Steve Besley's Education Eye: week ending 24 January 2025

What's happened this week?

Important stories across the board:

Technology has been a key theme again this week.

It featured prominently in sessions with global leaders at this week’s World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting at Davos. ‘Glastonbury for CEOs’ as Politico called it.

The Forum’s new MINDS (Meaningful, Intelligent, Novel, Deployable Solutions) platform for AI solutions was one of many new developments on display.

UNESCO equally embraced it, dedicating this year’s Day of International Education, which occurred this week to AI, “a tool that must remain at the service of pupils and teachers.”

Back home AI was listed as the driving force behind the government’s proposed new GOV.UK App, announced by the Technology Secretary this week and due to be launched this summer.

The aim is to offer users “a more convenient, and personalised experience of interacting with government” through a digital Wallet.

As the Tech Secretary explained “GOV.UK Wallet will mean that every letter or identity document you receive from the government could be issued to you virtually.” No more ‘lost in the post’ then.

And of course it’s been the focus of a major event this week, the annual Bett conference where the Education Secretary was on hand to “take up this great new technological era to modernise our education system, back our teachers and deliver for our children.”

And that’s all before referencing the projected $500 billion joint tech venture to fund AI infrastructure, announced in the US this week. “A sum equivalent to more than the entire economic output of Norway,” as Bloomberg explained and which the President will no doubt mention on a few occasions.

But back to more central stuff and the Education Secretary’s speech at Bett.

“Keir gets it. I get it,” Bridget Phillipson said as she outlined the importance of AI and the benefits it can bring, citing evidence from the Education Endowment Foundation among others about it accelerating learning ‘by two to three months.’

Her vision, as she described it, was of teachers set free from routine tasks, children backed by top class edtech and a system in effect re-energised by technology.

She backed this up with a number of announcements.

This included the creation of the Edtech Evidence Board with the Chartered College on hand to help ensure the benefits of edtech products. Also the commissioning of new resources from the Chiltern Learning trust, the provision of more training from this year for teachers and the commitment to develop AI to help children with SEND and schools with attendance data. Not forgetting big tech company backing for AI safety products.

As she summed it all up, “40 years ago, back in 1985, when Madonna was getting into the groove and Bett had only just begun, no one could have predicted the edtech of 2025.”

It was a strong pitch.

What about other developments in education this week?

In schools, the Children’s Wellbeing and School’s Bill came in for criticism with Kemi Badenoch labelling it an ‘act of vandalism’ and the Schools Minister acknowledging amendments on pay and conditions.

In contrast, the Headteachers’ Roundtable offered a defence. “Whilst the Schools Bill is not perfect, in a structure as complex as ours it is unlikely any measure will suit all, it does not pose any threat to moderate and ethical school leaders who wrestle with these matters on a daily basis.”

Elsewhere, the School Cuts coalition highlighted broader funding concerns.

It reckoned that 76% of primary schools and 94% of secondary schools would struggle to meet their costs, including the new pay deal, as it published a new briefing on funding.

As the NAHT, one of the members of the coalition, said “While we recognise the incredibly difficult financial inheritance this government is dealing with, children and young people’s education should not suffer as a result.”   

The Education Policy Institute added its thoughts to the current inspection debate, arguing in a new report that the current model was ‘set up for a different era’ and was not serving users well.

It called among other things for separating out safeguarding, focusing on the quality of teaching and learning and looking at data on young people’s wellbeing.

The NAHT wasn’t impressed with wellbeing being included. “While well-intended, such a measure is fraught with dangers and the unintended consequences are significant.”

And ahead of its conference, Bett asked teachers “in your opinion what are the three most pressing EdTech challenges facing UK schools today?’ Lack of money, lack of training and limited access to equipment emerged as the top three answers.

In FE, the FE Commissioner reported on another busy year for her and her team in her latest annual report with staff recruitment, capital funding and the rebuilding of momentum post-Covid seen as current challenges for the sector.

Elsewhere two House of Commons Library service publications this week, on FE funding and L3 reform respectively, offered useful context.

In HE, the Education Secretary confirmed fee levels and student support for 2025/26 in a Statement to MPS which also saw her confirm that the government intended to publish its plans for higher ed reform based on the five priorities outlined last November “by this summer.”

David Willetts argued the case for a university degree in a new research paper for the Policy Institute at King’s College.

Blaming concerns about too many people going to university on short-term thinking, he argued that “going to university is the most powerful single tool we have to boost the living standards and life chances of many young people.” 

The returns are beneficial for the individual, for the economy and for society. “If you were a doctor you would prescribe more education,” he reckoned.

And the British Academy reported on Politics and International Relations (PIR) in its latest look at how various disciplines were faring in UKHE, reporting demand remaining strong but uneven across the sector with intakes notably diversifying.

“Interest in Politics and International Relations has clearly broadened over the past decade, perhaps as a response to today’s increasingly divisive and uncertain political climate.”

Links to most of these stories below starting with the week’s headlines.

