Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has confirmed that the government is restructuring its approach to social mobility by establishing a dedicated 'class unit' within the Department for Education. This new internal body is intended to centralize efforts to address socioeconomic disadvantage and improve opportunities for students from lower-income backgrounds.

As part of this transition, the government has decided to end its reliance on external social mobility advisers. According to the BBC, the minister stated that the move is designed to bring the government’s work on tackling disadvantage 'in-house,' suggesting a shift toward more direct ministerial control over policy development. While the government frames this as a more efficient way to integrate social mobility into core departmental strategy, the decision to move away from external advisory bodies marks a distinct change in how the department solicits outside expertise on equity issues.

There is currently limited information regarding the specific staffing or budget of the new unit, nor has the government provided a detailed timeline for how this internal team will measure its success compared to the previous advisory model. The shift appears to be part of a broader effort by the current administration to streamline policy-making processes within the education sector.