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LOOKING BACK AT THE WEEK THAT WAS Three of the week's headlines ... Violence, crime and drug use widespread across colleges, says Unison   Read more Pupils to 'talk' to 3D Holocaust survivors with artificial intelligence technology Read more UK universities valued more than institutions like parliament and BBC, finds survey 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: Levelling up. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IfS) reported on the lack of progress in the key policy area of levelling up, acknowledging that it had been a difficult time with the pandemic and war but that progress generally had been slow and in some cases, such as average life satisfaction and completion rates for adult skills courses, things had actually got worse. Reform manifesto. Reform published its manifesto with a page of proposals for education that included tax relief on school fees, auditing curriculum aspects to ensure they’re ‘patriotic’, restricting undergraduate numbers, scrapping interest on student loans and over time opting for 2-year undergraduate courses. Lack of investment. The IPPR think tank called on the next government to tackle low levels of public and private investment in areas like health, education and renewable energy as it published a new report showing the UK with the lowest rates of investment of any G7 economy. SCHOOLS: School funding. The IfS reflected on what the various party manifestos had had to say about school funding, pointing to the range of challenges that an incoming government would have to face and concluding that key questions remained around the future level of core funding and a risk of cuts, with a lack of detail making future projections difficult to determine. Manifesto analysis. The Education Policy Institute published a comprehensive assessment of the various manifesto commitments on education from early years through to higher education, concluding that while commitments addressed some of the challenges facing education they didn’t go far enough, particularly on issues like SEND and disadvantage, with uncertainty over future funding an obvious concern all round. Teacher recruitment. School Dash and Teacher Tapp published their latest Gatsby commissioned report into teacher recruitment and retention pointing to some return to normality around recruitment although with much depending on region, subject and school type and with continuing concerns about the numbers of trained staff at secondary level. FE/SKILLS: LSIPs. The AoC reported some early wins but equally some early frustrations as it published a report on Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) one year on from their national roll-out, calling for more effective partnerships, sustained funding and clear accountability for the future. What do we want? The Association of Apprentices provided feedback from its Big Ask pre-election survey of apprentices with respondents calling among other things for more study time, increased financial support and better mentorship and guidance. Skills report. The OU and BCC reported that over 60% of UK businesses reported skills shortages as they published their latest Business Barometer with AI skills and green technologies topping the list of greatest skills weaknesses. HE: Universities and the election. King’s College published new research showing that while universities are held in high esteem with many considered world-leading, they don’t feature highly as a priority in elections largely because the financial pressures they face are not well appreciated. International students. The HE Policy Institute (HEPI) and Kaplan highlighted the value of international students to parliamentary constituencies around the country using evidence produced by London Economics to show that for the top 20 such constituencies the combined benefits totalled over £8bn. Manifesto for teacher education. The Million Plus group published a manifesto for teacher education, urging an incoming government to make it a priority and calling among other things for a Fee Loan Forgiveness scheme for teaching, a comprehensive system of placements, and the creation of a taskforce to encourage more young people to train. Access all issues of Steve Besley's Education Eye Latest research, reports and studies HEPI Policy Note 54: Where will students hold the balance of power in the 2024 General Election? | HEPI The impact of hardship on primary schools and primary and community healthcare | Joseph Rowntree Foundation Majority of teachers considered leaving over Ofsted | NEU Encourage students to use 'no opt out' during questioning | Teacher Toolkit Why are alternative provision schools so full? An update | FFT Education Datalab PISA 2022 results (Volume III): Creative minds, creative schools | OECD The economic, social and cultural impact of the University of Birmingham | London Economics Recruitment and retention in 2024 | Teacher Tapp New PISA results on creative thinking: Can students think outside the box? | OECD PISA 2022 results (Volume III): Creative minds, creative schools | OECD How do the last five years measure up on levelling up? | IFS Secondary school recruitment in 2023/24 | School Dash New constituency-level data prove the value of international students to the UK | HEPI Empiricism and technical rationality: Why can't we mean what we say? | BERA Report shows universities are failing disabled postgraduate researchers (PGRs) | UCU The disadvantage gap in absence rates around the Year 6 into 7 transition point | FFT Education Datalab Effective reading tutoring for struggling second and third graders | BEIB Risk of bias in education systematic reviews: Are published reviews of good quality? | BEIB The evidence on high-dosage tutoring, and proposed metrics for evaluating efficiency and cost | BEIB Do digital games appeal more to boys? | BEIB General Election 2024: An analysis of manifesto pledges for education | EPI The uncertain course for school and college funding over the next parliament | IFS Updated