Highlights of the week ending 3 December
As the new COVID variant, omicron, dominates the news, education was once again central to debate around mask wearing. The government recommended that face coverings be worn in communal areas by staff and pupils in secondary schools, Further Education premises and Higher Education settings. Unions welcomed the move but also called for more support for the education sector in relation to the ongoing pandemic.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies’ annual report on education spending in England has set out how recent increased funding from the Treasury will reverse the cuts of the last decade but that this will equate to 15 years without overall growth. The negative impact on disadvantaged students was highlighted, as was the lower rate of college spending per pupil.
Research by the Office for Students has shown most HE courses in England are high quality, but that employers often struggle to find the graduates they want. The OfS annual report also sets out their priorities for 2022, with quality still top of the list.
In Parliament, the Skills and Post-16 Education Bill is at Committee Stage. MPs have been debating LSIPs and the government’s plans for T Levels, BTECs and Applied General Qualifications. With its majority the government was able to overturn amendments made by peers. And finally, as part of a wider reshuffle, the Labour party announced Bridget Phillipson as the new Shadow Education Secretary, replacing Kate Green.