Mr Gibb, who was previously solely responsible for early years and childcare will remain responsible for early education curriculum and teaching quality, and stays as minister of state for school standards.
Ms Ford’s role as a junior minister includes early years policy and childcare, including funding, providers, workforce, children’s centres, home learning environment and childcare entitlements.
Vicky Ford, the MP for Chippenham, was appointed under parliamentary secretary of state for children and families in Boris Johnson's reshuffle last month. Gavin Williamson remains in post as education secretary.
The DfE has now confirmed details of the ministerial portfolios.
Vicky Ford, children and families minister
Responsibilities include:
- children’s social care including system and funding, workforce, child protection, children in care, adoption, care leavers and local authority performance
- special educational needs, including high needs funding
- early years policy and childcare, including funding, providers, workforce, children’s centres, home learning environment and childcare entitlements
- alternative provision
- disadvantage and social mobility (including links to the Social Mobility Commission)
- school food including free school meals
- children and young people’s mental health, online safety and preventing bullying in schools
- policy to protect against serious violence
The other DfE ministers are:
- Michelle Donelan takes on a new portfolio and has been appointed as minister of state for Universities.
- Gillian Keegan has been appointed as the parliamentary under secretary of state for apprenticeships and skills.
- Baroness Berridge has been appointed as parliamentary under secretary of state for the school system.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said, ‘The new ministerial team at the Department for Education will work tirelessly to unleash potential and make the most of people’s talents, whatever their background and wherever they’re from. Working together, we’ll bring a laser-like focus to giving every child the best start in life - supporting families and vulnerable children, further driving up standards in our schools and strengthening our brilliant colleges, further education providers and universities.’
Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of the National Day Nurseries Association, said, 'We welcome Vicky Ford MP as the new children and families minister. We’re pleased that she will be focussing on early years as a distinct stage of children’s education and development.
'This is a crucial time for nurseries and we look forward to working closely with her on issues like funding and sustainability, quality and the workforce crisis the sector is facing.
'Given that she is the fourth minister with this brief since the 2017 General Election, we hope that she will take this opportunity to get to grips with these urgent challenges and shaping the longer term planning which early years deserves. The Government has clear priorities around closing the attainment gap, improving outcomes for children and supporting working families and this is a crucial area of policy for the future.'
Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, said, 'We welcome Vicky Ford to her new position as children and families minister and congratulate her on her new role.
'There is no doubt that these are difficult times for the early years sector, with the ongoing funding crisis, sustained recruitment and retention challenges, and concerns over proposed changes to the EYFS.
'With the early years having seen countless ministers come and go over the past few years, it is vital that the sector now has some stability and consistency, and ministers who are committed to representing the views of the sector in Government, both now and in the future.
'As such, we are pleased to see that schools minister Nick Gibb will retain responsibility for early education curriculum and teaching quality as part of his portfolio, and hope that, working together, he and Ms Ford will actively engage with the sector, listen to the concerns of providers and work in partnership with us to help build and sustain a quality, affordable, sustainable early years sector.'
