# Jonathan Slater

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{{Short description|British civil servant (born 1961)}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name            = Jonathan Slater
| image           = Jonathan Slater.jpg
| office1         = Director-General,<br />Economic and Domestic Secretariat,<br />[Cabinet Office](/source/Cabinet_Office)
| predecessor     = [Melanie Dawes](/source/Melanie_Dawes)
| prime_minister  = [David Cameron](/source/David_Cameron)
| minister1       = [Nicky Morgan](/source/Nicky_Morgan) <br> [Justine Greening](/source/Justine_Greening) <br> [Damian Hinds](/source/Damian_Hinds) <br> [Gavin Williamson](/source/Gavin_Williamson)
| office          = [Permanent Secretary](/source/Permanent_Secretary) of the <br />[Department for Education](/source/Department_for_Education)
| predecessor1    = [Chris Wormald](/source/Chris_Wormald)
| prime_minister1 = [David Cameron](/source/David_Cameron) <br> [Theresa May](/source/Theresa_May) <br> [Boris Johnson](/source/Boris_Johnson)
| birth_date      = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1961|11|29}}
| term_start      = April 2016
| term_end        = 26 August 2020
| term_start1     = October 2015
| term_end1       = 3 May 2016
| successor2      = [Susan Acland-Hood](/source/Susan_Acland-Hood)
}}
'''Jonathan Slater''' (born 29 November 1961) is a former high ranking British [civil servant](/source/civil_servant).<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U250380|title=SLATER, Jonathan|last=A & C Black|work=Who's Who 2016|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2015|access-date=2016-04-28}}</ref> From May 2016, he was [Permanent Secretary](/source/Permanent_Secretary) of the [Department for Education](/source/Department_for_Education)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/people/jonathan-slater|title=Jonathan Slater - GOV.UK|website=www.gov.uk|access-date=2016-04-28}}</ref> until his abrupt dismissal on 26 August 2020 following a controversy [over national school examination grades](/source/2020_UK_GCSE_and_A-Level_grading_controversy).

== Career ==
Slater entered [Civil Service](/source/Civil_Service_(United_Kingdom)) in 2001 joining the [Cabinet Office](/source/Cabinet_Office), having previously worked for the [London Borough of Islington](/source/London_Borough_of_Islington).<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=http://gender.bitc.org.uk/membership/genderleadershipteam/JonathanSlater|title=Jonathan Slater - MOD|website=Gender|access-date=2016-04-28}}</ref> After four years there, he moved to the [Prime Minister's Delivery Unit](/source/Prime_Minister's_Delivery_Unit) at [Number 10 Policy Unit](/source/Number_10_Policy_Unit) in 2005, working on NHS reform and the capability review programme. In 2006, he transferred to the [Ministry of Justice](/source/Ministry_of_Justice_(United_Kingdom)),<ref name=":2" /> working in the [National Offender Management Service](/source/National_Offender_Management_Service) as its Director of Performance & Improvement, and then in 2008 as Chief Executive of the Office for Criminal Justice Reform, before being promoted in 2009 to Director-General, Transformation.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.csap.cam.ac.uk/network/jonathan-slater/|title=Jonathan Slater - Sciences & technology in the service of society|website=www.csap.cam.ac.uk|access-date=2016-04-28}}</ref><ref name=":0" />

In July 2011, Slater moved to the [Ministry of Defence](/source/Ministry_of_Defence_(United_Kingdom)) as its Director-General, Transformation and Corporate Strategy, encouraged by his former Permanent Secretary [Ursula Brennan](/source/Ursula_Brennan).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.civilserviceworld.com/interview-ursula-brennan|title=Interview: Ursula Brennan {{!}} Civil Service World|website=www.civilserviceworld.com|access-date=2016-04-28}}</ref> His position was subsequently changed to Director-General, Head Office and Commissioning Services.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-permanent-secretary-for-the-department-for-education|title=New Permanent Secretary for the Department for Education - Press releases - GOV.UK|website=www.gov.uk|access-date=2016-04-28}}</ref><ref name=":0" />

