DfE’s skills boss moves to schools brief

The Department for Education’s most senior skills official is set to leave the role to take charge of schools and SEND reform on an interim basis, FE Week can reveal.

Julia Kinniburgh, who has been the DfE’s director general for skills since December 2022, will step in as interim director for the schools group, replacing Juliet Chua who has a new role as director general for the economic and domestic secretariat in the Cabinet Office.

Sinead O’Sullivan, the DfE’s current director for labour market skills and funding, will temporarily take on the director general for skills role.

It’s not clear when the top officials will start their new roles.

The shuffle follows a major machinery of government change for skills last year which saw responsibility for adult education and apprenticeships move to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The lead official at DWP is Katherine Green, director general for labour market and skills.

The Department for Education remains responsible for 16-19 education and higher education, including a raft of reforms set out in the October 2025 post-16 education and skills white paper which introduced new V Level qualifications, a 16-19 funding formula review and new level 1 “stepping stone” English and maths qualifications.

Kinniburgh’s appointment to the schools brief comes as ministers are poised to unveil another white paper covering schools and the SEND system.

Susan Acland-Hood, the DfE’s permanent secretary, said: “As interim director general, Julia Kinniburgh will bring a breadth of knowledge of the business of the department and strong leadership at a crucial time, ensuring continuity and momentum in the delivery of our reforms.”

O’Sullivan was director of delivery and accounting officer of the National College for Teaching and Leadership before it was abolished in 2018. Some of its functions were transferred to the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA), which is set to have its remit expanded to include further education teachers later this year. 

She then became the DfE’s director for career learning, analysis and skills and then in 2021 was appointed director for labour market skills and funding, overseeing adult skills programmes like skills bootcamps and Multiply.