Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills

Jenny Gilruth MSP

Contact

Address

Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills
The Scottish Government
St Andrew's House 
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG

Jenny Gilruth MSP was appointed as the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills in March 2023.

Responsibilities

The Cabinet Secretary is responsible for:

  • childcare, and wraparound care
  • school standards, quality and improvement
  • school infrastructure and staffing
  • closing the attainment gap
  • Curriculum for Excellence development
  • National Improvement Framework
  • teaching profession
  • removing barriers to education and supporting digital inclusion
  • Education Maintenance Allowance
  • behaviour and measures to combat bullying
  • Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG)
  • Education Scotland (ES)
  • school learning and support
  • education analytical services
  • education strategy and performance
  • additional support needs, and support for learning
  • inclusive education
  • lifelong learning
  • cross government support for learning disabilities, autism and neurodiversity
  • national digital academy
  • languages, including BSL, Gaelic, and Scots
  • positive destinations and School Leavers Toolkit

Supporting Ministers

Priorities

The First Minister has issued mandate letters to all Cabinet Secretaries highlighting how they will collectively deliver on the priorities set out in the Policy Prospectus during the financial year 2023 to 2024. 

Biography

Brought up and educated in Fife, Jenny Gilruth is a graduate of Glasgow University, where she studied Politics and Sociology, and of Strathclyde University where she studied for her Postgraduate in Secondary Education (Modern Studies).

Prior to being elected in 2016, Jenny worked for over a decade in education, most recently as a Head of Department in a Fife secondary school.

Prior to that, Jenny worked at Education Scotland as NQ lead for Modern Studies, supporting the development of the new qualifications and also as a Modern Studies teacher.

Ms Gilruth was elected to represent the Mid Fife and Glenrothes Constituency at the 2016 election.

She was previously the Minister for Europe and International Development and Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development. She was most recently appointed as the Minister for Transport in January 2022.

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