Steve Besley's Education Eye: week ending 22 September 2023

What's happened this week?

Important stories across the board:

A fair sprinkling of stories this week with crumbly concrete, children’s wellbeing, parental attitudes to school attendance, and latest university admissions data among the headline stories.

Here’s how things have panned out over the week. 

In Westminster, Parliament shut down early to enable MPs to head off for the annual Party Conference season.

The Lib-Dems hold court next week, followed by the Conservatives the week after and Labour after that. MPs reassemble in mid-October to prepare for the King’s Speech (November 07), the Autumn Statement (November 22) and other big autumn events.

Before they left, MPs spent some time grappling with the continuing issue of school buildings, with the shadow education secretary raising an urgent question in the Commons, and the Education Committee questioning the academies minister and head of the DfE on the current situation. Details below.

Elsewhere in Westminster this week, MPs discussed the impact of the cost-of-living on students in a Westminster Hall debate. And the ‘transformative’ Lifelong Learning Entitlement passed into law. It enabled the skills minister once again to bring out his ‘ladder of opportunity’ let alone a new ticket to ride. “This new Lifelong Learning Entitlement” he said, 'will allow people to hop on and off their educational journey throughout their lives with a single ticket, towards the destination of rewarding, skilled employment”. Details on the LLE also below. 

For schools this week, the consultancy Public First published an important survey report on parental attitudes to school attendance. It pointed to what it called ‘a seismic shift in parental attitudes’, concluding that 'parental support for full time schooling has collapsed'. The report was described as ‘essential but sobering reading’ and came as the NFER announced a new research project looking into pupil exclusion and attendance.

Equally essential but sobering reading was the report from the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) this week. It pointed to the fact that ‘nine children in an average class of 30 are growing up in poverty’, arguing that ‘poverty was increasingly stealing children’s learning’. 

Children’s health and wellbeing have been a prominent topic this week, with the UN reporting that global targets for children’s health and education were unlikely to be met as proposed by 2030. 'Education is in a state of emergency', the UNESCO D.G. declared.

In FE, the AELP set out in more detail its vision for a ‘more sustainable skills system’; the AoC put forward a pay rise of 6.5% for staff; and MPs called for more targeted bursaries in a debate in parliament – although the minister claimed in response that there had been ‘a 12% increase in discretionary bursaries’ for FE students this year. 

In HE this week, UCAS published the latest figures for 2023 university entry, with some media concern about a drop in applications. UCAS presented it as ‘a return to pre-pandemic normal’. For those students heading off for the new term, the government published a YouGov survey highlighting the challenge of loneliness, particularly during fresher’s week, and listing ‘ten tips’ for helping combat this. 'Be open to everyone, as university is a great place to meet people from all different backgrounds', it suggested.

Finally, a word on two very interesting media reports this week. 

In one, in the context of the government wanting more young people to take the subject, the FT’s Miranda Green examined ‘Why the UK has a problem with maths’. A link to the 30-minute film is here.

And in the other, Radio 5 Live has been reporting on teenagers this week, listening to their hopes and concerns. ‘Many teens feel unsafe and anxious, but are positive about the future’ according to a BBC headline. ‘Teen 23,’ as it was called, can be found here   

Links to most of these stories below, but first a quick run through two headlines from the week. 

• MPs spent much of their final two days before conference-recess tackling the issue of crumbly concrete buildings. It came as the DfE published the latest listing of affected schools in England – showing a further 27 added to the original list from the end of August. Bridget Phillipson, the shadow education secretary, raised an urgent question in the Commons, with the education secretary seeking to reassure MPs – particularly those with affected schools in their constituency – that ‘the government was doing everything it could to support schools and colleges and keep everyone safe’. Her line was very much being safe rather than sorry even. As she told one MP, ‘there is no intention of propping schools up with metal poles’. The debate can be read here. Propping up ceilings was one of the issues discussed when the Education Committee questioned the academies minister and head of the DfE on the same matter. The minister ran through the timeline of events and how the various issues were being tackled but there was some uncertainty about how many temporary classrooms had been delivered and were actually being used. Schools Week has a useful summary of the session here

• Lifelong learning. It’s taken some time, but the Lifelong Learning Entitlement as it’s now known, finally passed into law this week. The concept was sketched out in the landmark Augar Review of 2019 and formed the centre piece of Boris Johnson’s skills plans a couple of years later. When it comes in from 2025, it will mean that people of all ages, well largely up to age 60, will be able to secure a loan worth, currently, up to around £37,000, to undertake a range of different higher-level courses from a traditional degree to modules. Its significance is threefold. First, it opens up learning to a new and extensive audience. As the government blurb puts it 'It wants to give learners a real choice in life, and not to feel like there is only one route, or one shot at success'. Second, it offers a flexible way to train and upskill in a way that hasn’t been easy before. And third, it creates what the government called 'a single funding system to help people pay for college or university courses, and train, retrain and upskill flexibly over their working lives'. There’s lots to do before it all becomes operative, with at least two further consultations to follow, but as the AoC’s David Hughes put it, ‘it has the potential to be a game-changer’. Whether it transforms post-18 provision remains to be seen.