In October 2015, Slater was appointed head of the Economic and Domestic Secretariat at the Cabinet Office, replacing [Melanie Dawes](/source/Melanie_Dawes). Seven months later he was again promoted to Permanent Secretary of the [Department for Education](/source/Department_for_Education), succeeding [Chris Wormald](/source/Chris_Wormald) who moved to the then-[Department of Health](/source/Department_of_Health_and_Social_Care).<ref name=":1"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.civilserviceworld.com/articles/news/cabinet-offices-jonathan-slater-new-department-education-perm-sec|title=Cabinet Office's Jonathan Slater is new Department for Education perm sec {{!}} Civil Service World|website=www.civilserviceworld.com|access-date=2016-04-28}}</ref>

In August 2020, the prime minister concluded that there was "a need for fresh official leadership” and Slater announced he was stepping down with effect from 1 September.<ref name="Wednesday">{{cite news |last1=Stewart |first1=Heather |last2=Weale |first2=Sally |title=Top DfE civil servant Jonathan Slater to step down after exams row |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/aug/26/top-dfe-civil-servant-jonathan-slater-to-step-down-after-exams-row |access-date=26 August 2020 |work=The Guardian |date=26 August 2020}}</ref> The general secretary of the [FDA union](/source/FDA_(trade_union)), Dave Penman, attacked the sacking in the following terms": "If it wasn't clear before, then it certainly is now - this administration will throw civil service leaders under a bus without a moment's hesitation to shield ministers from any kind of accountability." Slater was the fifth top civil servant to be sacked in as many months.<ref>{{cite news|title=Chief education civil servant Jonathan Slater sacked after exams row|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-53920146|website=www.bbc.co.uk|date=26 August 2020|access-date=2021-01-25}}</ref>

==See also==
*[Sally Collier](/source/Sally_Collier)

== References ==
<references />

== Offices held ==
{{s-start}}
{{s-gov}}
{{s-break}}
{{s-vac|unknown}}
{{s-ttl
| title = Director-General,<br />Transformation<br />[Ministry of Justice](/source/Ministry_of_Justice_(United_Kingdom))
| years = 2009–2011
}}
{{s-vac|unknown}}
{{s-break}}
{{s-vac|unknown}}
{{s-ttl
| title = Director-General,<br />Head Office and Commissioning Services<br />[Ministry of Defence](/source/Ministry_of_Defence_(United_Kingdom))
| years = 2011–2015
}}
{{s-aft
| after = [Mark Preston](/source/Mark_Preston_(civil_servant)) (acting)
}}
{{s-bef
| before = [Melanie Dawes](/source/Melanie_Dawes)
}}
{{s-ttl
| title = Director-General,<br />Economic and Domestic Secretariat,<br />[Cabinet Office](/source/Cabinet_Office)
| years = October 2015–April 2016
}}
{{s-aft
| after = [Shona Dunn](/source/Shona_Dunn)
}}
{{s-bef
| before = [Chris Wormald](/source/Chris_Wormald)
}}
{{s-ttl
| title = [Permanent Secretary](/source/Permanent_secretary) of the<br />[Department for Education](/source/Department_for_Education)
| years = 3 May 2016 – 31 August 2020
}}
{{s-aft |after=[Susan Acland-Hood](/source/Susan_Acland-Hood)}}
{{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Slater, Jonathan}}
Category:Living people
Category:1961 births
Category:British civil servants
Category:Civil servants in the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
Category:Civil servants in the Cabinet Office
Category:Civil servants in the Department of Education (United Kingdom)
Category:British permanent secretaries
Category:Permanent under-secretaries of state for education and skills
Category:21st-century British civil servants

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Jonathan Slater](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Slater) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Slater?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.