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Welcome to the EdCentral Weekly Round-Up.
As always, it looks back at the week that was and takes a peek ahead to the next seven days.
We hope you find it useful.
Have a great weekend!
The EdCentral Team
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LOOKING BACK AT THE WEEK THAT WAS
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The main stories from the papers
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The latest announcements and policy news
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Follow this linkto 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, and all the not-to-be-missed statistics.
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GENERAL:
Council cash. The government announced a final funding settlement amounting to just under £69bn with additional funding now for the Children’s Social Care Prevention Grant and compensation for higher National Insurance contributions for English councils for the coming year.
Employment Rights. The Institute of Directors (IoD) called for changes around the application of unfair dismissal and access to Statutory Sick Pay as it reported on its survey among members about preferred amendments to the Employment Rights Bill, which is currently working its way through the House of Commons.
Cyber risks. The British Chambers of Commerce called on the government to recruit more cyber security professionals and carry out a cyber security awareness programme across businesses as it published a new report highlighting the continued cyber threats they face.
Annual presentation. Gareth Davies, the head of the NAO, called on leaders in government to harness the potential of new technology, develop a culture of fast learning and adaptation, and set out their appetite for risk as he gave his annual address in parliament, stressing the importance of such attributes in ‘unlocking gains in productivity and resilience.’
Early years. The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, a body set up by the Prince and Princess of Wales 12 years ago, published the results of its work in defining and developing a new Framework of some 30 social and emotional skills that can help shape, not just children growing up, but adulthood as well.
SCHOOLS:
School standards. Bridget Phillipson set out her plans in a set piece speech for what she called "a new era in school standards", promising funding and improvement support for ‘stuck’ schools, and a reformed accountability system with a revised Ofsted inspection model "at its heart".
Accountability consultation. The DfE published a consultation paper to go with proposed school accountability reforms, seeking views on the main purpose and principles behind school accountability as well as arrangements around school intervention, digital monitoring and improvement support.
Inspection reforms. Ofsted outlined proposed reforms to education inspections due to take effect from this autumn and involving removing single word/phrase judgements in favour of a colour-coded, five-point scale covering nine areas set within a new report card.
Inspection consultation. Ofsted published a consultation on its proposed inspection reforms, with questions covering the format of the new report cards, including intended evaluation areas, the development of inspection toolkits, inspection processes and monitoring visits, and intervention arrangements for schools causing concern.
The 2 Rs. The government promised additional funds and training for teachers to help drive up standards in reading and writing with a new framework for writing promised by the government for this summer.
Music education. The Demos think tank called for further investment and support to help develop music and Music Hubs in schools, arguing that over the next three years Music Hub partnerships will need a further £32m+ pa to cover costs.
Mobile phones. Research conducted by the University of Birmingham found that just banning mobile phones in school didn’t necessarily improve pupil’s performance or wellbeing, but should be part of a wider strategy on reducing phone use given wider concerns about the impact of social media generally.
Mental health. Leading children’s organisations, including Young Minds and the Centre for Young Lives, called on the government to undertake a rapid review into the causes behind the rise in mental health issues among children – along with open access to services and increased investment – as they highlighted the social and economic costs of not tackling the crisis in a new report.
One-year old. The Centre for Young Lives celebrated its first birthday highlighting some of the many challenges that continue to face children, including child poverty, SEND, and knife crime, but listing also some of the work undertaken over the past year to help alleviate such challenges, with work on inclusion and mental health among its big projects coming up.
FE/SKILLS:
Apprentices. The AoC published a briefing on apprenticeships for MPs as they debated the scheme ahead of next week’s National Apprenticeship Week, with the briefing running through a number of issues with the current model, and urging the government to use its current skills reform to rebalance the new levy on young people and consider the case for a more modular scheme.
Callf or evidence. The AoC called for better funding and support for SEND students transitioning to college, as well as a review into English and maths qualifications and exam access arrangements as part of its submission to the Education Committee’s inquiry into SEND.
AI in the workplace. The consultancy Public First reported on its monitoring of the impact on employees of Google’s AI Works training programme, noting that many unionised workers in particular were wary of it, and uncertain of the benefits it might bring, highlighting as a result the importance of training and support.
Strikes off. The Sixth Form Colleges Association confirmed that the current strikes over sixth form college teachers’ pay had been suspended to allow for members to consult on a revised offer of 4.3%, plus a commitment to treat all 16-19 providers equally when it comes to teacher pay in future.
HE:
Registration requirements. The Office for Students (OfS) launched consultation on two new initial registration conditions, as well as some changes intended to make the registration clearer and more efficient for new providers.
Working together. JISC reported on its work with KPMG, examining the potential of collaborative activity to help solve current challenges across HE – outlining five areas, including the central provision of digital/data skills development and the sharing or commissioning whole services that could help in this regard.
Sector prospects. The University and College Union (UCU) reported on its interview with HE/Skills minister Jacqui Smith, as more universities reported financial concerns and likely job losses – with the minister suggesting it was unlikely that the government would be offering more funding in the short-term, pointing instead to sector reform, which may follow a White Paper this summer.
Top pay.The Times Higher published analysis of the average pay packets for UK vice-chancellors, finding an overall increase of just over 4% over the last year to around £340,000.
Youth Mobility Scheme. The Institute of Directors (IoD) called on the government to consider a Youth Mobility Scheme for 18–30-year-olds across the EU, citing survey evidence from last year, indicating the benefits in terms of mobility and skills to both employers and young people.
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Research, reports and studies published this week
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COMING UP IN THE NEXT WEEK
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Important reports, deadlines and government events
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National Apprenticeship Week. (Monday 10 February – Sunday 16 February).
Education Committee evidence session on children’s social care. (Tuesday 11 February).
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Conferences and CPD opportunities
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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. If we believe it's relevant to our readers we will consider publishing it.
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MONDAY 10 FEBRUARY
On this day in 1763 The Treaty of Paris ended the French-Indian War, France surrenders Canada to Great Britain.
TUESDAY 11 FEBRUARY
On this day in 1990 Nelson Mandela was released after 27 years' imprisonment in South Africa.
WEDNESDAY 12 FEBRUARY
On this day in 1999 US President Bill Clinton was acquitted by the Senate in his impeachment trial.
THURSDAY 13 FEBRUARY
On this day in 1689 Parliament adopted the Bill of Rights, which established the rights of parliament and placed limits on the crown.
FRIDAY 14 FEBRUARY
On this day in 399 BC The philosopher Socrates was sentenced to death by the city of Athens for corrupting the minds of the youth in the city and for impiety.
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