Nicky Morgan, who has just been reappointed as education secretary in the first Conservative-only cabinet in 18 years, says she is committed to working closely with teachers to ensure that every child benefits from a good education.

Speaking to the Press Association, the MP, who comfortably defended her Loughborough seat - increasing her majority to 9,183 - said that one of her top priorities is to boost the standard of teaching in poor performing schools.

Indicating she is willing to engage the teaching profession and build up a much more cordial and collaborative relationship, Ms Morgan explained that she understands where teachers are coming from and what may have gone wrong in the past.

It is well documented that under her predecessor Michael Gove’s stewardship, whom prime minister David Cameron has made justice secretary, relations between the government and the teaching profession deteriorated significantly.

"In the ten months I was here before the election I visited many schools up and down the country, spoke to over 900 teachers, and I'm going to be doing much more of that now that I'm back in position,” Ms Morgan was quoted by the news agency as saying.

"It's about listening, it's about hearing what they've got to say, tackling things like workload, Ofsted inspections, and building on all the lessons I've learned in the last ten months."

Despite her comments, the mood among teachers is divided, with many concerned that as someone with no formal teaching experience - she was previously a corporate lawyer - she lacks the knowledge and experience to make effective and realistic decisions about education.

In an open letter to Ms Morgan, Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said that the union looks forward to continuing to share the “wealth of experience and professionalism” its members have across all stages of education.

“I believe that you will face a number of key challenges in your role,” she wrote. “The greatest of these will be the crisis in teacher recruitment. Children’s education will suffer if we do not have enough qualified, experienced teachers.”