The top headlines of the week: 

• ‘DfE set to refresh teacher recruitment strategy amid crisis’ (Monday).
• ‘Sharp rise in number of schools in England with collapse-risk concrete’ (Tuesday).
• ‘Fathers have ‘unique effect’ on children’s educational outcomes, study finds’ (Wednesday).
• ‘Fall in students accepted into university in UK’ (Thursday).
• ‘Rishi Sunak’s planned A level reforms could include baccalaureate’ (Friday).

 General:

• Smart tech. The government announced the six regions across the UK, including Cambridgeshire, Tees Valley and Westminster, that will receive ‘smart infrastructure’ funding to test out new ways to enhance digital activity using for instance street lamps and bus stops.
• Economic Outlook. The OECD published its latest economic outlook pointing to inflation ‘proving more persistent than expected’ including for the UK, and with growth remaining low at 2.8% for advanced economies next year.
• Good Work. The CIPD published a Good Work manifesto for parties to consider ahead of the conference season, calling for a new workforce strategy based around three core themes of Skilled Work, Healthy Work and Fair Work, along with reform of the labour market enforcement system and better understanding of the transition to net zero.
• AI impact. The Institute for the Future of Work reported as part of the Nuffield funded series into the Future of Work and Wellbeing on how and why UK firms were adopting AI and what impact this was having, suggesting mixed outcomes with on the positive side ‘some enhancement of job quality’ but on the negative some evidence of widening regional inequality but with much depending on the engagement of key players including the workforce itself.
• Children’s wellbeing. UN agencies reported, as part of this week’s UN General Assembly, on progress under its Sustained Development Goal 4 SD4) which monitors progress in children’s health and education, signalling that two-thirds of the targets would not be met by 2030 with some 250m young people, mainly in poorer parts of the world, currently missing out on education.

FE/Skills:

• Staff pay. The AoC set out pay recommendations for this year encouraging colleges to use the additional money provided by government to generate a pay award for staff of 6.5% where ever possible. 
• Skills vision. The Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) set out its vision for a reformed and more sustainable skills system based around five priorities including the creation of a national training body, a simplified apprenticeship system and a review of functional skills.
• Education manifesto.The Baker Dearing Trust set out its proposals for transforming education in the form of a manifesto for politicians ahead of the general election with four priorities including, T levels complementing rather than replacing existing qualifications, focusing the pre-16 curriculum around employability, and establishing UTC provisions within schools.
• Apprenticeships. The minister confirmed that there had been 316,940 apprenticeship starts during the first eleven months of the academic year 2022/23 compared to 328,780 at the same point last year, with full final year data due in November, as he was questioned in parliament about a drop in starts for this year. 
• IT support. The Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) reported on new survey evidence showing that demand for IT skilled workers remained high with average earnings in the sector ‘outstripping’ those across the wider economy.
• Skills planning. FE Week reported on the current state of play around LSIPs (Local Skills Improvement Plans,) seen as vital to local skills development and delivery by the government and now at a critical stage of development but where their long-term future remains dependent on the commitment of the next government.

HE:

• Lifelong Learning. The government set out the importance of the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) as it’s now known following its passage through parliament, confirming that from 2025, learners would be able to access tuition and maintenance fee loans to undertake degrees, technical qualifications and higher-level modules under a single post-18 funding system. 
• UCAS latest. UCAS reported on 2023 university applications one month on from results day, pointing to ‘a return to normal growth’ post-pandemic as the number of 18-year-olds accepted, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, fell along with the numbers of international students accepted.
• Feeling lonely. The government joined forces with leading bodies at the start of fresher’s week to launch a campaign aimed at combating loneliness among students, putting forward a list of ten tips that might help including joining in with what you enjoy and remembering that others may be feeling the same.
• Quality. The QAA launched its policy series looking into quality in the English HE system, outlining the characteristics of a high-level quality system and calling for better streamlining with other similar bodies, alignment with international best practice, and recognition of the importance of continuous improvement, among its recommendations.
• Employability. The Office for Students (OfS) published an evaluation of its Challenge Competition designed to support providers in helping graduates find local jobs suggesting it had had ‘a positive impact’ with nearly 90% of student participants positive about their experiences with the scheme.
• Who pays? John Morgan reorted in the Times Higher on the latest changes to student fees for those starting this year, reflecting on the current debate about who should pay, where that balance in contributions should lie and whether a new review of financing was now needed.
• Knowledge Exchange. GuildHE called for government and research bodies to support the work of smaller institutions in terms of knowledge exchange activity as it published a series of case studies showing the impact of their work.
• Creative Arts. Leading creative and HE organisations set out a list of ‘eight key asks’ for political parties to consider as a way of restoring creative arts education, including recognising its importance throughout education, recruiting more creative arts teachers and valuing its contribution to the UK economy.
• Research. The Royal Society announced the creation of five Career Development Fellowships, targeted at underrepresented groups, with applications for four-year funded schemes open from this November.
• UCL East. UCL hosted the opening of its new campus at the Olympic Park in East London designed to serve the local community but also host ‘leading-edge research centres’ with a focus on current social and environmental issues.

