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LOOKING BACK AT THE WEEK THAT WAS Three of the week's headlines ... How are you going to pay that off? Graduate owes £231,000 on student loan Read more Record numbers of pupils in England absent for long periods, DfE data shows Read more Girls suffered more academically during Covid   Read more Visit EdNews to filter all the education news by phase or topic Three pieces of policy news - by phase Follow this link to view the full version of Steve Besley's popular policy round-up - including an overview of all the important stories, his top headlines of the week, tweets and posts of note, the most memorable quotes, not-to-be-missed statistics and what to look out for next week. As your starter for ten, we've chosen three items from each phase below ... GENERAL: Education in Wales. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IfS) called for reforms to GCSEs in Wales to be delayed, stronger monitoring of pupil performance to be implemented and greater focus given to teaching specific knowledge as it published a challenging report on education in Wales. Childcare report. The charity Coram published its latest annual Childcare survey showing families struggling with the costs of childcare and the availability of places, and councils facing workforce recruitment challenges, leading to concerns that disadvantaged and disabled children could miss out. Protecting children. The charity, Action for Children, published the outcomes of its review led by Professor Jay into the criminal exploitation of children, painting a disturbing picture of thousands of young people in the UK at risk of being manipulated by criminal gangs, calling accordingly for a clearer legal code and cohesive local and national action to prevent young people from being coerced in this way.   SCHOOLS: Teacher R and R. The National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) published its latest annual report into the state of teacher recruitment and retention in England, arguing that while there’s been some improvement in recruitment this year, at least ten subjects are likely to face shortages of secondary teachers with workloads, pupil behaviour and pay differentials all factors. Post-pandemic performance. The Education Policy Institute and Renaissance published the final report in their series using Renaissance Star assessments to see how far pupils have been able to catch up post-pandemic, finding that girls seem to have suffered more than boys and ‘substantial’ gaps remain for SEND pupils, while the picture remains mixed for ethnic groups. Teacher’s pay. Teaching unions issued a joint call to the School Teachers’ Review Body for ‘a fully funded above RPI inflation pay increase’ as part of a fair national pay structure along with the implementation of all Workload Reduction Taskforce recommendations, as it considers this year’s pay award.   FE/SKILLS: Apprenticeships. The PM announced a range of measures to help increase the number of apprenticeships as part of a package of reforms for SMEs, promising an increase in the apprenticeship budget to over £2.7bn from next year, a doubling of the levy transfer cap to 50%, and the full funding of apprenticeships up to the age of 21 in small businesses from 1 April. Skill shortages. The EU Commission launched an action plan to help member states tackle labour and skill shortages in the short to medium term and hit 2030 targets, setting out five areas for action including more support for skills training, helping underrepresented people enter the labour market and attracting talent from outside the EU. ABS response. The Sixth Form Colleges Association published its response to the government’s consultation on the Advanced British Standard (ABS,) challenging the approach and the timing of such reform and putting forward an alternative approach of tackling immediate resourcing issues first before consulting on a wider review of 16-19 qualifications.   HE: In response. The Russell Group countered the latest Sunday Times investigation into admissions practices and international students, pointing out that domestic students were not being squeezed out and that universities were doing a lot to help fund the costs of undergraduate education in the UK. Funding and quality. The QAA published the latest in its policy series on the future of quality in England looking here at its relationship with funding, acknowledging that funding pressures were making the maintenance of quality increasingly difficult but calling for a collaborative effort to secure funding, monitor its impact and, where appropriate, consider diverse income streams. Maintenance grants. The Sutton Trust called for the re-introduction of maintenance grants within a more progressive repayment scheme which would see higher income students paying back more and would be cost neutral, as it highlighted the plight of poorer students in a new report. Access all issues of Steve Besley's Education Eye Latest research, reports and studies Cultivating the next generation of green and digital innovators: The role of higher education | OECD Measuring the outcomes of different pupil groups using Star Assessments 2022/23 | EPI OECD education policy perspectives: Enhancing Scotland's multi-level school improvement support system | OECD Government must support schools to take the battle against child poverty inside the school gates | Centre for Young Lives SEND learning in 2024: An expert point of view | GoStudent Families facing growing childcare shortages while costs rise by 7% | Coram Family and Childcare How does absence change as pupils get older? | FFT Education Datalab Where are all the secondary-only MATs? | FFT Education Datalab Parents' journeys through Flying Start in Cardiff | Nesta Teacher Labour Market in England Annual Report 2024 | NFER Breaking down the barriers to using digital technology in assessing technical education | Gatsby Foundation PISA Vocational Education and Training (VET): Assessment and analytical framework | OECD Towards more diverse and flexible international large-scale assessments | OECD Reforming student maintenance | Sutton Trust Half of young people from an ethnic minority background face prejudice and discrimination as they enter the world of work | Youth Futures Foundation The 2023/24 recruiting season for secondary schools and colleges