Policy Tracker – Keeping track of what happened in the world of education in July 2018
A month which has seen the first of the summer results published in the shape of the interim SATsfigures, the government announce a pay increase for many teachers, Ofsted and the DfE release AnnualReports, the Institute for Apprenticeships publish its Business Plan, concerns raised about theimplementation of T levels and UCAS release latest details on uni applications and unconditional offers
Key headlines from the month
- Baseline testing. British Educational Research Association publishes critical report
- Times table tests. Standards and Testing Agency update on developments
- KS1/2 tests. Capita awarded new contract
- SATs results 2018.Government publishes interim results, final version in December
- Exam malpractice. The Joint Council announces a new Commission to look into impact of new tech
- Pupil premium. Government confirms figures for the 2018/19 year
- Pupil numbers. Government downgrades latest projections
- Teacher workload. Dfe releases latest toolkit and strategies
- Teachers’ pay. Government announces new pay rise
- Relationship and health education. Government updates guidance and plans for 2019
- Inspections. Ofsted publishes its latest school inspection handbook
- Careers Hubs. Roll out announced
- EdTech. The Education and Training Foundation announces work on a new skills framework
- T Level quals. Ofqual launches consultation on regulatory proposals
- T levels. Federation of Awarding Bodies considers judicial review
- Institute for Apprenticeships. Publishes Business Plan and accompanying Strategic Plan
- Devolved budgets. Greater Manchester outlines plans
- Skills Deal. The government agrees one with the West Midlands
- Uni fees. Frozen for a second year
- UCAS applications. Up for 18 yr olds in England and from EU but down overall
- EU students. Government confirms fees will not change for 2019/20 starters despite Brexit
Reports/Publications of the month (in order of publication)
- Does the claim of 1.9m more children in good or outstanding schools stack up? According to the Education Policy institute, it doesn’t, other factors like rising pupil numbers have helped
- Spending of the Department for Education. The House of Commons Library Service explains how and where the DfE spends the money
- Equality analysis. The DfE assesses the impact of the decision to freeze tuition fees for 20019/20 suggesting that if anything it should prove positive for all students
- Improving schools. The Local Government Association calls for a reset of the relationship with government, with councils having a clearer role in matters like school standards, places and funding
- Hierarchy, Markets and Networks. UCL’s Institute of Education reports on how a self-improving school system has emerged since 2010 and suggests schools are facing greater controls than before
- Does the secondary sector have the capacity for expanding the EBacc? The National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) assesses how timetables are changing to support the EBacc
- Financial sustainability of local authorities. The Public Accounts Committee reports on its inquiry into local council finances finding many feeling the strain and some services under pressure
- Vulnerability Report 2018. The Children’s Commissioner publishes a new annual report showing how many children are growing up in families at risk
- Strategic Plan 2018-2023. The Institute for Apprenticeships sets out its objectives for the next five years built around the three priorities of efficiency/quality, relationships, reputation
- Business Plan 2018-19. The Institute for Apprenticeships lists ten objectives by March 2019 covering T levels, apprenticeship standards, quality, people, influence and relationships
- Construction Sector Deal. The government announces the latest Sector Deal as part of the Industrial Strategy with a familiar emphasis on skills, new technology and productivity
- Admissions patterns for mature applicants. UCAS reports on admissions patterns for mature students last year showing a further slowdown particularly among the 21-25 age group
- A Baseline without Basis. The British Educational Research Association (BERA) takes the government to task over proposed plans for reception assessment
- School Inspection Update. Ofsted rounds things off for the summer term with updates on safeguarding, inspection timings and the EBacc among other things
- Introducing primary children to the world of work. The Education and Employers Organisation along with the TES and NAHT publish further research suggesting this should start from age five
- Future of Work. The RSA launches a new Centre and set of awards to help understand and recognise the changing nature of work and those employers adapting best to it
- Report from the Youth Commission. The Learning and Work Institute reports on the challenges facing young people transitioning to work and launches a new project to assess future changes
- Using data to widen access to higher education. The Fair Education Alliance calls for greater consistency in how contextual data is used in admissions procedures
- All Party Parliamentary Group on Apprenticeships. The cross Party Group issues its annual report listing its activities for the year and making recommendations on the levy and careers guidance
- Converting schools to academies. The Public Accounts Committee chastises the government for its lack of scrutiny in the early days and calls for lessons to be learned
- Regulating Technical Qualifications. Ofqual launches an extensive but time constrained consultation on how it should regulate technical qualifications
- Comparing schools spending per pupil in Wales and England. The Institute for Fiscal Studies revises up to 8% its figure on the cuts to per pupil spending in schools in England
- Applications to university 2018. UCAS publishes the latest set of figures as of the end of last month showing EU and 18 yr old applicants in England up but overall figures down
