Estelle Morris
Encyclopedia
Estelle Morris, Baroness Morris of Yardley, PC
(born 17 June 1952) was a British
Labour Party
politician, who was the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Birmingham Yardley from 1992
to 2005
, and served briefly in the Cabinet
as Education Secretary
.
to a political family. Her uncle, Alf Morris, was Labour MP for Manchester Wythenshawe
(1964–97) and her father, Charles Morris
, was Labour MP for Manchester Openshaw
(1963–83) and Post Office union official who married Pauline Dunn. She first attended Rack House primary school on Yarmouth Drive in Wythenshawe
(now part of the borough of Manchester). She went to Whalley Range Grammar School for Girls (became the comprehensive Whalley Range High School
in 1967) on Wilbraham Road in Whalley Range where she failed her English and French A-levels. She is a graduate of the Coventry College of Education
(merged with the University of Warwick
in 1979 to become the Warwick Institute of Education), where she gained a BEd
in 1974. She was a PE and Humanities teacher at the inner-city Sidney Stringer School
on Cox Street in Coventry
from 1974–92, becoming Head of Sixth Form Studies, and was a member of Warwick District Council
from 1979 to 1991.
in 2001. She was the first (former) comprehensive school teacher to have the position.
to resign if the literacy and numeracy targets were not met. In interviews following her resignation she stated that she had felt happier and more effective as a junior Education minister.
She rejoined the Government in 2003 as Minister for the Arts
in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport
, and caused further comment when she admitted that she did not know much about contemporary art. She stepped down from the government and as a Member of Parliament
at the 2005 general election
.
. In May 2005, she was appointed chair of the Children’s Workforce Development Council. In September 2005, it was announced that she would succeed Lady Kennedy of The Shaws
as President of the National Children's Bureau
.
On 13 May 2005 it was announced that she would be created a life peer
, and she was conferred as Baroness Morris of Yardley, of Yardley in the County of West Midlands, on 14 June 2005.
and in Education from the University of Wolverhampton
. She received an Honorary Doctor of Letters
from the University of Bradford
on 21 July 2005, and on 18 July 2007 she was awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Education
by Manchester Metropolitan University
in recognition of her contribution to education throughout a lifelong career as a dedicated teacher and politician with an education portfolio that has spanned ten years.
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Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
(born 17 June 1952) was a British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
politician, who was the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Birmingham Yardley from 1992
United Kingdom general election, 1992
The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil...
to 2005
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
, and served briefly in the Cabinet
Cabinet of the United Kingdom
The Cabinet of the United Kingdom is the collective decision-making body of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, composed of the Prime Minister and some 22 Cabinet Ministers, the most senior of the government ministers....
as Education Secretary
Secretary of State for Education and Skills
The Secretary of State for Education is the chief minister of the Department for Education in the United Kingdom government. The position was re-established on 12 May 2010, held by Michael Gove....
.
Early life
Morris was born in ManchesterManchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
to a political family. Her uncle, Alf Morris, was Labour MP for Manchester Wythenshawe
Manchester Wythenshawe (UK Parliament constituency)
Manchester Wythenshawe was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Wythenshawe suburb of Manchester. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
(1964–97) and her father, Charles Morris
Charles Morris (politician)
Charles Richard Morris is a retired British Labour politician.Morris was educated at Brookdale Park School, Manchester. He was a postal and telegraph officer and a national executive member of the Union of Post Office Workers 1959–63...
, was Labour MP for Manchester Openshaw
Manchester Openshaw (UK Parliament constituency)
Manchester Openshaw was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Openshaw district of Manchester. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
(1963–83) and Post Office union official who married Pauline Dunn. She first attended Rack House primary school on Yarmouth Drive in Wythenshawe
Wythenshawe
Wythenshawe is a district in the south of the city of Manchester, England.Formerly part of the administrative county of Cheshire, in 1931 Wythenshawe was transferred to the City of Manchester, which had begun building a massive housing estate there in the 1920s to resolve the problem of its inner...
(now part of the borough of Manchester). She went to Whalley Range Grammar School for Girls (became the comprehensive Whalley Range High School
Whalley Range 11-18 High School
Whalley Range 11-18 High School is an all-girls school located in Whalley Range, Manchester, England. It is a specialist business, enterprise and sport college.-History:...
in 1967) on Wilbraham Road in Whalley Range where she failed her English and French A-levels. She is a graduate of the Coventry College of Education
Coventry College of Education
Coventry College Of Education existed as a separate institution until its incorporation into the University of Warwick in 1971. It is located to the north of the University's Main Site.-Alumni:* Sting, British rock musician.-Former Tutors of note:...
