Policy Tracker - Keeping track of what happened in the world of education in March 2015

The last days of business for this Parliament have seen 11 think tank reports, 8 government reports, 3 agency reports, a Budget and half a dozen key speeches. Just the election to come. 

Key headlines from the month

• Baseline testing. Early years groups call for it to be dropped
• Assessment commission. DfE lists the membership
• Careers. DfE issues latest guidance
• GCSE science. Ofqual confirms new approach to assessment of practical work
• GCSE, A levels. Ofqual map out final reform programme
• Free Schools. A future Conservative government would create 500 more
• Academy chains. Government considers performance metrics
• School places. Announced for secondary schools for 2015/16 as bulge starts to hit
• School funding. MPs debate transition to national funding formula
• 14-19. CBI call for further review
• Post-16 courses. Operational guidance for new database issued
• Functional Skills. Not broken but could be improved according to latest report
• STEM teachers. New incentives, bursary and fast track procedures announced
• National College of Teaching. Government commits to some funding
• Teacher CPD. Expert group to develop new standards
• School inspections. Ofsted confirms what its looking for
• FE. Minister offers latest progress report
• FE funding system. NAO to investigate and report in the summer
• Degree Apprenticeships. 9 more announced covering key sectors
• Apprenticeship funding. New digital voucher scheme announced
• HEFCE funding. 2015/16 allocations published.

Reports/Publications of the month (in order of publication)

• Bridging the Social Divide Report. The Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission issues a five point call on closing the gap as political Parties limber up for the election
• The Next LEPs. The think tank Localis reports on its survey of LEPs and calls for skills funding to be part of a devolved system of LEP driven local planning and funding over the next 5 years
• Careers Education in the Classroom. TeachFirst adds to the growing volume of reports on the inadequate state of schools careers guidance as it launches a programme for its own recruits
• The most able students. Ofsted follows up an earlier report into how well secondary schools are providing for the most able and concludes progress has been pretty slow
• Reading: The next steps. The DfE includes book clubs and poetry recitals as ways of improving reading standards in primary schools in a report to mark World Book Day
• The Commission on Apprentices. The think tank Demos concludes its year-long inquiry into apprenticeships in Construction and elsewhere with a call to strengthen quality and status
• Education Manifesto. The think tank Policy Exchange makes recommendations in seven areas ranging from early years to lifelong learning in its pre-election manifesto
• Apprenticeships and traineeships for 16-19 year olds. The Education Committee includes recommendations on quality and careers in its report on work-based learning for young people
• A Rising Tide. The think tank Policy Exchange examines the evidence around Free Schools and argues that the case for extending the template is now proven
• Costing the sixth form curriculum. The Sixth Form Colleges Association sets out the real cost of providing a post-16 curriculum and suggests cuts are making this difficult
• First Year Process Evaluation. BIS commissioned research finds happy trainees and good progression rates from the first year of this programme
• Evaluation of Apprenticeship Trailblazers. BIS commissioned research reflects on some of the issues surrounding the Trailblazer model of apprenticeship design
• The Future of Higher Vocational Education. The Vice-Chancellors of Sheffield and Warwick Universities get together to sketch out a new vision to be led by some of the ‘top’ universities
• Apprenticeship Reforms. The government charts out progress so far
• Closing the gap: the work of the Education Committee in the 2010-2015 Parliament. The Committee reflects on its work over the last five years and its focus on closing the gap
• The distribution of school funding and inputs in England: 1993-2013. The Institute of Fiscal Studies finds much of it aimed at deprived schools and at non-teaching numbers
• Extremism in Schools: the Trojan Horse affair. The Education Committee reports on the lessons are to be learned from the affair and highlights a lack of inter-agency collaboration
• Language Trends 2014/15. The CfBT and British Council’s latest annual survey of language learning in schools reports a slow trudge in attracting more young people to take up languages
• Budget 2015. The big fat Budget Book spells out the details
• Academies and Free Schools. The government confirms it remains keen to extend academisation as it responds to the recent Education Committee Inquiry
• A dual mandate for adult vocational education. BIS launches a hefty consultation to help set a new vision for adult voc learning around skills training and second chance opportunities
• Making maths and English work for all. Latest commissioned report finds the case for Functional Skills remaining strong but some changes to content and assessment needed
• After the QCF. Ofqual launches consultation on a new, more flexible framework
• Moving on up. The think tank IPPR add their thoughts to the growing 14-19 great debate calling for clearer definition, coherence and purpose to the whole upper-secondary system
• Financial health of the HE sector 2013/14-2016/17. HEFCE offers its regular clinical analysis of how the HE sector finances are bearing up and despite wide variations finds positives
• Education in chains. The think tank Reform make the case for reform through collaboration.

Speeches of the month

• The Prime Minister’s 9 March Free School speech continues the ‘all-out war’ on mediocrity in schools by proposing a massive increase in Free School numbers
• Chuka Umunna’s 10 March apprenticeships speech highlights the 4 features of Labour’s voc policy (more apprenticeships, HE ladder, responsive provision, college branding)
• Nick Clegg’s 15 March Spring Conference speech lays claim to the Party’s role in protecting schools budgets and brining in greater fairness through the Pupil premium
• George Osborne’s 18 March Budget speech sets out to make Britain walk tall but continues the theme of austerity for at least the next three years
• Tristram Hunt’s 20 March ASCL speech suggests new technology, new school forms and new ways of learning can help move things on from an exam factory model of schooling
• Glenys Stacey’s 20 March ASCL speech highlights some of the competing tensions that lie behind qualification reform as she explains how progress is going in the current reforms
• Nicky Morgan’s 21 March ASCL speech continues to praise teachers but prefers to keep curriculum decisions in the hands of ministers.

Quotes of the month

• “What these schools have achieved is frankly remarkable.” The Prime Minister on Free Schools
• “People still think apprenticeships are for brickies and mechanics only.” The Skills Minister on dispelling myths about apprenticeships
• “The plan is working. Britain is walking tall again.” The Chancellor on his Budget
• “We get vocational education.” The Shadow Business Secretary on what Labour gets
• “Thank you, let’s hope we don’t have to see you back again.” The chair of the Public Accounts Committee concludes its inquiry into funding by alternative HE providers
• “I call it the cult of the big reformer.” The Shadow Ed Sec on toning down alpha male reforms.

Word or phrase of the month

• ‘Empowerment lounge.’ Apparently all good schools should have one.