- Partners in progression. The think tank LMco highlights the concerns and roles for parents when their offspring head to university in a report commissioned by King’s College
- The Future Relationship between the UK and EU. The government publishes its promised White Paper with various proposals on student movement, data and qualification recognition and IP
- T Levels: employability in a changing economy. The Collab Group of colleges and EMSI outline four big issues: employability; employment; industry placement; student engagement
- Apprenticeships in England: what does research tell us? The Centre for Vocational Education Research (CVER) examines the evidence and finds a system trying to balance quantity with quality
- Restructuring Facility. The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) issues further guidance encouraging bids to be in by the end of September
- Tackling the Growing Barriers to Traineeship Success. The Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) highlights continuing issues around Traineeships
- School inspection handbook. Ofsted publishes the latest version of its handbook for the coming year along with an updated list of myth busters for schools
- Annual report and accounts. Ofsted publishes its annual report for 2017-18 showing it had met aims in nine of its thirteen work streams
- Cracking the code. The HE Policy Institute (HEPPI) issues a set of guidelines and recommendations to help universities develop a code of practice for freedom of speech on campus
- Potential for Success. The Sutton Trust highlights the problem of able but disadvantaged pupils who often receive less support and struggle for opportunities against their better placed peers
- The sale of student loans. The National Audit Office (NAO) questions different perceptions about the long-term returns of the initial sale
- Uses and perceptions of curriculum support resources in schools. The DfE reports on the curriculum support resources most used in schools and where teachers need more help
- Schools snapshot survey. The DfE publishes details of its snapshot survey taken last winter into how schools are tackling a number of key policy areas from phonics to Prevent
- School Teachers’ Pay Review. The government announces the latest pay uplift for teachers ranging from 1.5% for school leaders to 3.5% for classroom teachers
- Education in England: Annual Report 2018. The Education Policy Institute publishes its latest annual survey showing school performance improving but the attainment gap still remaining
- Annual Report and Accounts. The DfE publishes its latest comprehensive report listing risks, achievements and financial accounts for the 2017/18 financial year
- Strengthened Local Enterprise Partnerships. The government publishes the results of its review into LEPs promising additional funds to help with Local Industrial Strategies
- The national funding formula for schools and high needs. The DfE issues guidance for 2019/20 with a number of small changes including to underfunded schools and per-pupil levels
- Alternative Provision. The Education Committee reports on school exclusions finding a number of unacceptable practices and calling for a Bill of Rights for both pupils and parents
- The exercise of devolved adult education functions. The DfE issues guidance for how Combined Authorities should operate when they exercise adult education functions next year
- Government response on young people’s mental health provision. The government confirms that it hopes to have some mental health support teams in place by the end of 2019
- Unconditional offers. UCAS releases statistics on the rising number of university applicants who receive unconditional offers
Speeches of the month
- Amanda Spielman’s 3 July Education Policy Institute speech outlines Ofsted’s views on inspecting multi-academy trusts
- Damian Hinds’ 5 July ADCS Conference speech stresses the importance of children’s’ services and the work the Dept is doing around safeguarding, special needs and alternative provision
- Sam Gyimah’s 5 July Oxford Science Park speech talks about the future for science and technology and the importance of technology, innovation and investment in the coming years
- Amanda Spielman’s 9 July Policy Exchange speech examines the issue of British values and the respective roles of schools and Ofsted in supporting these
Quotes of the month
- “It’s no secret that councils are under the cosh” – the chair of the Public Accounts Committee summarizes her Committee report on council finances
- “Fundamentally he is powered by a desire to get people from different backgrounds mixing - or in fancier words, promoting social integration” – FE Week profiles Jon Yates, special adviser to the Education Secretary
- “University admissions offices will breathe a sigh of relief, though their finance directors are still likely to be worried” – HE Policy Institute director Nick Hillman reflects on the latest fees announcement
- “It is highly regrettable that we feel the need to take these steps. It seems that the government is not willing to listen to a chorus of concerns about its T level implementation plans” – the Federation of Awarding Bodies prepares to call for a judicial review of T levels
- “This will mean that teaching continues to be a competitively rewarded career” – the Education Secretary announces the latest pay award for teachers
- “A search of Hansard reveals at least 40 mentions spread across two prime ministers, four secretaries of state and numerous ministers” – the Education Policy Institute questions the veracity of the government’s favourite statistic about more children being in good schools
- “They are easy things to skirt yet the risk of doing so is great” – the Chief Inspector confronts the teaching of British values
- “Inspectors will not expect all schools to be at similar stages of EBacc implementation” – Ofsted explains to schools what advice it is giving inspectors when it comes to the EBacc
Word or phrase of the month
- ‘Chaotic centralization.’ A description of the school system in England in a new report from UCL’s Institute of Education