General:

• Digital government. The Technology Secretary set out the government’s vision for ‘a modern digital government,’ with the creation of a new digital centre and a six-point plan for public sector digital reform incorporating among other things verifiable user digital credentials, an LLM-powered chat user interface for GOV.UK to help solve queries and a new AI accelerator upskilling programme.
• Value for money? The Treasury Committee raised questions about the Office for Value for Money in a new report, suggesting it had no clear remit or vision and arguing that a range of other bodies were already doing similar work.
• Labour market outlook. The ONS published its latest estimates for the UK labour market over the last quarter, with average earnings up, vacancies down and unemployment up, including notably that for young people.
• Global CEO survey. The consultancy PwC published the results of its Annual Global CEO survey conducted last autumn with AI and climate change as the two defining issues for many, with some companies moving faster than others to embrace change but with an increase in business confidence generally this year.
• Pay divide. Centre for Cities highlighted the extent of the pay divide across different parts of the UK with cities like London, Reading and Cambridge, all places with leading private sector and business jobs having some of the highest average annual wages as opposed to Burnley, Middlesborough and Huddersfield, without such jobs, having some of the lowest.
• Internships. The Sutton Trust explored the world of internships for graduates finding many (61%) either unpaid or poorly paid, increasing numbers not now being advertised and accessible only through or who you knew, and a gulf growing between the advantaged and the disadvantaged when it comes to getting internships.
• Wealth inequality. Oxfam called on governments such as the UK to do more to tackle wealth inequality and ensure that the richest people and corporations pay more as it published a new report showing that global wealth grew three times faster last year than previously, increasing for instance the number of UK billionaires.

HE:

• Student Support Statement. The Education Secretary confirmed fee levels and further support arrangements for students for 2025/26 in a Statement to MPs along with confirmation of government plans for reform of HE by this summer.
• University challenge. Former minister David Willetts challenged many of the current questions about the value of the university experience in a report for King’s College, brushing away concerns that too many people go to university and arguing that not only does it benefit the individual but also the country.
• World University Rankings. The Times Higher reported on subject-based World University Rankings with US state universities sweeping the board for most subjects, Asian institutions performing well and Oxbridge continuing its presence.
• PIR provision. The British Academy published its latest report on how particular disciplines were faring in UKHE, focusing on this occasion on Politics and International Relations (PIR,) finding aggregate demand ‘strong’ especially at postgrad level but recruitment generally variable across institutions.

Tweets and posts of note:

• “Shout out to that one teacher at every school who photocopies 85 booklets (staples and everything) at 8.20am If you know, you know” -@Unofficial OA.
• “Just got back to London and bumped into an ex-student of mine in the tube. Absolutely made my day. Six foot three now. This is one of many consolations you get as a teacher, as you slowly turn into the old guy from Up” -@tombennett71.
• “The best thing about the busy @Bett_show is always renewing friendships in the Ed Tech community. So many familiar faces, though as Ken Dyson pointed out, sadly fewer each year” -@tonyparkin.
• “All ready for my 6th inspection as headteacher (9th in total) - all very different, all prepared for in different ways. You learn to manage any anxiety and you learn the importance of supporting those around you” -@MrsHeadteacher.
• “Speaking to other school leaders & something that does need addressing is the paralysing impact parental complaints can have when a school has acted in accordance with policy but this is ignored & complaints persist. The impact on some leaders & their decision making is huge” -@Strickomaster.
• “I've gone 0.8 since Christmas to do a day a week of childcare and it's glorious. A midweek pause on the churn and chaos of work to focus on something very different. I appreciate that I'm in a privileged position to do this but more schools need to embrace flexibility” -@rickkbristol.
• “You know when you return from a teaching day and you’ve thrown every ounce of energy in your body at it, you get home, you have nothing left to give :( don’t like those days” -@RogersHistory.
• “Excited to join @BlavatnikSchool at Oxford and @HooverInst at Stanford. Oxford and Stanford shaped my life, and I look forward to contributing to their world-class work addressing the challenges and the technological opportunities of our time” -@RishiSunak.

A selection of quotes that merit attention:

• “Manufacturers have entered the New Year in a grim mood. Confidence has evaporated over the last three months as orders have dropped” – the CBI finds little cheer in its latest Industrial Trends survey.
• “The labour market is softening sharply” – the IoD responds to the latest labour market figures.
• “Not doing proper work” – Lord Stuart Rose, former boss of M/S is not sure about working from home.
• “Our Committee has concluded the Office for Value for Money is an understaffed, poorly defined organisation which has been set up with a vague remit and no clear plan to measure its effectiveness. All of which leads me to feel this initiative may be something of a red herring” – the Treasury Committee raises questions about the Office for Value for Money.
• “If government wants to promote growth and social mobility, it should promote higher education and ensure it is properly funded” – former universities minister David Willetts makes the case for higher education in a new publication.
• “We are looking forward to her joining us and are truly excited about the future of IES under her leadership” – the Institute for Employment Studies welcomes Naomi Clayton as its new CEO from April 2025.
• “It is becoming increasingly clear that school funding will not keep pace with growing costs next year” – the NAHT adds its voice to the School Cuts campaign.
• “We do not support attempts to come up with measures for ‘wellbeing’ at school level as there is far too much influencing wellbeing which is beyond a school’s control” – the NAHT warns against including wellbeing measures in accountability.

• Stop using these words this year. Top of the list for words that should be banned this year is the word ‘cringe.’ That’s the view of Lake Superior State University which for the past 50 years or so has been compiling a light-hearted list of words that should be banished each year. ‘Cringe,’ it reckons, ‘has now overstayed its welcome.’ Other words on the naughty list for banning this year include ‘game changer,’ ‘era’ and ‘dropped’ as in a song or message that’s just landed. It’s also good to see the phrase ‘sorry, not sorry’ included. Sorry, if you like it. A link to the list is here.
  
  
• Books to chase away the blues. Not many people will have the time after Christmas and the New Year to settle down with a comforting book but for those that can, The Independent has a list this week of 12 ‘comforting books to chase away the January blues.’ Many are familiar and include ‘Grown Ups’ by Marian Keys, ‘Lessons in Chemistry’ by Bonnie Garmus and Gail Honeyman’s ‘Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine.’ The full list can be found 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.