Gyimah remains childcare and education minister

Mr Gyimah will continue with the role that he held in the previous coalition Government, but will take on a wider remit within the Department for Education.

The MP for East Surrey revealed that he would be staying on via his Twitter account, saying, ‘Delighted to be re-appointed as Childcare and Education Minister with broader responsibilities within Department for Education.’

However, it is not yet clear what the wider responsibilities of the role will include.

Yesterday the Prime Minister, who has been carrying out a Cabinet reshuffle, confirmed that Nicky Morgan would continue in her previous role as Education Secretary.

Further jobs within the DfE have yet to be announced by the Prime Minister.

Today Mr Cameron held the first Cabinet meeting of the new Conservative Government, reiterating a commitment to keep the party’s manifesto pledges, which include 30 hours of funded childcare for the working parents of three-and four-year-olds and a review of early years funding.

Commenting on Mr Gyimah’s appointment, Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Pre-school Learning Alliance, said, ‘With the Government set to proceed with its pledge to extend the free entitlement offer for three- and four-year-olds to 30 hours, it’s now vital that the Department for Education engages fully with the sector to ensure that the plans are properly funded, and we look forward to working closely with Mr Gyimah on the implementation of a full and comprehensive review of the funding rates, as promised pre-election.’

‘Given the Government’s recent shift towards a more formal, “schoolified” early years sector, we also hope that Mr Gyimah will welcome and encourage open and honest conversation with the sector on the best approach to early years provisions, and work collaboratively with providers to develop a childcare system that delivers quality, age-appropriate learning opportunities.’

Liz Bayram, chief executive of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years, said, 'We congratulate Sam Gyimah on his reappointment as Childcare and Education Minister, and we look forward to working closely with him and his team. We will be pushing for greater recognition and status for all childcare professionals, who remain poorly rewarded for the vital work they do.
 
'We are keen to continue the conversation and  work with the minister on developing a workforce development strategy – one that supports childcare professionals to improve their skills through professional development, and encourages them to do so through increased recognition, status, and financial reward.'

Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of the National Day Nurseries Association, said, 'We congratulate Sam Gyimah on his reappointment as childcare minister and we are looking forward to working with him again. Our priority is for the review into nursery funding to go ahead as soon as possible and for it to secure a meaningful increase in funding for childcare providers.
 
'We are pleased that the Government is making help with childcare a top priority, for inclusion in the Queen's Speech. We welcome plans to increase free hours to 30 a week but it is incredibly important that nurseries are funded properly to deliver this high-quality care. It’s also vital that the sector is fully engaged with the process to ensure that this reform will work on the frontline.'