The Ministry of Education (1944–1964) was a central government department governed by the Minister of Education, with responsibility in England and Wales for:
Promoting the education of people; Developing educational institutions; Developing policy to provide a comprehensive educational service; Securing the effective execution of the education policy by local education authorities
The Ministry of Education was created by the Education Act 1944.
Scottish education was subject to the Education (Scotland) Act 1945 (8 & 9 Geo. 6. c. 37) whereby the Scottish Office, under the Secretary of State for Scotland, undertook similar responsibilities to the Ministry of Education but for Scotland.
Northern Irish education was subject to the Education Act (Northern Ireland) 1947, passed by the Northern Ireland parliament at Stormont, which provided powers to the Minister of Education to:
appoint members of the Northern Ireland Advisory Council for Education appoint additional members of education committees for Northern Ireland local education authorities
History
The Ministry of Education was created by the Education Act 1944 and was preceded by the Board of Education, which had been created by the Board of Education Act 1899. The Ministry of Education lasted twenty years until 1964, when it was merged with the Ministry of Science to create the Department of Education and Science. This reorganisation followed the recommendations of the Robbins Committee on Higher Education.
Ministers The Minister of Education was in charge of the Ministry of Education and was in effect a corporation sole. The following members of Parliament or members of the House of Lords have held the office: -
Colour key (for political parties):
Name Portrait Term of office Length of term Party Prime Minister R. A. Butler 3 August 1944 25 May 1945 Conservative Winston Churchill(War Coalition) Richard Law 25 May 1945 26 July 1945 Conservative Winston Churchill(Caretaker Min.) Ellen Wilkinson 3 August 1945 6 February 1947(died in office) Labour Clement Attlee George Tomlinson 10 February 1947 26 October 1951 Labour Florence Horsbrugh 2 November 1951 18 October 1954 Conservative Sir Winston Churchill David Eccles 18 October 1954 13 January 1957 Conservative Sir Anthony Eden The Viscount Hailsham 13 January 1957 17 September 1957 Conservative Harold Macmillan Geoffrey Lloyd 17 September 1957 14 October 1959 Conservative David Eccles 14 October 1959 13 July 1962 Conservative Sir Edward Boyle, Bt 13 July 1962 1 April 1964 Conservative Sir Alec Douglas-Home
Parliamentary Secretaries The Minister of Education could appoint a Parliamentary Secretary who was the junior minister in the Ministry of Education albeit still a political appointment. The following members of Parliament have held the office: -
Colour key (for political parties):
Name Portrait Term of office Length of term Party Minister of Education James Chuter Ede 13 August 1944 23 May 1945 Labour R. A. Butler Thelma Cazalet-Keir 26 May 1945 26 July 1945 Conservative Richard Law Arthur Jenkins 4 August 1945 30 October 1945 Labour Ellen WilkinsonDavid Hardman30 October 194526 October 1951LabourGeorge Tomlinson Kenneth Pickthorn 5 November 1951 18 October 1954 Conservative Florence HorsbrughDennis Vosper 18 October 1954 13 January 1957 Conservative David Eccles Sir Edward Boyle 18 January 1957 14 October 1959 Conservative The Viscount Hailsham Geoffrey LloydKenneth Thompson 22 October 1959 13 July 1962 Conservative David EcclesChristopher Chataway 16 July 1962 1 April 1964 Conservative Sir Edward Boyle, Bt
Civil Service The administration of the Ministry of Education was undertaken by the civil service under the leadership of the Permanent Secretary of Education.
Name Term of office Sir Maurice G. Holmes, G.B.E., K.C.B. 1944 1945 Lord Redcliffe-Maud, G.C.B., C.B.E. 1945 1952 Sir Gilbert N. Flemming, K.C.B. 1952 1959 Dame Mary Smieton, D.B.E. 1959 1963 Sir G. Herbert Andrew, K.C.M.G., C.B. 1963 1964
Organisation The Ministry of Education was organised into branches which were constantly re-organised over the twenty years of the ministry, but the following list is of the branches which have existed at one time or another: - +BranchResponsibility forTeachers BranchTeacher recruitment (including qualification criteria & entrance exams) and teacher training through specialist teacher training colleges ensuring an adequate supply of teachers. Medical BranchSchool clinics & nurses for medical treatment of children and provision of school meals and milk for those in nutritional needSpecial Services BranchSpecial education services for blind, deaf, handicapped (physical & mental), epileptic, maladjusted and delicate childrenInformation BranchDistribution of information to educators, institutions and local education authorities through means such as circulars and memorandum External Relations BranchDistribution of information to the general public including films, exhibitions at conferences, liaising with the press, publications and ministerial briefings for announcements in parliament & press interviews.Further Education BranchProvision of further education including evening institutes, juvenile instruction centres, short courses, books needed at public libraries, residential colleges, polytechnics, vocational courses, agricultural colleges, sports, arts etc. etc. This branch was later sub-divided into the University Branch and Adult Education and Youth services BranchesFinance BranchExpenditure, accountancy & budget estimates which gave the branch considerable influence over the formulation and execution of policySchools BranchInterpretation of the Education Act 1944 was subject to 'precedents' from a body of knowledge and previous decisions by at least Assistant Secretary or the Legal Branch.Architects and Building BranchBuilding of school & educational institute premises including policy, building regulations, internal fittings, planning requirements, equipment etc.Awards BranchFor aid and grants to students through state scholarships and local education authority awards. Financial assistance was extended to those in universities, with particular emphasis on scientific scholarships.InspectorateSeparate inspectorates existed for England and Wales. The inspectorate carried out compulsory inspections of schools and educational institutes and reported deficiencies requiring remediation. In addition policy was reviewed & revised through panels from reports and surveys from the inspectorate. Welsh DepartmentSpecial considerations for Welsh schools including the Welsh language and low population rural schoolsLegal BranchDecisions on how acts of parliament should be interpreted. This is for uncertain cases, whereas the Schools Branch deflected cases where a precedent already existed. Legal opinions were given by the Law Officers of the Crown ( Attorney General and the Solicitor General) in response to enquiries concerning points of law.UNESCO BranchEngagement with United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)Salaries BranchSalary scales for teachersEstablishments BranchMinistry of Education staff and Inspectorate concerning changes in office procedure or organization, promotions, allowances and formation of new committees. Effectively equivalent to a modern day HR departmentStatistics BranchThe collection and presentation of statistics such as the level of supply of teachers, appraising shortages of, for example, science and technology graduates, numbers of immigrant pupils etc.Research and Intelligence BranchKeeping ministers informed of educational research and identified areas of promise. It grant-aided and commissioned research from universities using a fund but did not undertake any research itself. Additional funds were set aside for bodies such as the Central Advisory Councils for Education in England and Wales, the National Foundation for Educational Research, the Curriculum Study Group and, initially, the Schools Council.
Central Advisory Councils for Education The Education Act 1944 set-up two Central Advisory Councils for Education, one for England and one for Wales. The Minister of Education appointed the members of each council which were mainly made-up of: -
Senior and experienced educators in the public education system (e.g. a senior experienced & highly qualified nursery nurse) Scholars in the theories of learning who were often university professors
The Ministry of Education provided secretaries to the councils and funded their time, the Minister appointed the chairmen of the councils.
The councils advised the minister on questions raised by the minister or issues identified by the councils.
The advice was either made public through published reports or kept confidentially within the ministry.
See also Education Career and technical education
References
External links A timeline of education in England