Highlights of the week ending 5 August
Over the past fortnight, with Parliament still in recess, the education policy landscape has been dominated by the publication of reports and research papers, as well as the ongoing leadership campaigns of Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss. Both have set out some thoughts on education policy, outside of the inevitable conversation around grammar schools.
The Sutton Trust published findings on A levels and university access post-pandemic, and recommendations to support access in the face of learning loss. We also saw an interim report from TASO (Transforming Access and Student Outcomes in HE) on the impact of summer schools on disadvantaged students, which found that programmes are failing to reach those most in need.
In Scotland, it was reported that the SNP will consider a motion at their party conference this year to increase the age at which children start school by two years to six, in line with most other European countries.