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Original poster

AIBU to think the Education Secretary interview with Gemma Collins was a mistake?

88 replies

PinkBobby · 20/05/2026 17:54

I have just watched a clip on social media of the Education Secretary sitting down with Gemma Collins (of TOWIE fame) and cannot believe they thought that’s the conversation schools/parents/teachers/SEN children need to hear right. I have nothing against Gemma Collins and think she could probably give a few govt departments some useful, blunt feedback but this feels like a huge fail.

Interested to hear if anyone thinks this is a PR success or agree it totally misses the mark.

YABU - It was a great discussion and you’re being unfair.

YANBU - The chat totally misses the mark and highlights the divide between politicians and the real world.

OP posts:
Newsenmum · 20/05/2026 19:36

How can they think she represents sen parents

Original poster
PinkBobby · 20/05/2026 19:36

anxiouslywaiting8 · 20/05/2026 18:54

So utterly bizzare, I don't understand why they thought it would be a good idea.

Exactly - how did no one in that whole building question how this would land.

It really does suggest that they think we are all of bunch of idiots who will go “ooo look, shiny celeb lady. Bridget must be good if the GC hangs out with her.” Meanwhile, pretty much everyone working in education or sending their kids into school are literally begging for help/funding/support/understanding. This feels like the biggest “we are not listening” sign they could post.

I’m keen to hear from the 4% of people who think I’m being unfair as everything about it screams April fools to me. And yet here we are. It’s no wonder they’ve never brought back The Thick of It.

OP posts:
Northermcharn · 20/05/2026 19:35

Ooodelally · 20/05/2026 18:39

They think all SEN parents are “chavs” and they think Gemma Collins will appeal to that demographic. They make me sick.

Yes

TypicalBlue · 20/05/2026 19:34

It was a mistake. Everything she does is a mistake. She is beyond awful.

Kirbert2 · 20/05/2026 19:34

It was absolutely a mistake. Why not have someone interview her who actually has a SEND child? Surely that makes the most sense.

As for the woman from Little Mix, that makes perfect sense as her twin babies have a life limiting condition which has treatment options if it is diagnosed early enough and she has been raising awareness of that.

ithinkilikethislittlelife · 20/05/2026 19:33

Hatty65 · 20/05/2026 18:37

Why was she doing an interview? I don't think she has kids, she's in her mid 40s and knows fuck all about education or schools. How is her opinion relevant in any way?

The Education Secretary would be better to listen to teachers, who DO know what kids need.

Exactly this. Ffs 🤦🏻‍♀️

Oncemorewithsome · 20/05/2026 19:31

The SEND reforms will be devastating cuts and parents are rightly really really worried. This video was tone deaf. But it is completely consistent with their total lack of understanding and poorly planned ‘reforms’.

Original poster
PinkBobby · 20/05/2026 19:28

Ablondiebutagoody · 20/05/2026 18:23

Slightly better than Rachel Reeves at the petrol station

Yes - thank god she was at a petrol station so all of us air heads could understand what she was referring to.

OP posts:
showmethegin · 20/05/2026 19:23

LiviaDrusillaAugusta · 20/05/2026 17:58

Between Wes Streeting having a photo op with the one from Little Mix whose babies are all over social media and this shower of shit, they are pathetic

While I find the Gemma Collins stuff, ridiculous, irrelevant and completely vacuous, the woman from little mix who’s children are all over social media as you beautifully put it have been diagnosed with an incurable disease. She met with Wes streeting to try and use her fame and platform to help push the issue of adding testing for SMA to the panel of genetic testing offered at birth as the earlier it is diagnosed, the more options regarding treatment they have. It has now been added to the panel which is great.

Completely different

CanaryLibra · 20/05/2026 19:19

Ooodelally · 20/05/2026 18:39

They think all SEN parents are “chavs” and they think Gemma Collins will appeal to that demographic. They make me sick.

These were my first and only thoughts on this. You nailed it.

Lindy2 · 20/05/2026 19:18

I'm a parent of a child with SEN who struggled to attend school because it was not an environment they could cope with.

I became very used to the fact that any "professional" involvement came with the starting assumption that the parents must be a problem family and not very bright. That's why they always insist on home visits to start with to see if frankly you live in a pig sty or not.

I assume the same assumption here is that us "problem" parents all watch rubbish like TOWIE and will therefore be delighted to see this celeb talking about our children, despite her having no experience of SEN issues at all.

It couldn't be further from my reality.

Tortoisel · 20/05/2026 19:18

First I saw of it was the satire version. It’s such a bizarre time we are living in I actually thought that the Labour gov had produced it for a few minutes 😂

northernballer · 20/05/2026 19:16

Dear God I don't know quite what to say.

queenofthewild · 20/05/2026 19:08

I used to work in marketing. I now work in education. I have absolutely no idea what the message is they are trying to convey. Who signed off on this madness? Who are the intended audience?

Sartre · 20/05/2026 19:07

JohnnyMcGrathSaysFuckOff · 20/05/2026 19:07

Are you talking about Phillipson or Collins?

Show quote history

Gold!

Sartre · 20/05/2026 19:07

Yep I watched them discussing Richard III on a LinkedIn clip and felt like I’d been catapulted into another dimension. It’s a bit Philomena Cunk.

JohnnyMcGrathSaysFuckOff · 20/05/2026 19:07

LiviaDrusillaAugusta · 20/05/2026 18:50

If nobody discussed this vacuous idiot who has no talent whatsoever then she could be left alone to get married/buy a few kids from surrogates or /whatever she wants to do

Are you talking about Phillipson or Collins?

JohnnyMcGrathSaysFuckOff · 20/05/2026 19:06

https://m.youtube.com/shorts/yzsmLdstMsA

Just lodging this here for anyone who missed it.

Gold, absolute gold 🤣

This is the DfE, folks, the actual Department for Education.

Before you continue to YouTube

https://m.youtube.com/shorts/yzsmLdstMsA

anxiouslywaiting8 · 20/05/2026 18:54

So utterly bizzare, I don't understand why they thought it would be a good idea.

LiviaDrusillaAugusta · 20/05/2026 18:50

If nobody discussed this vacuous idiot who has no talent whatsoever then she could be left alone to get married/buy a few kids from surrogates or /whatever she wants to do

madameimadam · 20/05/2026 18:46

It’s embarrassing .

I genuinely thought it was a spoof.

The first comment I read under the vid was, ‘Read the room..’ As I teacher, I find it ill-informed, patronising and bordering on offensive. It’s so misjudged.

noblegiraffe · 20/05/2026 18:45

Also, when queried how much it cost, Bridget Phillipson said she had bought Gemma 'a couple of cans of Red Bull'.

FFS you're meant to be adults. Red Bull. Why not get her a giant bag of Haribo to go with it?

noblegiraffe · 20/05/2026 18:41

Teachers are generally all fuming that they are piddling around wasting time on this 'celeb endorsement' shite when they could get some expert in to sort stuff out.

I, in particular, was pissed off at the giggly 'I was shit at maths'. Great 👍 how exactly does 'Gemma Collins was shit at maths and she still managed to become famous' help teachers?

I don't know who the stunt was designed to appeal to, but it has pissed off everyone working in schools.

Ooodelally · 20/05/2026 18:39

They think all SEN parents are “chavs” and they think Gemma Collins will appeal to that demographic. They make me sick.

Hatty65 · 20/05/2026 18:37

Why was she doing an interview? I don't think she has kids, she's in her mid 40s and knows fuck all about education or schools. How is her opinion relevant in any way?

The Education Secretary would be better to listen to teachers, who DO know what kids need.