Steve Besley's Education Eye: week ending 16 May 2025

What's happened this week?

Important stories across the board:

SATs week, Mental Health Awareness Week, Learning at Work Week, and a new White Paper on Immigration with potential significant implications for education.

Plenty to pick up on therefore.

Let’s start with the Immigration White Paper, an 80 pager with four pages of actions, launched at the start of the week by the Prime Minister, and which has gripped headlines for much of the week.

For education, it’s the proposals for HE and skills that have stood out the most. 

For HE, they include reducing the length of time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies to 18 months, the prospect of a levy on international students, and possible tightening up of recruitment agencies and outcomes. 

For employers and those involved in skills, proposals include ‘new English language requirements for applicants and dependents’, graduate level requirements for skilled worker visas, the scrapping of overseas recruitment for social care visas, and the expectation that employers will set out workforce strategies, step up training and recruit UK workers.

A lot of the detail has still to be worked out and initial reactions have been pretty mixed.

Employers gave it a cautious welcome at best. The Institute of Directors, for one, was not over impressed. “It risks damaging already fragile economic growth by further limiting employers’ ability to fill urgent skills gaps”.

A number of skills sectors were equally concerned. 

Care England, for instance, condemned plans to scrap overseas recruitment of social care workers as ‘not just short-sighted but cruel.’ UKHospitality called for “an employment and skills strategy to further drive domestic recruitment”.  In a similar vein, Make UK, the manufacturer’s organisation, argued that "what we need to see now is a clear plan for technical skills in the upcoming industrial strategy".

Big employer bodies agreed. “More joined up planning and decision making between the Migration Advisory Committee, Skills England and government is needed”, the British Chambers of commerce said. 

Both they and the CBI were keen to correct the view that they viewed immigration as a cheap labour market as well as to call for greater help from government in investing training. “Key to this will be delivering promised reform of the Apprenticeship Levy to unlock much-needed investment in a wider range of quality, non-apprenticeship training”, as the CBI explained.

The focus on employer skills training and English Language requirements along with the creation of a new labour market evidence group to help plan workforce needs, may, though, offer opportunities for colleges and training providers. Certainly David Hughes, the chief exec of the AoC thought so: “Every college is eager to work in partnership with more employers to help them boost domestic talent”.

As for higher ed, the levy proposal in particular has not gone down well. 

HEPI’s Nick Hillman described it as "deeply controversial", the Russell Group called it "a cause for concern" while the University Alliance Group said the proposals were "underbaked".

Both Nick and Public First’s Jonathan Simons remain uncertain over whether the levy will actually happen. “Very much not a done deal” according to the latter. 

According to Wonkhe, 'a 6% levy, if it happened, would generate something in the order of £570m’, but the big question for many is whether it would ever be invested back into the sector as promised or sliced off by the Treasury as with the Apprenticeship Levy. “The HE sector will be lucky to see anything more than a few tens of millions circulated back in” Jonathan Simons reckoned.

Either way, it could cost the average Universities UK member £3.4m, according to the Times Higher.

On other measures such as reducing the Graduate Visa to 18 months and setting outcome targets, the worry is that such things may reduce the attractiveness of UKHE.

As the CBI said “Universities are centres of growth, innovation and opportunities. Policy changes that risk making the UK a less attractive place to study or increase costs confronting universities will have knock-on impacts for the competitive strength of UK Higher Education as a growth export, and young people’s ability to access degree-level education at home”.

A lot to take in therefore, with details and debate likely to continue for some time.

What about other education news this week?

In schools, with news emerging that Ofsted will need more time to plough through the huge number of responses received for its consultation, the NASUWT called for Ofsted to delay the implementation of its new inspection framework. “Anything else”, they said, “would render the consultation process a farce”. At the moment, Ofsted’s not budging.

Elsewhere, ahead of Mental Health Awareness Week, the government published commissioned research looking into how far mental health is a factor in school absenteeism.

It found “that poorer mental health contributes to absenteeism, particularly for authorised absences”, and particularly so for students facing more severe mental health challenges. It found less strong links when it came to any alignment with personal wellbeing.

