The new children’s minister has pledged to make parents a “key stakeholder” in government decisions, suggesting that his department has sidelined them in the past.
David Johnston has also sought to allay concerns about the merry go-round of ministers overseeing the special educational needs (SEND) reforms, adding that as a former head of the Social Mobility Foundation (SMF), he was not “coming in cold”.
Outlining proposed changes in March, Gillian Keegan, the education secretary, admitted that some families felt they had to battle to access specialist education, health or care services.
In his first interview since his appointment, Johnston said the DfE traditionally saw its stakeholders as teachers, headteachers… “broadly speaking, staff”.
