South Devon MP Caroline Voaden has said she is ‘absolutely thrilled’ to be appointed to the newly created position of Schools Spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats.

Having served on the Education Select Committee since her election in July 2024, Caroline has developed a keen understanding of the difficult position many schools find themselves in following chronic underfunding.

Reacting to her appointment, Caroline Voaden, MP for South Devon, says: “I’m thrilled to be stepping into a new spokesperson role for the Liberal Democrats – focusing on Schools.

“Education is the best investment we can make in our children, and that means ensuring every child leaves school with the life skills, confidence and resilience they need to be happy, healthy and successful, whatever path they choose to go down.

“And that means all children, including those with additional needs and disabilities who have been so badly let down by a broken system.

“There is so much more to school than passing exams, and I want to use this platform to highlight the role education plays in showing all children how much they are worth and the potential they have.”

Earlier this month, the Education Select Committee released a comprehensive report on the state of SEND services in England. The report came off the back of an inquiry in which Caroline and the other members of the Committee received 890 pieces of written evidence, held seven oral evidence sessions, and spoke with young people with SEND, government ministers, and educational experts.

Alongside her work on the Committee, Caroline has repeatedly pressed Ministers from the Department for Education on a range of topics, including calling for the Education Secretary to introduce auto-enrolment for free school meals, and for the Schools Minister to review the regional inequality created by the national funding formula.

She was also a co-sponsor of the Safer Phones Bill and has spoken repeatedly about the dangers social media and smartphones pose to children.