The Five Questions That Will Define Lucy Powell’s Tenure as Education Secretary

Every incoming Education Secretary arrives with a list of manifesto pledges and ministerial priorities. As Lucy Powell steps into the role of Secretary of State for Education, she is likely to be judged by how she addresses the long-term challenges she inherits as much as the policies she announces. If she is to succeed in the role, then there are five key questions that need to be answered.

1.      How do we educate fewer children with fewer resources?

For decades, governments have focused on creating more school places. Yet in mid-2026, deaths are expected to exceed births in England and Wales, creating negative population growth for the first time in the modern era. Forecasts suggest that England will have approximately 1,150 more primary schools than children to fill them by 2030, the equivalent of seven per cent of primary schools needing to close within a decade and over 34,000 job losses. Helping local areas adapt without stifling competition for places, educational quality or social cohesion will be no easy task. A system designed for growth will now have to respond to demographic decline.

2.      How do we create a SEND system that works?

Demand for SEND provision has risen dramatically over the past decade with more children being identified with complex needs. Parental expectations are increasing alongside this, while specialist provision cannot keep pace. This is accompanied by heightened strain on local authority finances. The greatest challenge for the new Education Secretary is not simply to spend more on SEND but to provide confidence in a system which presently leaves schools overstretched, families frustrated and local authorities financially exposed.

3.      How do we make teaching a career people want to stay in?

No school is better than the quality of their teachers and attracting and retaining excellent practitioners is paramount. The failure to do this is one of the greatest long-term threats to educational standards. While pay matters, it is often less important than professional challenges relating to workload and bureaucratic regulation, school leaders who fail to address behaviour, or frustration around professional autonomy and opportunities for career progression. These are not quick-fixes and need a long-term and strategic approach to attract talented graduates into the profession while retaining excellence already within it.

4.      How should schools respond to AI?

The development of generative AI represents a paradigm shift to which much of the education sector is yet to respond. Does the role of traditional assessment need a substantial revisiting and what changes need to occur to curriculum content in an age where knowledge can be accessed instantly? How can schools ensure that the next generation of workers have the digital literacy that they need as employees and that the national and global economy requires? It is incumbent on the next Education Secretary to help shape this debate and to provide leadership which embraces technological opportunity without abandoning academic rigour.

5.      How do we restore confidence in accountability?

High expectations and professional challenge are the twin pillars of accountability. Yet such systems need to command the confidence of both the profession and the public, as well as be consistent, fair and proportionate in their implementation and consequences. Rather than focus on the merits or otherwise of accountability, the debate needs to shift towards how inspection and regulatory processes can operate in a way that actively promotes genuine school improvements. Looking at best practice from other sectors can ensure rigour and excellence, so that accountability frameworks are trusted by parents, teachers and school leaders alike.

Education has always been a long-term endeavour, though policy is typically shaped by the short-term cycles and rhythms of politics. There will be no shortage of immediate pressures on the Education Secretary, but her success or otherwise will be defined not by the number of new initiatives or announcements coming out of Whitehall but by whether she has the courage and persistence to address the deeper challenges facing our schools: demographic change, SEND, workforce, technology and trust. What schools need most is clarity, stability and a willingness to tackle the underlying issues which determine whether children thrive. The challenges are considerable, but so too are the opportunities.