Steve Besley's Education Eye: week ending 04 April 2025

What's happened this week?

Important stories across the board:

The end of term for many this week

It’s been a long slog since Christmas and there’s been a lot to navigate.

Here’s what’s been happening over the latest week, starting with a dive into schools and an important High Court hearing.

It involves the VAT decision on independent school fees.  

The Independent Schools Council (ISC) had promised to challenge the decision and this week, along with some families with children with special needs and some faith schools, it took its case to the High Court. In three separate cases the groups argued that the VAT decision was discriminatory and against human rights.

As the CEO of the ISC explained, “the government has proceeded with these proposals in haste without fully listening to the views of the independent sector or carrying out a full and proper impact analysis."

It’s not thought likely that they’ll win but the move could leave a nasty taste in the mouth for the government according to some education lawyers.

The House of Commons Library Service has a useful summary of the VAT arrangements issue here.

In other schools news, the consultancy Public First outlined key features for a future national state-funded tutoring scheme. 12 hours per pupil across a term, from KS2 to post-16, with mixed models for different providers and a focus on English and maths.

In the words of report author Jonathan Simons, “this report shows how we can learn from what has gone before, in order to build a state funded national tutoring offer that tackles the critical educational challenges across our system today.”

The NEU called for ‘a major pay correction’ for teachers as it published commissioned research showing that “teachers’ earnings consistently rank lower than those for most of the other professional groups.” Expect to hear more about this at its forthcoming Annual Conference.

The NAHT among others welcomed the announcement of the first phase of the government’s roll-out of new school-based nurseries from this September. "Schools play a vital role in the early years eco-system, and this should help strengthen that further,” it said.

The government confirmed a few changes to the subject content of GCSE Computer Science following last year’s consultation. With one eye on the current curriculum review the aim is to freshen up “five elements of dated content” and ‘minimise disruptive changes’ at a time of possible further change.

The Chief Inspector addressed education leaders from the City of London as he argued the case for Ofsted’s current reform proposals. “By maintaining this focus on what matters, and by reporting on it in detail, we hope to drive ever higher standards in education.”

He spoke as the Headteachers’ Roundtable called for the proposed peerage for the former Chief Inspector, Amanada Spielman to be withdrawn, suggesting in an open letter to the Appointments Commission that it would be “inappropriate and insensitive.”

The NFER highlighted weaknesses in the socio-emotional skill levels of many of our young people compared to those in other countries as it published a new report in its future skills series. As the Programme Lead explained ““Socio-emotional skills are very important for young people‘s employment prospects as well as their life satisfaction and general wellbeing.”

And the TES reported on the concerns about ‘the tired teacher tropes’ in Adolescence. Many on social media agreed.

In FE, another set of initials quietly slipped from view this week with the formal transfer of the ESFA to the DfE. 

“On 1 April 2025, the remaining functions of the ESFA – those relating to the delivery and assurance of funding – will also transfer to the department.”

Elsewhere, the government confirmed a chunk of money from last autumn’s Budget to help FE colleges with estate repairs and upgrading under its Condition Allocation.

They have some discretion over how the money is spent but accompanying guidance also spells out where it can’t be used; replacing IT servers for example.

MakeUK published the final report from its Industrial Strategy Skills Commission with seven recommendations around funding, the levy and skills mapping, covering both short and longer-term objectives.

Careers guidance for post-16 learners has been a topical issue this week with two published reports, one from Ofsted and the other from the Gatsby Foundation.

Ofsted’s report looked at provision for learners from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Using interviews and research visits it found a willing approach but difficulties over data, placements, collaboration and trained staff,

Gatsby, meanwhile, reported on good practice in adult careers guidance culled from countries such as Australia, Finland and Germany, with local services, good data systems and strong collaboration all notable features.

And AELP announced it was strengthening its model of working with members under the banner of AELP Exchange.

This will see new Communities of Practice operate alongside existing and new Special Interest Groups and Sector Forums to “provide targeted spaces for collaboration, best practice sharing, and informed policy discussions.”

The aim is to work more closely with particular groups to ensure maximum impact.