(merged with the University of Warwick
University of Warwick
The University of Warwick is a public research university located in Coventry, United Kingdom...
in 1979 to become the Warwick Institute of Education), where she gained a BEd
Bachelor of Education
A Bachelor of Education is an undergraduate academic degree which qualifies the graduate as a teacher in schools.-North America:...
in 1974. She was a PE and Humanities teacher at the inner-city Sidney Stringer School
Sidney Stringer School
Sidney Stringer School specialises in Mathematics & Computing and is a coeducational community college for pupils aged 11 – 18 in Hillfields, Coventry, England.-History:...
on Cox Street in Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
from 1974–92, becoming Head of Sixth Form Studies, and was a member of Warwick District Council
Warwick (district)
Warwick is a local government district of central Warwickshire in England. The current leader of the district council is Conservative Party member Michael Doody. The council is currently controlled by the Conservative group, who hold 23 of the 46 council seats...
from 1979 to 1991.
Parliamentary career
Morris was elected to Parliament in 1992 for Birmingham Yardley, gaining the seat from the Conservatives with only a wafer-thin majority of 162. She became a minister in the Department for Education and Employment in 1997 and was promoted to Secretary of State for Education and SkillsSecretary of State for Education and Skills
The Secretary of State for Education is the chief minister of the Department for Education in the United Kingdom government. The position was re-established on 12 May 2010, held by Michael Gove....
in 2001. She was the first (former) comprehensive school teacher to have the position.
Resignation
She suddenly resigned her post in October 2002, explaining that she did not feel up to the job. She had made a commitment to the then Conservative Shadow Education Secretary, David WillettsDavid Willetts
David Linsay Willetts is a British Conservative Party politician and the Minister of State for Universities and Science. He is the Member of Parliament representing the constituency of Havant in Hampshire.-Education:...
to resign if the literacy and numeracy targets were not met. In interviews following her resignation she stated that she had felt happier and more effective as a junior Education minister.
She rejoined the Government in 2003 as Minister for the Arts
Minister for the Arts
In the United Kingdom government, the Minister for the Arts is a ministerial post, usually a low to middle-ranking minister to the much senior Secretary of State, who runs the entire department and is ultimately responsibility for the department's brief....
in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is a department of the United Kingdom government, with responsibility for culture and sport in England, and some aspects of the media throughout the whole UK, such as broadcasting and internet....
, and caused further comment when she admitted that she did not know much about contemporary art. She stepped down from the government and as a Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
at the 2005 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
.
Post-parliamentary career
In April 2005 she was appointed Pro Vice-Chancellor of the University of SunderlandUniversity of Sunderland
The University of Sunderland is located in Sunderland, north east England. The university has more than 17,500 students, including 7,000-plus international students from some 70 countries....
. In May 2005, she was appointed chair of the Children’s Workforce Development Council. In September 2005, it was announced that she would succeed Lady Kennedy of The Shaws
Helena Kennedy, Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws
Helena Ann Kennedy, Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws QC, FRSA, is a British barrister, broadcaster, and Labour member of the House of Lords. She is a former chair of the Human Genetics Commission, which advises the UK government on ethical, social, and legal issues arising from developments in...
as President of the National Children's Bureau
National Children's Bureau
The National Children's Bureau is a children's charity based in Islington, London. It was founded in 1963 The National Children's Bureau (NCB) is a children's charity based in Islington, London. It was founded in 1963 The National Children's Bureau (NCB) is a children's charity based in Islington,...
.
On 13 May 2005 it was announced that she would be created a life peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
, and she was conferred as Baroness Morris of Yardley, of Yardley in the County of West Midlands, on 14 June 2005.
Awards
In 2004, Morris was awarded Honorary Doctorates in Arts from Leeds Metropolitan UniversityLeeds Metropolitan University
Leeds Metropolitan University is a British University with three campuses. Two are situated in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England while the third is situated in Bhopal, India...
and in Education from the University of Wolverhampton
University of Wolverhampton
The University of Wolverhampton is a British university located on four campuses across the West Midlands and Shropshire. The city campus is located in Wolverhampton city centre with a second campus at Compton Park, Wolverhampton; a third in Walsall and a fourth in Telford...
. She received an Honorary Doctor of Letters
Doctor of Letters
Doctor of Letters is a university academic degree, often a higher doctorate which is frequently awarded as an honorary degree in recognition of outstanding scholarship or other merits.-Commonwealth:...
from the University of Bradford
University of Bradford
The University of Bradford is a British university located in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The University received its Royal Charter in 1966, making it the 40th University to be created in Britain, but its origins date back to the early 1800s...
on 21 July 2005, and on 18 July 2007 she was awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Education
Doctor of Education
The Doctor of Education or Doctor in Education degree , in Latin, Doctor Educationis, is a research-oriented professional doctorate that prepares the student for academic, administrative, clinical, or research positions in educational, civil, and private organizations.-Differences between an Ed.D...
by Manchester Metropolitan University
Manchester Metropolitan University
Manchester Metropolitan University is a university in North West England. Its headquarters and central campus is in the city of Manchester, but there are outlying facilities in the county of Cheshire. It is the third largest university in the United Kingdom in terms of student numbers, behind the...
in recognition of her contribution to education throughout a lifelong career as a dedicated teacher and politician with an education portfolio that has spanned ten years.
External links
- Guardian Politics Ask Aristotle – Estelle Morris
- TheyWorkForYou.com – Estelle Morris MP
- NCB's President
- Manchester Metropolitan University's Honorands
- BBC Profile
News items
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