A look back at the last week in education, a peek at what's coming up, plus lots of other interesting stuff to help with lesson planning  ...

LOOKING BACK AT THE WEEK THAT WAS Three of the week's headlines ... Fewer pupils out of school at start of academic year as absence fines rise  Read more Graduates should repay £10 a week under reformed student loan system, economist says Read more Rise in ‘addictive-like behaviours’ among teenagers towards social media – study 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: The PM’s Conference address. Sir Keir Starmer argued that ‘change has begun’ as he addressed members at the Labour Party Conference, stressing the need to rebuild Britain through the Party’s five missions, acknowledging that it’ll be difficult and will take time but that this ‘is a government that sees service as a privilege.’ Chancellor’s Conference address. Rachel Reeves confirmed a number of government pledges in her Conference address including breakfast clubs for primary school children in England, a green industrial strategy paper next month, and an assault on government waste including contracts agreed under Covid, as she promised to deliver a Budget next month ‘to rebuild Britain.’  Economic Outlook. The OECD published its Interim Economic Outlook pointing to global growth stabilising at 3.2% for 2024/25 as confidence globally improves, with the UK also on an improving growth trajectory, showing growth of 1.1% this year and 1.2% in 2025. SCHOOLS: Curriculum review. The Curriculum and Assessment Review launched an eight week call for evidence to inform its independent review, looking in particular at evidence of what’s working well and what could be improved across a wide range of topics from primary English and maths to post-16 pathways, with an interim report due next spring. School based nurseries. The education secretary invited primary schools in England to bid for capital funding to upgrade spare capacity for use as nursery provision, as a first step towards the government’s plan of 3,000 nursery places. Exams 2024. Sir Ian Bauckham, the chief regulator, wrote to round off this summer’s exams for governors and trustees, confirming that results this year had remained stable and that detailed pictures could be seen in the various published analytics, as work gets under way for next summer’s exams season. FE/SKILLS: Growth and Skills Levy. The government announced its anticipated reform of the apprenticeship levy which would see a new foundation programme, some shorter programmes and the likely removal of funding for some L7 programmes, all matched more closely to identified skills needs as part of a new growth and skills levy.   Skills report. Skills England, the body being set up by the government to map out and work across the system on skill needs, issued its initial report, outlining the current picture on skills indicating high demand in sectors such as health and social care, education and manufacturing and potential growth in sectors such as digital and green skills, life sciences and construction. Skills. City and Guilds emphasised the key role that improved skills can play in delivering the government’s growth agenda as it published a research report showing both employers and individuals keen to develop their skill levels and calling for the Lifelong Learning Entitlement to include workforce reskilling. HE: The Smith approach. Education lead Jonathan Simons reflected in a comment piece on Wonkhe on the (new) minister’s approach to HE in light of recent conference signals, pointing to three pros (widening participation, economic growth and a civic role) and two cons (efficiencies and an improved student experience.) EU Research and Innovation. The government set out its position on FP10 (10th Research and Innovation Framework Programme,) Europe’s successor to the Horizon programme, welcoming its focus on excellence, equal participation and stable funding, and looking forward to future discussions as plans develop for a launch in 2028. International students. The HE Policy Institute (HEPI) published a blog from the CEO at ApplyBoard with interesting data on international student applicants, showing which countries had shown the biggest drop in applications (Nigeria and Bangladesh) and which the largest increase (Napal and Myanmar) since the rules changed for study visas, concluding with the hope that the Graduate Route commitment would see things stabilise. Access all issues of Steve Besley's Education Eye Latest research, reports and studies Increasing apprenticeship completion rates: end-point assessment and the role of employers | Gatsby Foundation Non-specialist mental health support for young people in England | EPI How adaptive teaching enhances expertise | Teacher Toolkit What happens when pupil numbers fall? | NFER Making skills work: The path to solving the productivity crisis | Lifelong Education Institute Assessing equity in education policies | BEIB Assessing the quality of feedback from humans and ChatGPT on students’ writing | BEIB Are counsellor-led SEL interventions effective? Insights from a recent meta-analysis | BEIB HEPI Debate Paper 39: Undergraduate fees revisited | HEPI Teenage career uncertainty | OECD Pressures on public sector pay | IFS Understanding working memory in the classroom | Teacher Toolkit Search our education research section COMING UP IN THE NEXT WEEK Parliament and elsewhere Conservative Party Conference (Sunday 29 September – Wednesday 2 October). Events and CPD opportunities Tuesday 01 October: Child Protection in Education 2024 - Manchester | Optimus Education (in-person event) Friday 04 October: National Education Show 2024 - Cardiff, Wales | National Education Show (in-person event) Saturday 05 October: researchED Cornwall | researchED (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 30 SEPTEMBER On this day in 1791 Mozart's opera 'The Magic Flute' premiered at Schikaneder's Freihaus-Theater auf der Wieden in Vienna, Austria. On this day in 1846 anaesthetic ether was used for the first time by American dentist Dr William Morton who extracted a tooth. On this day in 1980 ethernet specifications were first published by Xerox in collaboration with Intel and Digital Equipment Corporation.   