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Policy Tracker – Keeping track of what happened in the world of education in July 2019

Policy Tracker

A month of big developments with the release of interim SATs results, a major consultation on higher-level tech qualifications and an announcement on teachers’ pay and ending up with a new government including a new Education Secretary.

A month of big developments with the release of interim SATs results, a major consultation on higher-level tech qualifications and an announcement on teachers’ pay and ending up with a new government including a new Education Secretary


Key headlines from the month

  • SATs. Government publishes this year’s interim results
  • Free Schools. New School Network heralds the first 10 years and outlines proposals for the next 10
  • Language trends. British Council reports on latest trends with Brexit emerging as a factor 
  • Computing Hubs. National Centre announces the first 23 
  • International Bacc. Drops its candidate fee
  • Teach First. Announces record number of trainee recruits for the coming year 
  • Teacher training. Government introduces new system for assessing literacy/numeracy skills 
  • Teachers’ pay. Teachers get 2.75%
  • Executive pay. Government issues guidance to academy trusts on top salaries
  • Education funding. Education Committee calls for a sustained 10-year plan
  • MATs. Ofsted calls for power to be able to inspect 
  • L3 and below. Government confirms funding to be removed from duplicate quals from Aug 2020
  • National Retraining Scheme. Gets under way at last 
  • LEPs. Public Accounts Committee reports on progress and where more action is needed
  • Lifelong learning. Education Committee launches new Inquiry 
  • Higher tech qualifications. Government consults on latest proposals
  • Essay mills. Lord Storey proposes new private members bill to help curb
  • Student survey. Office for students publishes results from latest National Student Survey
  • Independent living for students. Government announces new free workshops to help students 
  • Uni entry. UCAS publishes latest figures showing notable increase among 18 yr olds and non-EU
  • Uni admissions. Universities UK launches extensive review
  • Office for Students. Publishes first annual report and accounts

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

  • Charter for Student Engagement. The Association of Colleges (AoC) invites colleges to sign up to a Charter to help promote and develop working partnerships with students
  • Free Schools: the next 10 years. The New Schools Network celebrates the first 10 years and outlines its thoughts for the next 10 years in a new report 
  • 2019 School and College Performance Tables. The DfE publishes its proposals for this year’s performance tables which will include a new progression to L4 and above measure 
  • Language Trends 2019. The British Council publishes its latest annual report finding a continuing downward trend in exam take-up and other language activities with Brexit cited as one of the factors
  • Annual report and accounts. The Office for Students reports on its first full working year highlighting progress against its five core objectives along with current accounts
  • Councils can. The Local Government Association reports on the roles and responsibilities of local councils and outlines priorities including those around education and skills for the coming months 
  • National Student Survey. The Office for Students publishes the results from its latest survey of final year undergraduates showing most (84%) happy with the quality of their courses
  • Improving literacy in secondary schools. The Education Endowment Foundation offers seven recommendations to help improve literacy in secondary schools 
  • Local Enterprise Partnerships. The Public Accounts Committee reports on how LEPs are doing, noting some progress but pointing to continuing concerns about capacity and accountability
  • National Citizen Service Business Plan. The National Citizen Service Trust sets out a 5-year strategy based around its six key pillars
  • Higher Technical Education. The government consults on its proposals to transform higher technical education through defined qualifications, high-quality providers and better guidance and info
  • Spending Review asks. The Association of Colleges sets out its proposals for a forthcoming Spending Review calling among other things for a big increase in spending on provision for 16-18
  • School inspection update. Ofsted issues its final Schools update ahead of the introduction of a new framework from this September
  • Healthy schools rating scheme. The government invites schools to participate in its new healthy schools rating scheme where they would receive awards for meeting standards on food and activity
  • Childhood in crisis. The charity Action for Children publishes new evidence about the range of challenges facing children today including bullying, social media, school pressures, even Brexit
  • Setting executive salaries. The DfE and ESFA issue new guidance to academy trusts on setting executive pay listing a number of factors that should be taken into account
  • Key stage 2 (interim) SATs results. The government publishes the interim KS2 SATs results for this year showing 65% of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths
  • The Recruitment Gap. The Sutton Trust reports on the challenges of recruiting and retaining staff in disadvantaged areas calling for clear behaviour and pay policies to act as incentives
  • University applications June 2019 deadline. UCAS publishes the data on this year’s uni applications through UCAS as of the end of June deadline showing many upward trends 
  • Payment for university governors? The HE Policy Institute (HEPI) examines the case for paying governors, finding some sectors doing this and suggesting it can enhance good governance
  • Analysis of degree classifications over time. The Office for Students (OfS) provides further analysis of the increase in the number of first class hons degrees indicating some is still unexplained
  • Analysis of Ofsted Good and Outstanding Schools. The government publishes figures to suggest that 80,000 more children are now in good or outstanding sponsored academies 
  • A step Baccward. The EDSK think tank reports on the impact of the EBacc, pointing to quite a lengthy charge sheet and calling for a revised Progress 8 measure to be considered as an alternative 
  • The Future of Degree Apprenticeships. Universities UK assesses the position on degree apprenticeships calling for a big push on promoting the benefits and improving opportunities
  • School Sport and Activity Plan. The government outlines a commitment to try and provide opportunities for every child to have access to at least 60 minutes of physical activity a day
  • Multi-academy trusts. Ofsted examines the workings of MATs, finding much good work but arguing that inspections should include the trust as a whole rather than just the schools within it 
  • Understanding the middle tier. Sara Bubb Associates publishes a report, commissioned by the Local Government Association, comparing the costs of overseeing academies and authority schools
  • Improving the apprenticeship system. The Institute of Student Employers sets out a number of ways to improve the apprenticeship system, such as extending the levy deadline, in a new report
  • International Graduate Outcomes 2019. Universities UK reports on a survey of international graduates from UK HE showing most very satisfied with their course and career
  • Government response on ‘Making Data Work.’ The government responds to the working group report on reducing the data burden in schools accepting all recommendations in full 
  • Financial transparency of schools. The government consults on new measures to improve financial transparency around local authority schools using measures adopted from the academy system
  • National Retraining Scheme. The government finally launches the National Retraining Scheme for low waged adults in need of reskilling, with an initial programme in Liverpool 
  • The Student Visa System. Leading university organisations set out five principles for reforming the student visa system making it more transparent, accessible and easier to use 
  • School Attendance. The government issues new non-statutory guidance on maintaining best school attendance and on planning the school year 
  • Graduate Outcomes. The government publishes LEO data graduate earnings data by region for 2016/17 pointing to a 20% income boost over non-graduates in many regions
  • Growing up digital. The Nuffield Foundation reports on the use of technology in schools concluding that putting computers into schools is no guarantee that it’ll improve learning or skills
  • Tailored review of the Student Loans Company. The government reports on its focused review of the Student Loans Company noting many improvements but also making some recommendations
  • A 10-year plan for school and college funding. The Education Committee publishes the results of its inquiry into education funding calling on the government to in”The new Secretary of State will find it impossible to do anything menaigful in his new role without the essential prerequisite of sufficient funding”vest in a long-term plan
  • Advice for schools on how to prepare for Brexit. The government updates its guidance for schools on Brexit preparations with information on pupils, staff, teacher qualifications, travel and food supplies
  • Advice for FE providers and apprenticeship providers on how to prepare for Brexit. The government updates its Brexit planning for training and skills providers
  • School improvement systems in high performing countries. The DfE publishes a commissioned report with evidence on school improvement from five countries with high-performing school systems 
  • An Unequal Playing Field. The Social Mobility Commission reports on the huge disparities between the haves and the have nots in children’s participation rates in extra-curricular activities 
  • Teacher well-being. Ofsted reports on its survey among teachers in schools and colleges finding many positive about the job but equally struggling with workloads, lack of support and poor resources
  • Getting Back on Track. The CBI anticipates the new PM with a new business manifesto calling among other things for rethinks on GCSEs and the levy and for Augar to be put out for consultation 
  • School Teachers’ Review Body. The government accepts the Review Body’s recommendation for a 2.75% pay rise for teachers but indicates that schools will have to find the 2% from existing budgets
  • Tackling intergenerational unfairness. The government issues its response to the Lords Committee report on tackling intergeneration unfairness, acknowledging the issues but leaving details to later
  • Consolidated annual report and accounts. The DfE publishes its annual report and accounts for the year ended 31 March 2019 listing key data and activity for each of its areas of activity
  • ESFA annual report and accounts. The Education and Skills Agency (ESFA) publishes its annual report and accounts showing all funding allocations delivered to expectation and within budget
  • The case for a broader training levy. The CIPD reports that the apprenticeship levy is failing to increase training volumes and calls for extending its scope and incorporating other forms of training
  • Transformative Teaching and Learning in FE. The University and College Union (UCU) calls for colleges to be positioned at the heart of communities and lifelong learning with funding to match 
  • What do students think about contextual admissions? The HE Policy Institute (HEPI) surveys undergrads and finds most supportive of contextual admissions and keen to see the system work

