As a general rule of thumb an incoming DfE special adviser (SpAd) is probably only sketching out a two-year chunk of CV space. After all, that’s been the average working-life expectancy for an education secretary for the past decade or so. (The average has been whacked by Michelle Donelan’s eye-popping two-day term this summer, but even ignoring that it’s not much more.)
That’s a pretty depressing stat. Some make their mark (Dominic Cummings comes to mind), while others just about survive before being spat out when the boss gets the chop (me, when Gavin Williamson left office). But being spat out at some point is the only certain part of a SpAd’s job.