It’s important to note, given the recent rise of absenteeism, that the evidence was based on a pre-Covid cohort.

In other news, the government launched a new programme to improve access to PE and sport for SEND children; Ofqual updated its recent Annual Qualifications Market Report with some latest data; FFT Education Datalab reported on the impact of exclusions and absences among high-achieving disadvantaged pupils; JPMorganChase announced further sponsorship through the Careers and Enterprise Company to help disadvantaged young people get work experience; and the Sutton Trust highlighted the differences in opportunity, progression and social mobility across different constituencies in England for young people in a new Opportunity Index.

According to its CEO, “this research paints a startling picture of inequality of opportunity across England. The life chances of disadvantaged young people remain strongly tied to where they grow up”. London comes out well.

In FE, the AoC is preparing to publish its latest mental health survey report likely to show further widespread concerns. 

The Institute of Student Employers found some uncertainty in a recent survey among employers about the government’s apprenticeship reforms. “34% of respondents reported that they were still awaiting more clarity or not sure about the UK apprenticeship”.

On cue, the government set out its guidance on apprenticeship funding for new starts from 1 August 2025 following recent updates.

The CITB heralded Mental Health Awareness Week pointing to its work in this area. “Since 2018, CITB has allocated over £1.5 million to mental health projects and more than £1.3 million in grants to support mental health first aid and awareness courses”.

And both the Institute for Employment Studies and the Learning and Work Institute raised concerns about rising NEET numbers and a ‘cooling’ labour market generally in their analyses of the latest ONS report on the labour market.

In HE, the NAO reported on UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), calling for the government to co-ordinate more effectively the policy and risk expectations it has of UKRI and for UKRI itself to ensure sharper value for money. 

“Government sees R&I as vital to achieving its long-term policy goals of growing the economy and achieving net zero. However, there is a lack of coordination in how government expects UKRI to support the delivery of a range of objectives”.

Elsewhere, the Times Higher wrote up the importance of the ‘fledgling’ grouping of five north-eastern universities, working together to help meet local learning and business needs. ‘A blueprint’ for the future, according to some. 

And the Student Loans Company urged this year’s undergraduates to get their forms in as the deadline approached this week, listing parts of the country where some students are slower than others.

And finally, a new report (see below) from an interesting new think tank this week. 

The Centre for Policy Research on Men and Boys (CRMB) aims to support policy approaches that particularly affect men in areas such as health, crime, education and employment, becoming as it said, “the central hub for core data on men”.

As it explained, “Life expectancy for men is down and prison numbers are up. Male teachers make up less than one in four of teachers in our schools and classrooms. In our universities there is a 10 percentage point attendance gap in favour of women”.

Not, it said firmly, that this means ignoring women. “CRMB believes doing more for boys and men does not mean doing less for girls and women. Far from it”. Phew!

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

The top headlines of the week:

• ‘Ofsted consultation response ‘later than hoped’ but no plan to delay inspections’ (Monday). 
• ‘Six per cent international fee levy a ’serious risk’ to finances’ (Tuesday).
• ‘4 in 5 teachers warn government will miss school-ready targets’ (Wednesday).
• ‘DfE sets minimum off-the-job hours for each apprenticeship standard’ (Thursday).
• ‘DfE sets out mental health, behaviour and attendance plans' (Friday).

General:

• Immigration. The government published its anticipated Immigration White Paper with a list of proposals covering work, study and family arrangements including raising the requirement for future skilled worker visas to degree level, scrapping the social care worker visa, cutting the length of post-graduate stays to 18 months and introducing tougher English Language tests. 
• Childcare. The government announced the further rollout of its funded childcare programme with eligible working parents of children who will be nine months before 1 September now able to apply for up to 30 hours of funded childcare a week.
• Labour Market Overview. The ONS published its latest update on the UK labour market showing a fall in job vacancies February – April this year with unemployment rising but with average weekly earnings remaining ‘strong.’
• Labour Market Outlook. The CIPD published its latest quarterly report on the labour market, indicating employer confidence at a low ebb with retail and education among the hardest hit sectors amid continuing concerns about rising employment costs. 
• Missing Men. The Centre for Policy Research on Men and Boys published the first of what’s intended to be a series of reports looking at the challenges facing men in areas like health, employment, crime and education, pointing to the need to address the underperformance of boys in school, men’s roles in future industrial plans and men’s health generally.
• Girls Online Safety. The NSPCC published new research highlighting a range of risks facing girls across a number of different online sites, calling for tech companies to rethink social media platforms and to do more to protect girls from harm on social media.
• Children’s wellbeing. UNICEF updated its ‘Report Card on Child Wellbeing’ for up to 2022, adding details on how Covid and the lockdown had affected children in 40+ countries and pointing to ‘sharp declines’ in academic performance particularly in poorer areas along with concerns about both mental and physical health. 

