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 ... Coroner calls on Education Secretary to ensure water safety education for all Read more Private faith schools in UK lobby for VAT exemption on fees under £7,690 Read more Drop in foreign student visas worrying for UK universities   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: Another RIO. The government announced the creation of a new Regulatory Innovation Office (RIO) intended to make it easier for new businesses to access new technologies that can improve public services and help drive the economy. Employment Rights. The government published its comprehensive Employment Rights Bill with a range of measures promised previously although not all included, intended to improve worker’s pay and rights in areas like sick pay, parental leave and guaranteed-hours contracts. Green Budget. The IfS with Citi published their regular ‘Green Budget’ assessment of the state of the economy and public services as the Chancellor prepares for her Budget at the end of the month, suggesting that she will need to find an additional £25bn to meet challenges and commitments. SCHOOLS: Pay talks. Teaching unions called on the government to tackle longstanding issues around pay, workloads and school buildings as they responded to the latest pay consultation proposals. Oracy. The Oracy Education Commission called for oracy to become ‘a core aspect of education,’ built into teacher training and reflected in a reformed GCSE English Language, as it published the report from its Independent Commission into the Future of Oracy Education in England. School Day. The Education Policy Institute examined in a commissioned report the academic impact of adding an extra hour on to the school week concluding that the benefits would be small, most schools already offer the full day and any extra time might be more beneficially used in other activities. FE/SKILLS: IfATE Bill.  The government published the details and impact assessment for the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) Bill which will see the functions of the Institute transferred to the Secretary of State ahead of the creation of a new skills body, Skills England, which in turn will deliver such functions. Skills debate. Labour MP Antonia Bance set out five objectives for Skills England including responding to skill needs, working collaboratively, showing leadership, working with the regions and leveraging funding as she opened a Westminster Hall debate on the new skills body.  Devolution. Policy adviser Sam Freedman argued in a new report for the Labour Together group that greater powers, particularly over matters like skills provision and school improvement, could be devolved to Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs) to help improve public service delivery. HE: Soft-Power Index. The HE Policy Institute (HEPI) published its latest Soft-Power Index, listing the number of serving world leaders who’ve undertaken higher education in another country, with the UK having 58 such leaders, second behind the US. Annual Review. HEPI also published its annual review for 2023/24 listing an increased number of publications, events and other forms of engagement undertaken over the year, making it a challenging but highly successful year. Global rankings. The Times Higher reported on its latest World University Rankings with Oxford once again coming out on top of the pile and Cambridge and Imperial also in the top ten but with concerns that the teaching and research reputations of the wider UKHE sector were falling. Access all issues of Steve Besley's Education Eye Latest research, reports and studies HEPI’s Annual Review for 2023/24 | HEPI Impact of school closures in Key Stage 1 on attainment and social skills of pupils in Year 4 and Year 5 in academic year 2023/2024 | NFER Pupil mobility in secondary schools | FFT Education Datalab Usage of new attendance codes | FFT Education Datalab What can we learn from the evolving identity of Design and Technology education? | Edge Foundation HEPI Soft-Power Index 2024: The US pulls further away, while the UK stands still and France slips back | HEPI Why to adjust effect sizes for baseline covariates | BEIB Tutoring report and guide for community-based organizations | BEIB The attainment benefits of an extra hour a week | EPI The power of retrieval practice | Teacher Toolkit Search our education research section COMING UP IN THE NEXT WEEK Parliament and elsewhere UK International Investment Summit (Monday 14 October). Education secretary live Q/A online chat (Tuesday 15 October). Events and CPD opportunities Monday 14 October: ASCL Conference for Strategic Leadership of Languages | ASCL (in-person event) Tuesday 15 October: Translanguaging: Using Students’ Own Languages to Enhance Learning | Bell Foundation (online event) Thursday 17 October: Graduate Employability Conference 2024 | GovNet (in-person event) Thursday 17 October: Leading On - Understanding more about the impact of the menopause in the workplace | ASCL (online event) Thursday 17 October: Summit 2024: Educating Westminster - Influencing the Direction of Change | Schools North East (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 14 OCTOBER On this day in 1322 Robert the Bruce of Scotland defeated King Edward II of England at Byland, forcing Edward to accept Scotland's independence. On this day in 1933 Nazi Germany announced its withdrawal from the League of Nations. On this day in 1947 American Air Force test pilot, Chuck Yeager, became the first person to break the sound barrier.   