Overview
- Reality TV star Gemma Collins met Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson and filmed an 18-second teaser at the Department for Education on Tuesday that asked, “What are we doing to help the children?”
- The DfE posted the short clip on its official social accounts and said more footage from the meeting will be published by the department and Collins’s own channels in the coming days.
- Officials defended the choice as unpaid and strategic, saying the teaser is the department’s highest-viewed video since January 2024 and reached significantly more under-34s than typical posts.
- Parents, campaign groups and education figures criticised the use of a reality star for government messaging, arguing the timing was wrong given recent SEND consultation closure, school funding strains and staff pay disputes.
- The DfE wants the series to spotlight alternatives to academic routes, such as V-levels and occupational pathways, and the next posts will test whether celebrity outreach changes public engagement or deepens political resistance.