in England: An interim report | School Dash Major challenges for education in Wales | IFS Stats and facts: MillionPlus modern universities in Scotland | MillionPlus Upskilling the Nation: Strengthening the UK's Labour Force | Lifelong Education Institute Research bridges evidence gap on how colleges support young people in further education | IOE Recruitment of support and auxiliary staff at schools and colleges in England: An update | School Dash Career guidance, social inequality and social mobility: Insights from international data | OECD Search our education research section COMING UP IN THE NEXT WEEK Parliament and elsewhere Education Committee witness session on children’s social care (Tuesday 26 March). Ofqual’s Annual Qualifications Market Report (Tuesday 26 March). MPs Easter break (Tuesday 26 March – Monday 15 April). Events and CPD opportunities Monday 25 March: MAT Regional Network: North East | Optimus Education (in-person event) Tuesday 26 March: MAT Regional Network: Central Midlands | Optimus Education (in-person event) Wednesday 27 March: MAT Regional Network: North West | Optimus Education (in-person event) Running an education-related event that you'd like to see included in our calendar? Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with details and a link to the booking info. See all events Three interesting daily facts MONDAY 25 MARCH On this day in 1807 the British Parliament abolished the slave trade throughout the British Empire. On this day in 1960 USS Halibut completed the first successful launch of a guided missile by a nuclear-powered submarine. On this day in 1975 King Faisal of Saudi Arabia was assassinated by his nephew Prince Faisal bin Musaid.   TUESDAY 26 MARCH On this day in 1845 Horace Harrell Day and William H Shecut were awarded a patent for adhesive medicated plaster, a precursor to the Band-Aid. On this day in 1953 Dr Jonas Salk announced that he had successfully tested a vaccine to prevent polio. On this day in 2015 Richard III of England was reburied at Leicester Cathedral after being discovered under a carpark in Leicester in 2012.   WEDNESDAY 27 MARCH On this day in 1871 England and Scotland competed in the first international rugby union match at Raeburn Place in Edinburgh. On this day in 1914 the first successful non-direct blood transfusion was performed by Dr Albert Hustin in Brussels. On this day in 1980 Norwegian oil rig Alexander L Kjelland collapsed in high winds in the North Sea; only 89 of the 212 crew survived the disaster.   THURSDAY 28 MARCH On this day in 1854 Great Britain and France declared war on Russia joining the Ottoman Empire in a conflict that became known as the Crimean War. On this day in 1910 the first seaplane to take off from water under its own power was piloted by French inventor Henri Fabre. On this day in 1979 a partial meltdown and radioactive leak at Three Mile Island nuclear plant in the US greatly eroded the public's faith in nuclear power.   FRIDAY 29 MARCH On this day in 845 Paris was invaded by Viking raiders who only retreated after being paid a huge ransom in exchange for leaving. On this day in 1795 Ludwig van Beethoven made his first public appearance as a pianist at a charity concert in Vienna. On this day in 1974 Chinese farmers discovered the Terracotta Army near Xi'an in China. Awareness days from around the world MARCH IS UK: National Bed Month, Marie Curie Great Daffodil Appeal, Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, Dechox, Walk All Over Cancer, Brain Tumour Awareness Month, 100 Miles In March For Mind, Veggie Month. WORLDWIDE: Deep-Vein Thrombosis Awareness Month, National Irish-American Heritage Month, National Nutrition Month, Mustache March, Brain Injury Awareness Month, Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, National Save Your Vision Month, Red Cross Month, National Athletic Training Month, National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month, National Brain Injury Awareness Month, National Breast Implant Awareness, Endometriosis Awareness Month, Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month, National Kidney Month, Asset Management Awareness Month, National Trisomy Awareness Month, National Social Work Month, National Women's History Month, National Sauce Month, National Noodles Month, National Frozen Food Month, National Flour Month, National Credit Education Month, National Craft Month, National Cheerleading Safety Month, National Celery Month, National Caffeine Awareness Month, National Peanut Month, National Umbrella Month, National Nutrition Month. THIS WEEK IS UK: The Big Walk and Wheel, Tick Bite Prevention Week, Acupuncture Awareness Week. WORLDWIDE: National Physicians Week, Fix A Leak Week, Ramadan, March Madness, National Cleaning Week, National Protocol Officer’s Week.   MONDAY 25 MARCH UK: FND Awareness Day. WORLDWIDE: National Medal Of Honor Day, Tolkien Reading Day, National Lobster Newburg Day, Pecan Day, Holi, Greek Independence Day, International Waffle Day.   TUESDAY 26 MARCH UK: Train It Chooseday, National Skipping Day, Purple Day. WORLDWIDE: Epilepsy Awareness Day, National Nougat Day, National Spinach Day, American Diabetes Association Alert Day, National Science Appreciation Day, Make Up Your Own Holiday Day, Live Long and Prosper Day, Good Hair Day.   WEDNESDAY 27 MARCH WORLDWIDE: World Theatre Day, International Scribble Day, National Little Red Wagon Day, National Spanish Paella Day, National Joe Day, American Red Cross Giving Day, International Whisk(e)y Day, Manatee Appreciation Day, Quirky Country Music Song Titles Day.   THURSDAY 28 MARCH UK: Wear A Hat Day, Maundy Thursday. WORLDWIDE: National Triglycerides Day, National Black Forest Cake Day, National Something On A Stick Day, National Weed Appreciation Day, Barnum & Bailey Day, Major League Baseball Opening Day, International Women in Music Day, Respect Your Cat Day.   FRIDAY 29 MARCH WORLDWIDE: Good Friday, National Vietnam War Veterans Day, National Pita Day, National Nevada Day, National Lemon Chiffon Cake Day, National Mom And Pop Business Owners Day, National Smoke and Mirrors Day, International Mermaid Day, World Piano Day, Niagara Falls Runs Dry Day, PayDay It Forward. Share Tweet Forward The Weekly Round-Up will be back after the Easter break.   Not already an EdCentral member? 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