The education secretary, Nicky Morgan, has rejected Michael Gove’s portrayal of the education establishment as a leftwing “blob”, as a fierce battle rages with her predecessor over who now controls the country’s schools policy.

During Gove’s time as education secretary, the term “blob” was widely used as shorthand by him and his supporters for an obstructive teaching establishment that was resistant to reform. Asked about the term, Morgan says it was unhelpful and created a false impression of ministers’ real attitude to teachers.

“It captures the imagination and then it’s used for ever after. I don’t actually know who did it and I don’t know in what context … Well, I’m guessing one of two people. I was busy doing other things at the time. But it doesn’t help in terms of people then using that quote.”

In an interview with the Observer, which Morgan’s friends described as part of a counter-attack against those who say she is merely a “Stepford minister” and a front for Gove’s ideas, she says overly combative language has obscured the government’s positive message on reforming schools and improving the lives of pupils.

Morgan, who was appointed by David Cameron in July to succeed Gove has, according to senior government sources, become increasingly irritated at interference by Gove on education policy, despite him having been removed from the education brief and installed as chief whip by the prime minister.

Nicky Morgan, the education secretary. Photograph: Facundo Arrizabalaga/EPA

One senior Tory at the heart of policymaking said: “Nicky is having a very difficult time of it,” and that Gove “can’t let go”, fearing that Morgan will harm his legacy as a bold and radical reformer.

A close ally of Morgan, who is also the minister for women, insisted that she was determined to make her own mark and that, “if they thought she would just be a Stepford minister” without her own ideas and views, they had seriously misjudged her.

A friend of Gove did not deny that the former education secretary was continuing to take a close interest in schools policy, adding that as chief whip he had been asked by the prime minister to feed in advice to No 10 on all areas of government policy.

Morgan, who was asked by Cameron to build bridges with the teaching profession following more than four years of turbulent relations, makes clear in the interview that she fully supports the expansion of academies and the introduction of free schools driven through by Gove. But the impression of a constant conflict with the education and teaching establishments obscured the true purpose of the reforms and alienated teachers along the way.

She says: “Sometimes some of the language or the tone that was used, like ‘we’re going to take people on’ and ‘we’re going to change things and challenge’ [was counter-productive]; as I say, what gets lost are the people at the centre of the system. And most particularly the students. That’s who we’re doing it all for.”

She says Gove often praised teachers, but his positive interventions were drowned out by coverage of the more critical comments. Morgan insists she wants to take an entirely different approach and to be remembered for engaging positively with teachers rather than doing battle with them.

“I would like the teachers to say she listened and parents to say she was on our side in getting the best education for our children.” She adds: “My task is about listening to what teachers are saying, and saying to them, ‘What can we do? Take some burdens away, give you more freedoms?’”

Last month – in a move derided by some on the right of the Tory party – Morgan launched a consultation with teachers called Workload Challenge to find out where they think improvements could be made, and how they can spend more time teaching and less time on bureaucracy; 43,000 teachers have already responded. “Just under 10% of the profession have engaged and taken time out of their busy diaries to tell us what they think,” she says.

Spelling out her personal priorities, Morgan says she wants to focus on “character education”. “What I mean is a focus on things like the additional character skills we all need to get on in life – resilience, grit, self-esteem, self-confidence.” Controversially, she says that while immigration has put pressure on schools in some areas, there is good evidence, in London in particular, that “a rich ethnic mix can drive up standards”.

Asked about claims that Gove has interfered with her brief, she said he had not confronted her directly, but added that “education is one of those things that once you’ve been involved with it, you’re always interested”.

Shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt said people would see through her attempts to distance herself from Gove. “On every one of Michael Gove’s damaging reforms, she has continued to push his divisive and damaging agenda. She is continuity Gove. No change on substance. More unqualified teachers in the classroom. A teacher recruitment crisis. And an expansion of the damaging free schools programme,” he said.