TUESDAY 15 OCTOBER On this day in 1815 Napoleon Bonaparte arrived on the island of St Helena to begin his exile. On this day in 1917 Dutch exotic dancer Mata Hari was executed by firing squad for spying for Germany during WWI at Vincennes near Paris. On this day in 1993 Nelson Mandela and South African President FW de Klerk were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.   WEDNESDAY 16 OCTOBER On this day in 1384 Jadwiga was crowned King of Poland, despite being a woman. On this day in 1793 Marie Antoinette was beheaded at the Place de la Concorde in Paris. On this day in 1923 Walt Disney and his brother Roy founded the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio in Hollywood, California.   THURSDAY 17 OCTOBER On this day in 1814 eight people died in the London Beer Flood when vats of beer burst and flooded city streets. On this day in 1907 Guglielmo Marconi's company began the first commercial transatlantic wireless service between Canada and Ireland. On this day in 1943 the Burma railway, built by Allied POWs and Asian labourers, was completed for use by the Japanese army.   FRIDAY 18 OCTOBER On this day in 1851 American novelist Herman Melville's 'Moby Dick' was first published. On this day in 1867 the US took formal possession of Alaska from Russia having paid $7.2 million for the large and sparsely populated territory. On this day in 2007 the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto, ended her self-imposed exile after eight years living abroad. 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, Truffle Days in Croatia, Hispanic Heritage Month.   THIS WEEK IS UK: Dyspraxia Awareness Week, Backcare Awareness Week, National Braille Week, Malnutrition Awareness Week, National Baking Week, Chocolate Week. WORLDWIDE: Anti-Poverty Week, Baby Loss Awareness Week, Haemophilia Awareness Week, International Infection Prevention Week, National Food Bank Week, National Forest Products Week, National School Lunch Week, National Snow Blower Maintenance Week, Recycle Awareness Week, Recycle Now Week.   MONDAY 14 OCTOBER UK: King Harold Day. WORLDWIDE: Be Bald And Be Free Day, Canadian Thanksgiving, Columbus Day, Day of Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, Indigenous Peoples’ Day, International E-Waste Day, National Dessert Day, National Heritage Day in the Turks and Caicos Islands, National Kick ***** Day, National Real Sugar Day.   TUESDAY 15 OCTOBER UK: Global Wave Of Light. WORLDWIDE: Global Hand Washing Day, International Day of Rural Women, International Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day, National Aesthetician Day, National Cheese Curd Day, National Chicken Cacciatore Day, National Dance/Movement Therapy Advocacy Day, National Grouch Day, National I Love Lucy Day, National Latino Aids Awareness Day, National Mushroom Day, National Pharmacy Technician Day, National Roast Pheasant Day, National Shawarma Day, Pro-Life Day Of Silent Solidarity, White Cane Safety Day.   WEDNESDAY 16 OCTOBER WORLDWIDE: Bra Day, Department Store Day, Global Cat Day, Global Dignity Day, Global Ethics Day, National Boss's Day, National Department Store Day, National Dictionary Day, National Feral Cat Day, National Fossil Day, National Hagfish Day, National Liqueur Day, National Missouri Day, National Take Your Parents To Lunch Day, Restart A Heart Day, Steve Jobs Day, SUDEP Action Day, Support Your Local Chamber of Commerce, Weet-Bix Day, World Food Day, World Spine Day.   THURSDAY 17 OCTOBER WORLDWIDE: Black Poetry Day, Child Poverty Day, Conflict Resolution Day, Earthquake Day in Chile, Forgive an Ex Day, Get To Know Your Customers Day, Harry Potter Book Day, International Credit Union Day, International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, National Billboard Day, National Edge Day, National Get Smart About Credit Day, National Mulligan Day, National Pasta Day, National Pay Back a Friend Day, Spreadsheet Day, Wear Something Gaudy Day, Women in Military Service for America Memorial, World Values Day.   FRIDAY 18 OCTOBER UK: Wear it Pink, Epilepsy Action Virtual Tea and Cake Break. WORLDWIDE: Anti-Slavery Day, Developmental Language Disorder Awareness Day, Health Care Aide Day, International Legging Day, National Chocolate Cupcake Day, National Exascale Day, National Mammography Day, National Mashed Potato Day, National No Beard Day, National Prayer Day (Zambia), Necktie Day, Ride To Work Day, World Menopause Awareness Day, World Values 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