 Let’s hope the Committee continue the Committee’s work under Neil Carmichael to discuss the purpose of education. It could also revisit some earlier calls for evidence from the Committee such as the ‘DfE’s use of evidence’ and ‘phonics’.