HE:

• Immigration White Paper reaction. The Times Higher summarised sector reactions to the Immigration White Paper with the proposal for a levy on international students and a reduction in the length of time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies, the top two concerns.
• R/I. The National Audit Office (NAO) acknowledged the importance of the work of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) in funding UK research and innovation (R/I) in a new report but called for it to do more to ensure value for money and defined outcomes, and for the government to be clearer in its policy priorities for its work.
• Student Loans. The Student Loans Company reminded applicants to get their 2025/26 applications in ahead of today’s deadline, noting that over half last year got theirs in late with London and the W. Midlands having the highest number of late applications. 

Tweets and posts of note:

• “Last year, we disqualified more than 90 students due to possession of a mobile phone in the exam room. Even if it is turned off, it must be handed in” | @PearsonEdexcel
• “Three-quarters of primary school teachers are concerned that children’s ability to hold a pencil, draw or use scissors has worsened over the past five years, a new poll has revealed” | @tes
• “Miss, is your handwriting naturally like that?" Kiddo, no one's handwriting is "natural". It takes years of deliberate practice to get beautiful handwriting” | @MBDscience
• “The skills minister has said there is 'potential for further devolution' as she admitted to 'tensions' with mayors over skills funding powers” | @FEWeek
• “This upsets a lot of people but it’s pretty clear: class sizes don’t make the difference people think. They have to be *massively* reduced in order to have a real impact, and to cut class sizes even by half you’d (obviously) need to employ twice the number of teachers. That’s simply not going to happen. So let’s focus on better, achievable improvements, like AFL, direct instruction, behaviour curriculums” | @tombennett71
• “I just told Microsoft's AI 'Copilot' that I wished for its extinction. Its reply, 'That's a strong statement, John' | @JLewisStempel

A selection of quotes that merit attention:

• “Lower net migration, higher skills and backing British workers – that is what this White Paper will deliver” – the PM explains the government’s Immigration White Paper.
• “Government must adopt an urgent, laser-like focus on tackling the UK’s pervasive skills crisis. This means supporting more people back into work, a greater focus on technical and vocational education pathways to employment and, crucially, a more flexible and responsive Apprenticeship Levy” – the British Chambers of Commerce responds to the government’s Immigration White Paper.
• “The number of payrolled jobs has fallen by 72,000 over the past three months, while real wages have barely grown since last Autum” – the Resolution Foundation reflects on the latest labour market data.
• “A pleasant surprise” – the CBI responds to the latest UK growth figures.
• “As with the apprenticeship levy, there’s no guarantee that the funds would not be top-sliced by the Treasury” – Wonkhe raises concerns about the White Paper’s proposals for a levy on international students.
• “Imagine sitting alone in front of a webcam, trying to land your first proper job and being evaluated by a bot with whom you can’t even shake hands, let alone kindle memories of how hard it was getting a foot in the door when they were young” – The Guardian’s Gaby Hinsliff on the challenges facing those entering the graduate jobs market.
• “I am a passionate advocate for higher education and the value that it delivers for individuals, society and the economy” – Alistair Jarvis on becoming the new CEO of Advance HE.
• “If I am honest, it was a struggle at first. It is the most important thing in their lives and they struggle when it is taken. They may not be happy in the moment, but on results day, they thank us” – the headteacher of Excelsior Academy, Hackney which saw its exam results improve by a whole grade after banning mobile phones in school.

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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.