Tweets and posts of note:

• “I did mention to a pupil once who kept handing me his coursework in late, he did end up working at McDonalds, he bought the franchise. Every Christmas he sent me £40 voucher. He did pass the course”.  @rugby201
• “I remember the supply teacher who, at the end of a truly chaotic lesson, stood on the door and congratulated each rogue as they left for a 'wonderful lesson'. He thought it was an exercise in relationship building. They thought he was a piñata” | @tombennett71
• “Let’s stop trying to force real-life contexts into every topic, such as applying Pythagoras to cutting down a tree, or talking about tessellation in relation to tiling a bathroom,’ says @MrMetacognition” | @tes
• “Year Seven, first piece of writing: ‘I really enjoy English and being creative. It’s like spilling a jar of sweets. All your ideas come out’ | @CarolAtherton8
• “Fewer essays, more oral exams, no online tests: shake-up to prevent students using AI to cheat – Ireland” | @JohnRentoul
• “Discussion between me and my better half here half this morning as to whether 'gave it a quick rinse' counts as having washed a coffee mug. I'm backed into a corner on this one and grateful for any support, no matter how unwarranted” | @Doug_Lemov

Memorable quotes

A selection of quotes that merit attention:

• 'Positive growth continues, albeit fragile, and with persistent inflation posing a key risk' – the OECD offers its latest prognosis on the world’s economy.
• 'Eliciting the views of workers can change perceptions about technology which suggests that a diversity of voices in technology adoption may improve outcomes further' – the Institute for the Future of Work examines best practice in adopting new technologies.
• “Rejecting nights out and heavy drinking once you’ve really tried them is totally fine. But I fear for a generation who say no to experiences they haven’t yet amassed, because on paper there’s no benefit to them” – an older graduate makes the case for an extravagant Fresher’s Week.
• 'A few years ago one or two colleges had a head of wellbeing position. Now almost all of the 31 colleges do' – the i newspaper reports on how Cambridge University, like many, has scaled up its student mental health services.
• “Opening up higher education by allowing learners to dip in and out of study throughout their career is a dramatic and transformational move” – a vice-chancellor welcomes the LLE.
• 'While considerable efforts were made over the past decades to ensure quality education for all, UNESCO data demonstrates that the number of children out of school is now rising' – the UN reports on progress (or lack of) in children’s education globally.
• “There was the commitment made around capital costs, but I’ve spoken to many schools who are struggling to get answers on exactly how far that will extend” – Labour education secretary Bridget Phillipson voices frustration over continuing RAAC uncertainties. 
• 'Propping up ceilings with metal poles is clearly not a serious option in the medium or long term' – the NAHT responds to the latest RAAC listing.
• 'We can no longer allow teachers to be overworked and exhausted by the demands of the job' – NASUWT members work to rule over workloads and long hours.
• 'Covid has caused a seismic shift in parental attitudes to school attendance that is going to take a monumental, multi-service effort to shift' – Public First reports on parental attitudes to pupil attendance.

Other stories

• Social attitudes. “In 1987 nearly half (48%) agreed that ‘a man’s job is to earn money, a woman’s job is to look after the home and family. Now, just one in eleven (9%) back that view'. This is one of the more headline catching pieces of evidence in this year’s British Social Attitudes Survey released this week. There’s plenty more in the report, now in its fortieth year. For example, over the years social attitudes have become more liberal ('In 1983, 50% said that sexual relationships between adults of the same gender were ‘always wrong’'. Now just 9% express that view'.) Equally, attitudes to class have become more pronounced ('In 1983, 70% said that a person’s social class affects their opportunities in Britain ‘a great deal’ or ‘quite a lot’. Now 77% express that view') and ‘public expectations of government are at a record high’. And just to go back to gender roles, as has been pointed out – attitudes about who does the washing up and so on may have changed, but women still end up doing most of it! A link to the research is here

• Labour plans. What do teachers think about possible Labour Party education policies? It’s a question that Teacher Tapp set off to find out last week and which has become increasingly relevant as the Party Conference season gets underway and talk of a general election grows. According to the Teacher Tapp survey, the top three priorities favoured by teachers all concern mental health in some form. More help and support basically. Unsurprisingly, reform to Ofsted inspections comes next – ‘replacing Ofsted grades with a balanced scorecard’ – but anything to do with pay, in this case for early career teachers, came well down the list. It’s an interesting list and suggests only limited alignment between politicians and the profession. The Conservatives have yet to set out their education policies in as much detai,l but we may hear more over the coming weeks. A link to the Teacher Tapp survey is here

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Steve Besley

Disclaimer: Education Eye is intended to help colleagues keep up to date with national developments in the education sector. Information is correct at the time of writing and is offered in good faith. No liability is accepted by Steve Besley or EdCentral for decisions made on the basis of any information provided.