In his first interview since taking up the role of childcare and education minister, Sam Gyimah talks to Catherine Gaunt about some of the big issues affecting the sector right now.

sam-gyimah-17473146-460x306When the Prime Minister reshuffled the ministerial pack back in July, the sector was initially left wondering about the scope of the childcare role. While Sam Gyimah, the Conservative MP for East Surrey, claimed the childcare job on Twitter, further clarification of his responsibilities from the Department for Education (DfE) was not immediately forthcoming.

So with childcare set to be an important election topic, was there any wrangling between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats over the childcare remit, as some speculated?

‘Absolutely not,’ Gyimah says. ‘I knew from the time I was appointed what I was going to do. And when I spoke to the Prime Minister, it’s something I was very much looking forward to.’

As a first-time father, the new minister is also keen to stress his own interest in early years. ‘From my personal perspective, I’m kind of living the early years, given that we have a baby. We’ve got a four-month-old son.’

One of Gyimah’s first tasks was to deal with the storm of controversy over the GCSE requirements for apprenticeships. Read full article…