Speeches of the month

  • Amanda Spielman’s 10 July Innovate Conference speech examines the factors behind the downward trend in D/T and how curriculum planning and Ofsted can help boost the subject
  • Chris Skidmore’s 15 July Birkbeck speech outlines what progress is being made in developing more flexible provision and in opening out access and participation

Quotes of the month

  • “The new Secretary of State for Education must hit the ground running” – the National Education Union (NEU) ‘welcomes’ the arrival of a new Education Secretary
  • “We can’t legislate for parity of esteem but we can make sure the options out there are clear and high-quality” – the then Education Secretary launches consultation on new higher technical qualifications
  • “Of course I would want to stay. I’d love to. I love my job” – the Education Secretary dismisses talk of changing Ministerial jobs
  • “My current role and the work I have done on apprenticeships has been equally rewarding” – Anne Milton reflects on her time as Skills Minister
  • “What’s the price of a litre of milk?” – one of the likely prompt questions in the new digital workshops intended to help students prepare for independent living
  • “The rise of the middle class apprentice would be a healthy reminder that getting a degree is not the only way to succeed in life” – Social Market Foundation director James Kirkup on apprenticeship developments
  • “Beyond statutory data collection, I have pledged that my department will not ask for regular attainment data from schools unless they meet the trigger for intervention on the basis of educational underperformance” – the then Education Secretary looks to reduce teacher workloads
  • “Marking started back in May after the first exams were taken and it will continue for some papers until the end of July” – Ofqual explains what’s happening to the exams now that they’re over 
  • “The pupils who performed well in these tests will have demonstrated sophisticated grammatical skills like using the subjunctive, the ability to divide fractions and mastery of complex spellings” – Nick Gibb on the latest SATs tests 
  • “The conversation will also help inspectors to form an initial understanding of leaders’ views of the school’s progress and to shape the inspection plan” – Ofsted outlines how the new eve of inspection phone call between lead inspector and school should operate
  • “It’s like being constantly asked to juggle frogs” – the coordinator of the school funding campaign reacts to news that schools will have to find most of the latest pay increase from existing budgets

Word or phrase of the month

  • The 4 Ss (skills, social justice, standards, and support for the profession.) What the future education and skills agenda should be about according to the Chair of the Education Committee

Steve Besley
Head of Policy
policywatch@pearson.com

Policy Eye is a nearly weekly additional service from Policy Watch, offering a regular round-up of UK education headlines and stories from the previous seven days.

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