TUESDAY 01 OCTOBER On this day in 1688 Prince William of Orange accepted an invitation to take up the British crown. On this day in 1939 Winston Churchill called Russia a 'riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma'. On this day in 1957 anti-nausea drug and sleep-aid, Thalidomide, was first launched and was commonly prescribed to pregnant women as a drug to deal with morning sickness.   WEDNESDAY 02 OCTOBER On this day in 1187 Muslim sultan Saladin captured Jerusalem from Crusaders ending nearly nine decades of occupation. On this day in 1902 Beatrix Potter's 'The Tale of Peter Rabbit' was published by Frederick Warne & Co in London. On this day in 1944 Polish resistance fighters capitulated in the Warsaw Uprising allowing the pro-Soviet Polish administration to gain control of Poland.   THURSDAY 03 OCTOBER On this day in 1283 Dafydd ap Gruffydd, Prince of Gwynedd, Wales, became the first person to be executed by being hanged, drawn and quartered. On this day in 1863 US President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed an official Thanksgiving holiday following a pivotal Union Army victory at Gettysburg. On this day in 1952 the UK tested its first atomic bomb near the Montebello Islands in Western Australia.   FRIDAY 04 OCTOBER On this day in 1883 the Orient Express departed on its first official journey from Paris to Istanbul. On this day in 1957 the Soviet Union launched the world’s first artificial satellite, Sputnik I, into elliptical low Earth orbit. On this day in 2006 WikiLeaks, founded by Australian computer programmer and activist Julian Assange, was launched. Awareness days from around the world OCTOBER IS UK: The Big Draw. WORLDWIDE: Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Dysautonomia Awareness Month, Eye Injury Prevention Month, Filipino American History Month, I'm Just Me Because Month, Menopause Awareness Month, National ADD/ADHD Awareness Month, National Chili Month, National Cryptocurrency Month, National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, National Disability Employment Awareness Month, National Dropout Prevention Month, National Dwarfism Awareness Month, National Economic Education Month, National Fire Prevention Month, National Learning And Development Month, National Non-GMO Month, National Pet CBD Month, National Physical Therapy Month, National Principals Month, National RSV Awareness Month, National Sarcastic Awareness Month, National Sausage Month, National Seafood Month, National Sensory Processing Awareness Month, National Spina Bifida Awareness Month, National Stamp Collecting Month, National Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month, National Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Awareness Month, National Toilet Tank Repair Month, National Window Covering Safety Month, National Women In AI Month, National Women's Small Business Month, National Work And Family Month, Organize Your Medical Information Month, Pear And Pineapple Month, Photographer Appreciation Month, Polish American Heritage Month, Positive Attitude Month, Raptor Month, Rett Syndrome Awareness Month, Rhizomes And Persimmons Month, Rhubarb Month, Right Brainers Rule Month, Self-Promotion Month, Spinach Lovers Month, Squirrel Month, Tackling Hunger Month, Talk About Prescriptions Month, Vegetarian Month, Wishbones for Pets Month, Workplace Politics Awareness Month, World Blindness Awareness Month, World Menopause Month.   THIS WEEK IS UK: Anaphylaxis Awareness Week, National Vegetarian Week, NSPCC’s Kindness Challenge, British Food Fortnight. WORLDWIDE: International Babywearing Week, Active Aging Week, Back Care Awareness Week, BPD Awareness Week, Fiesta de San Pacho, International Postcard Week, National Drive Electric Week, Ontario Garlic Week, Spinning And Weaving Week, Walk Your Dog Week, World Animal Week.   MONDAY 30 SEPTEMBER UK: National Sporting Heritage Day, National Non-Speaking/Non-Verbal Awareness Day. WORLDWIDE: Dog Separation Anxiety Awareness Day, International Podcast Day, International Thunderbirds Day, International Translation Day, National Chewing Gum Day, National Day of Remembrance for Indian Boarding Schools, National Extra Virgin Olive Oil Day, National Hot Mulled Cider Day, National Love People Day, National Mud Pack Day, National Pet Tricks Day, National Puppy Mill Survivor Day, Orange Shirt Day, Rumi Day, World Stroopwafel Day.   TUESDAY 01 OCTOBER UK: Lincolnshire Day. WORLDWIDE: CD Player Day, China National Day, International Coffee Day, International Day of Older Persons, International Gaucher Day, International Music Day, International Raccoon Appreciation Day, Model T Day, National Black Dog Day, National Fire Pup Day, National Fruit At Work Day, National Green City Day, National Hair Day, National Homemade Cookies Day, National Pumpkin Spice Day, National Taco Day, ROK Alliance Day, Sausage Day, Ukraine Defender Day, World Ballet Day, World Postcard Day, World Vegetarian Day.   WEDNESDAY 02 OCTOBER WORLDWIDE: Mahatma Gandhi Day, National Batik Day, National Coffee with a Cop Day, National Custodial Workers Recognition Day, National Custodian Day, National Fried Scallops Day, National Kale Day, National Name Your Car Day, National Produce Misting Day, National Pumpkin Seed Day, National Report Long Term Acute Care Hospital Fraud Day, National Smarties Day, National Walk and Bike to School Day, Random Acts of Poetry Day, Sekaten, World Farm Animals Day.   THURSDAY 03 OCTOBER UK: National Poetry Day, Buy British Day. WORLDWIDE: Mean Girls Day, National Boyfriend Day, National Carrot Day, National No Sugar Day, National Poetry Day, National Techies Day, National Wide Awakes Day, Virus Appreciation Day.   FRIDAY 04 OCTOBER UK: No Disposable Cup Day. WORLDWIDE: College Radio Day, Improve Your Office Day, Kids Music Day, Lee National Denim Day, National Body Language Day, National Cinnamon Bun Day, National Golf Lovers' Day, National Good Buddy Day, National Manufacturing Day, National Taco Day, National Truckers Day, National Vodka Day, No Disposable Cup Day, Plaidurday, Ship in A Bottle Day, St Francis of Assisi Feast Day, Wakey Wakey Hospice PJ Day, World Animal Day, World College Radio Day, World Smile 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