Gillian Keegan will not address the annual conference of school leaders’ union ASCL next week, the organisation has announced, the first time an education secretary has missed the event in over 15 years.
The union announced today that Keegan, who was invited to speak at the Birmingham event next Friday, will not attend “because she hopes to be engaged in intensive talks at that time over the pay dispute which has led to industrial action by NEU members”.
However, no talks are currently scheduled, ASCL said.
The last time an education secretary did not attend the conference is understood to be 2006, when schools minister Jacqui Smith appeared instead of her boss, Ruth Kelly.