Finally on to HE, where Wonkhe and the digital learning company Kortext, looked into how institutions were tackling the challenges of online learning.

‘Digital dexterity’ seems to be the key phrase with research suggesting most institutions were focusing on three areas: leadership and strategy, staff skills, and collaborative behaviour.

Elsewhere HEPI and partners published two important reports this week.

One looked at how far students were happy with their choices of course and institution and whether these might have changed with hindsight.

“Only a very small proportion (2-3%) said that they would not want to go to higher education at all. It was far more a question of thinking that they would have made a different decision as to what, when, and where to study.” Both undergraduates and graduates surveyed acknowledged that they should have carried out more initial research, a point endorsed among the report’s recommendations.

In the other report former government adviser Tom Richmond laid out some of the challenges facing the government’s new skills body as it seeks to galvanise the system to deliver high-level skills and growth.

“The new agency faces significant challenges, including limited autonomy, complex cross-departmental coordination, tensions between national and local priorities, and competing objectives between foundational and higher-level skills needs.” Good luck there, then.

In other news, the UPP Foundation launched a major new inquiry into widening participation, indicating that despite the familiar Blair 50% target being met, “significant inequalities persist in who accesses university, how they experience it, and what they gain from it.”

Initial survey research with Public First suggested continuing regional inequalities and the Foundation aims to examine regional cold spots for instance and report back later this year.

JISC set up a new security operations centre to help research centres counter the threats of cyber-attacks. It claimed that “through advanced threat detection and response capabilities, we’re empowering the education community to innovate with confidence.”

And in a ‘forewarned is forearmed’ paper, the Office for Students (OfS) reflected on lessons to be learned from intuitional closures.

Talk to us sooner rather than later and “early intervention, transparency and open dialogue” were the key messages.

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

General:

• Cyber security. The government set out its proposals around cyber security and resilience in a Statement to parliament ahead of legislation due later this year, including bringing more service providers into scope, setting new executive including for government and ensuring the regulatory framework keeps pace.
• Get Britain Working. The government outlined some of the key metrics it intends to use, such as the number of 18 - 66 yr olds in employment divided by their overall number, household real earnings and reductions in health-related economic inactivity, and the disability employment rate gap, as it chases its target of raising the UK employment rate to 80%,
• Living Wage. The Living Wage Foundation welcomed the increase in the National Living Wage from this April but argued that it still falls short of the real Living Wage set by the Foundation at 39p an hour higher.
• Youth labour market. The IfS raised concerns about the impact of this week’s increases to the minimum wage and to employer NI contributions on the youth labour market, suggesting that they may encourage firms to look to more automation, older workers or simply reduce hiring altogether, thereby diminishing job opportunities for young people at a particularly challenging time.
• Early Years. The Early Years Alliance raised concerns over funding agreements being imposed by some local authorities which are placing greater restrictions on providers than those required by DfE guidance, resulting in difficulties over access, costs and expectations around the early entitlement offer.
• Business Plan 2025/6. The Children’s Commissioner set out her Business Plan for the year ahead, promising not just a new Festival of Childhood and a look at how schools and allied services support children but also a major new data project mapping the best places for  where children can grow up.
• Digital divide. The regulator Ofcom published further evidence about the extent of the digital divide in the UK ahead of recommendations due later this year, revealing that 5% of the population don’t have any access to the internet and 8% lack confidence in using it.

HE:

• With the benefit of hindsight. The HE Policy Institute (HEPI) and partners examined student choices about HE and how far minds might have changed with the benefit of hindsight, finding the majority happy with their choice of what and where to study but pointing equally to the importance of students doing careful research first and being able to switch courses later if necessary.
• Closing down. The OfS reflected on what lessons could be learned from institutional closures, calling on leaders to regularly monitor institutional finances, consider early intervention where necessary and communicate openly and clearly with students and staff if they run into operational difficulties and have to consider closure.
• Widening participation. UPP Foundation announced it was launching a major new inquiry into widening participation, pledging a series of reports over the coming months looking into areas like regional ‘cold spots’ and student experiences and starting with a ‘state of the nation’ briefing highlighting current disparities.
• Skills policy. Former government adviser Tom Richmond reported on the challenges facing the government’s new skills body in a report for HEPI, suggesting that with limited funding, a poorly defined role and an uncertain relationship with key bodies such as the OfS, it may struggle to create a high-powered, high-skill tertiary system.
• Online exams. The Times Higher reported on research from Swansea University showing that over three-quarters of respondents in a survey indicated that they were using online remote exams despite the ending four years ago of lockdown restrictions and despite concerns about a lack of invigilation and the potential for cheating.
• Digital learning. Wonkhe and Kortext looked into how HE providers were preparing for digital learning, highlighting the importance of overall cultural change as part of the process and pointing to aspects such as being able to respond to diverse learning needs, aligning systems and providing clear leadership and strategy as important ingredients.
• Cyber security. JISC announced it was launching a new security operations centre (SOC) to support universities, colleges and research centres in dealing with cyber security threats, claiming its new centre will help internal teams by providing 24/7 protection and rapid response support.

Tweets and posts of note:

• “Is it just me! The most annoying question to be asked by a non-teacher: Are you on holiday again?” -@Headteacherchat.
• “I know it’s been a long half term but when Year 2 start trying to guess your age and quote 67, 63, 71 and 62 I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Headship can be tough but….” -@Strickomaster.
• “We need to bring back qualified PSHE teachers and proper timetabled PSHE lessons. Shoving it in tutor time, having it led by non-specialists does both the students and the subject a disservice” -@MBDscience.
• “The PM says a govt ban on phones in schools is "completely unnecessary" because "almost every school bans phones" - but 64% of Mumsnet users told us their children are allowed to keep their phones with them during the school day” -@MumsnetTowers.
• “Just read about a school where one lesson per week is going to be taught by AI. Essentially a robot on the screen, giving teachers time to carry out marking/feedback etc. outside of the classroom. Artificially Programmed Robotic Intelligent Learning they are calling it. Interesting” -@DeputyGrocott.
• “When Ofsted call, why do they think that they can gather the Governors at 11.45am, with less than 24hours notice? I'm furious!” -@queenkarenclyne.
• “I've found the hill I will die on, and it's the difference between 'uninterested' and 'disinterested'. Both are valuable and meaningful words in their own right! With subtly different meanings! We need them to be used correctly!” -@Madz_Grant.

A selection of quotes that merit attention:

• “On balance, we are still waiting for a comprehensive, credible strategy to raise economic growth beyond a short-term fiscal stimulus” – the NIESR reflects on the Spring Statement one week on.
• “This is less about how children and young people use technology, and more about how we support staff to use it to deliver a better education for children. I think that’s where the biggest potential exists” – the Education Secretary tells The Guardian where she stands on AI in education.
• “Skills England begins its journey in the context of a post-16 education system that is plagued by uncertainty, with many critical decisions – such as the design of the Growth and Skills Levy and the future of higher education funding and regulation – still undecided” – former government adviser Tom Richmond assesses the prospects for Skills England.
• “The policy as designed – and the speed at which it is being implemented – is a blunt instrument that does not fully appreciate the different types of schools and pupils that make up the independent sector" – the Independent Schools Council ahead of its judicial hearing over VAT on fees.
• “"It's an honour to take on this role. Cambridge has a brilliant UK Education team with the energy and ambition to lead further change for the good of students, teachers and the country” – Myles McGinley prepares to take over as MD for UK Education at CUP.
• “It neatly complements TQUK and is further evidence of our growing presence in this dynamic sector" -AQA acquires construction assessment company Construction EPA.
• “As part of this work, I will be launching my most ambitious data project yet – Mapping Childhood – using four years of research to pinpoint the best places to grow up in England” – the Children’s Commissioner sets out a new objective in her latest Business Plan.
• “Custard with a thick skin on and orange fish fingers” – the Education Secretary reminisces about school dinners.
• “As a dad, I’ve not found it easy viewing” – Keir Starmer on the Netflix drama ‘Adolescence.’

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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.