Highlights of the week ending 11 December 2020
The spectre of 2021 exams is never far away and once again they hit the headlines as Scottish Education Secretary John Swinney announced the cancellation of Highers and Advanced Highers exams. They will be replaced by teacher assessment. A decision had been expected in February, but pressure had been building for an earlier announcement. Secondary schools in Wales have gone online for the final week before the holidays in an attempt to suppress the COVID cases. And in parts of South East England secondary pupils will be tested as case numbers rise.
We had the publication of the latest Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) report, which showed England performing, on average, significantly above most other countries. Performance in maths has improved at year 5 but decreased significantly in science at year 9.
And finally, the almost 400 courses eligible for funding as part of the government’s Lifetime Skills Guarantee have been announced. Available from 2021, these courses form part of ministers’ plans for reskilling and upskilling. We await further detail around flexible loans and credit stacking, other key components of the plan.
We also have two new policy blogs this week:
Cindy Rampersaud covers the future of skills & vocational education