| SHIRLEYANNE | ----/---- Somerville, Scotland's Education Secretary (7-4) |
| BRONSKIBEAT | Band which Jimmy Somerville left to form the Communards with Richard Coles (7,4) |
| GOVERNESSES | Former education secretary getting heads to recruit right teachers (11) |
| BRONSKI | Wild beatniks rob band of Jimmy Somerville (7,4) |
| BEAT | Wild beatniks rob band of Jimmy Somerville ( 7,4) |
| GOVE | Michael ___, Conservative MP and former Education Secretary (4) |
| ESTELLE | ___ Morris, Labour politician who was education secretary from 2001 to 2002 (7) |
| ROSS | Somerville and ___, 19th-century Irish writers (4) |
| IRA | Education Secretary Duncan |
| BLUNKETT | David, Tony Blair's first Education Secretary (8) |
| GREENING | Justine, Conservative Education Secretary 2016-18 (8) |
| BETSY | Former education secretary DeVos |
| ARNE | Obama education secretary ___ Duncan |
| PAIGE | Bush education secretary Rod |
| DEVOS | Education Secretary Betsy |
| KEEGAN | Gillian, Conservative politician appointed Education Secretary in 2022 (6) |
| JOSEPH | Keith ___, UK Education Secretary 1981-86 |
| PHILLIPSON | Bridget ___, Labour politician appointed education secretary in 2024 (10) |
| MARGARETTHATCHER | Education Secretary in the Heath government (8,8) |
| MERCYPEAK | Local TV series with Sara Wiseman starring as Doctor Nicky Somerville (5,4) |