constituency-level data on the benefits and costs of international students | London Economics Young people's mental health and wellbeing in the age of austerity and Covid-19: Are we all in this together? | BERA The art of asking good questions in the classroom | Teacher Toolkit Search our education research section COMING UP IN THE NEXT WEEK Parliament and elsewhere IfS event on ‘analysis of the main party manifestos’ (Monday 24 June). Education Policy Institute event on ‘Education Priorities in the Election’ (Tuesday 25 June). Events and CPD opportunities Monday 24 - Tuesday 25 June: AELP National Conference 2024 | AELP (in-person event) Tuesday 25 June: MAT Regional Network: Central Midlands | Optimus Education (in-person event) Tuesday 25 June: Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Conference 2024 | Government Events (online event Tuesday 25 June: Primary Science Conference | HFL Education (in-person event) Wednesday 26 June: MAT Regional Network: South East | Optimus Education (in-person event) Wednesday 26 June: National T Level Conference 2024 | ETF (in-person event) Wednesday 26 June: Higher Education Marketing Conference 2024 | GovNet (in-person event) Thursday 27 June: Secondary Heads of English Summer Conference | HFL Education (in-person event) Thursday 27 June: School Leadership Conference 2024 | Government Events (online 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 24 JUNE On this day in 1509 Henry VIII was crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey. On this day in 1717 four existing London Lodges came together and declared themselves the world's first Masonic Grand Lodge. On this day in 1901 Spanish artist Pablo Picasso opened his first exhibition in Ambroise Vollard's gallery in Paris.   TUESDAY 25 JUNE On this day in 1947 a young Jewish girl's account of her life in hiding from the Nazis, 'The Diary of Anne Frank', was first published. On this day in 1950 the Korean War broke out when armed forces from communist North Korea invaded South Korea. On this day in 1978 activists hoisted a vibrant rainbow flag, symbol of gay pride, made by Gilbert Baker at a march in San Francisco.   WEDNESDAY 26 JUNE On this day in 1284 a piper led 130 children from the city of Hamelin away according to the Lüneburg manuscript. On this day in 1857 the first 62 recipients of the Victoria Cross for valour in the Crimean war were awarded by Queen Victoria. On this day in 2016 Panama Canal's third set of locks opened for commercial traffic, doubling capacity at an estimated cost of $5.25 billion.   THURSDAY 27 JUNE On this day in 1880 Helen Keller, the first deaf-blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree, was born in Alabama, USA. On this day in 1954 the world's first nuclear power plant opened near Moscow, Russia. On this day in 1967 the world's first ATM was installed in Enfield, London.   FRIDAY 28 JUNE On this day in 1846 the saxophone was patented by Antoine-Joseph 'Adolfe' Sax. On this day in 1914 Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie were assassinated. On this day in 1919 the Treaty of Versailles, ending World War I and establishing the League of Nations, was signed in France. Awareness days from around the world JUNE IS UK: National Age Without Apology Month, National Candy Month, National Smile Month. WORLDWIDE: Pride Month, National Portuguese Heritage Month, National Migraine And Headache Awareness Month, National Caribbean-American Heritage Month, National PTSD Awareness Month, National Homeownership Month, National Give A Bunch Of Balloons Month, National Pollinators Month, National DJ Month, National Safety Month, Men's Health Month, African-American Music Appreciation Month, National Soul Food Month, National Papaya Month, National Iced Tea Month, National Great Outdoors Month, National Dairy Month, National Country Cooking Month, National Camping Month, National Fresh Fruit And Vegetables Month, National Adopt A Cat Month, National Accordion Month, Turkey Lovers Month, National Rose Month, Aquarium Month.   THIS WEEK IS UK: Love Your Lungs Week, Rabbit Awareness Week, DeafBlind Awareness Week, Injury Awareness Week. WORLDWIDE: World Female Ranger Week, World Wellbeing Week, National Lightning Safety Awareness Week.   MONDAY 24 JUNE WORLDWIDE: National Patch Day, National Take Back the Lunch Break Day, National Pralines Day, St John’s Day, International Fairy Day, Swim a Lap Day, National Upcycling Day, Please Take My Children to Work Day.   TUESDAY 25 JUNE WORLDWIDE: National Catfish Day, National Leon Day, World Sand Dune Day, Day of the Seafarer, National Strawberry Parfait Day, Goat’s Cheese Day, Global Beatles Day, Color TV Day, World Vitiligo Day.   WEDNESDAY 26 JUNE UK: Reserves Day, National Writing Day. WORLDWIDE: International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, National Barcode Day, National Coconut Day, National Parchment Day, National Chocolate Pudding Day, National Beautician’s Day, World Drug Day, National Stitch Day, World Refrigeration Day, National Canoe Day.   THURSDAY 27 JUNE UK: National Bingo Day. WORLDWIDE: National PTSD Awareness Day, National HIV Testing Day, Helen Keller Day, International Sunglasses Day, National Onion Day, National Ice Cream Cake Day, National Handshake Day, National Orange Blossom Day, National Bomb Pop Day, Industrial Workers of The World Day, Pineapple Day, World Arak Day.   FRIDAY 28 JUNE UK: National Cream Tea Day. WORLDWIDE: National Logistics Day, National Alaska Day, National Insurance Awareness Day, National Paul Bunyan Day, Dream Big Day, Christopher Street Day, National Ceviche Day, International Body Piercing Day, Happy Heart Hugs Day. Share Tweet Forward Not already an EdCentral member? If you're interested in sharing ideas and collaborating with your peers we provide a safe secure environment where that can happen. You can register here If you would like to receive an email copy of this weekly round-up you can opt in here Steve Besley's education policy updates are also available via email. Head over to this page if you'd like to sign up