Several Bills impacting the education sector were announced, most notably the Skills and Post-16 Education Bill, which firms into legislation the Government’s flagship lifetime skills guarantee and starts the rebalancing act between further and higher education.

Also announced was the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill which aims to fulfil the Government’s manifesto pledge to strengthen academic freedom and freedom of speech in England’s universities.

The Government announced a new multi-million package of mental health support to help children and young people. Up to 7,800 schools and colleges in England will be offered funding worth £9.5m to train a senior mental health lead from their staff in the next academic year.

Professor Len Shackleton (Institute for Economic Affairs) stated the “apprenticeship levy has failed in its objectives and should be scrapped completely.” He believes, “it’s time to concentrate on things which the government can influence more directly, such as schools and FE colleges, where there is still plenty of room for improvement”.

A new Ofsted report has found that children with SEND in mainstream schools are not getting enough support to assist their learning and development. It found children with SEND have found it “harder” to engage with remote learning during the pandemic.

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