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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 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, and all the not-to-be-missed statistics.
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GENERAL: Industrial Strategy. The government published its ‘modern’ Industrial Strategy in the shape of a comprehensive 10-year plan intended to ‘unlock UK potential’ through support for key economic sectors, support for businesses, the provision of new investment and opportunities, and eased regulation and planning.
Amazon investment. The government welcomed plans from Amazon to invest £40bn in the UK over the next three years, in turn leading to the creation of thousands of new jobs and facilities across the country.
Performance measurement. The Institute of Directors (IoD) released a 10-point scorecard of performance indicators to hold government economic performance to account, showing areas like skills shortages, regulation and productivity/living standards all in the red, with the aim, for instance, of halving reported levels of skills shortages affecting business by the end of this parliament.
Living standards. The Resolution Foundation published a new report into living standards, pointing to a “bleak” outlook for many, with incomes for poorer families projected to fall by 1% and those for better off families projected to rise by 1% over the rest of the decade but with some hope that ‘a stronger economy and the right policy interventions,’ could see things improve for all.
Regional pay. The Resolution Foundation examined the wide variation in regional wages, looking at factors such as the clustering of high wage industries but concluding that ultimately place matters with ‘one-third of the pay differences between labour markets stemming from places themselves, rather than the people within them.’
Social mobility. The IfS highlighted the importance of early career mobility in a new report, revealing how high-skilled young people tend to migrate to high-paying cities, typically London, at the start of their careers tending as a result to exacerbate regional divides.
Early Years. The Early Years Alliance published a collection of essays from leading experts reflecting on current issues and challenges in the sector, ranging from family support to digital literacy, and future visions for the sector. SCHOOLS: Inspections. The four main teaching unions called for the introduction of the proposed new Ofsted inspection regime to be put back to Sept 2026 rather than the current November 2025, arguing in an open letter to government that schools, let alone inspectors, need more time to acquaint themselves with the changes.
Academy Trust Handbook. The government published the academy trust handbook for Sept 2025 on, with a number of additions including the need to have a climate action plan and be working towards digital and tech standards, along with confirmation that money would be recovered if there was evidence of irregularity or fraud.
School Report. Pearson published its latest ‘report’ on issues affecting young people in schools in England, focusing on the challenges that many feel as they progress through the various stages of education, highlighting among other things the importance of changing needs, skills and emotions. Qualification prices. Ofqual published its latest annual report into the prices of qualifications over the last year, indicating a fall in price inflation compared to the previous year with GQ prices up 4.8% on average and VTQ prices up 4.1%.
Inspection teams. Ofsted announced that from this November inspection teams would contain an inspector with previous experience of working in similar provision and be led by an inspector with relevant expertise and training.
Area SEND inspections. Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission reported on their joint 2023/24 inspections of local services for children and young people with SEND under the new inspection framework, reporting positive results for 14 of the 54 inspections completed, mixed in 26 inspections and failing in 14.
Teacher R and R. The NFER examined retention payments for early career teachers with mixed results, finding that they can help when targeted at shortage subjects but only as part of a wider strategy with bursaries often offering better value for money.
Voice of youth. The children’s commissioner for England launched a new Youth Voices Forum for young people aged 13 and over to hear directly about the work of the commissioner, put forward their views and share views on key issues.
Children’s writing. The National Literacy Trust highlighted concerns about children’s writing as it published further details from its Annual Literacy Survey showing that only just over a quarter of children and young people said they enjoyed writing in their free time.
Measuring the impact of RISE. FFT Education Datalab looked into how the impact of RISE (Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence) teams could be evaluated suggesting use of Progress 8 over time as well as comparable historical data on similar schools over time. FE/SKILLS: T levels. The Public Accounts Committee called on the government to do more to raise the profile of T levels and ensure their success both for students and the economy, as it published the results of its inquiry into their development, calling for ‘a structured plan to raise awareness’ of them and how they fit in with other qualifications. Financial Handbook. The government published the financial handbook for colleges for August 2025 on with a few standard changes for the coming year including around accounting officer duties, procurement and the audit code of practice.
College funding. The AoC published a briefing on college funding for MPs ahead of this week’s Estimates Day debate on dept spending, acknowledging recent investment but highlighting college staff pay, SEND provision and cuts to adult skills funding as three current areas of concern.
Construction skills. The government announced plans to recruit 100,000 more construction workers a year by the end of the parliament as well as to invest in tackling skills shortages in the industry, as it heralded the first meeting of the Construction Skills Mission Board.
Measuring success. The AELP called for more updated and smarter ways to measure apprenticeship success, including more positive destinations and milestone points, as it published the second report from its Mini Commission looking on this occasion at QAR accountability. HE:
International students. The consultancy Public First published the second of two papers looking into the impact of international students on UK living standards, reporting a highly positive return in terms of both wage increases and individual income across the country.
Graduate recruitment. Universities were urged to do more to help students from disadvantaged backgrounds secure jobs after university, as researchers published data showing significant inequalities in recruitment last year with less advantaged graduates faring badly.
New university grouping. A group of ten ‘leading research-focused’ universities announced that they were forming a new grouping to become a separate voice around research and innovation and work with government and other bodies ‘to deliver research-informed education and advanced skills.’
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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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AoC Learning Week (Monday 30 June – Friday 4 July)
Education Committee evidence session on ‘Solving the SEND crisis’ (Tuesday 1 July)
Learning and Work Institute Employment and Skills Convention 2025 (Tuesday 1 July)
Policy Exchange hosted speech by the Shadow Minister for Education on ‘The Future of HE’ (Wednesday 2 July)
Westminster Hall debate on ‘The Future of Music Education’ (Thursday 3 July)
The annual Festival of Education (Thursday 3 – Friday 4 July)
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Conferences and CPD opportunities
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Monday 30 June: Next steps for England’s school system | Westminster Forum (online event)
Monday 30 June: National T Level Conference 2025 – Manchester | ETF (in-person event)
Tuesday 01 July: EdExec LIVE 2025: Liverpool and the Wirral | Education Executive (in-person event)
Tuesday 01 July: Teach Like a Champion Guide to the Science of Reading | EducationScape (in-person event)
Tuesday 01 July: Help! I'm the RE Subject Leader | NATRE (online event)
Tuesday 01 July: GCSE RS – Better thinking, better writing, better results | NATRE (online event)
Tuesday 01 July: HEPI / Taylor & Francis roundtable dinner | HEPI (in-person event)
Wednesday 02 July: What next for transnational education? | The PIE (online event)
Wednesday 02 July: LEI Summer Lecture & Reception 2025 | Lifelong Education Institute (in-person event)
Thursday 03 July: British online schooling and hybrid school partnerships supporting students with SEN | The PIE (online event)
Thursday 03 July: Setting the agenda: how universities can regain control of the narrative | UUK (in-person event)
Thursday 03 - Friday 04 July: Festival of Education 2025 | EducationScape (in-person event) |
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MONDAY 30 JUNE
On this day in 1860 a famous debate on Charles Darwin's theory of evolution was held at the Oxford University Museum and dominated by arguments between Thomas Henry Huxley and Bishop Samuel Wilberforce.
TUESDAY 01 JULY
On this day in 1997 the United Kingdom returned Hong Kong and the New Territories to the People's Republic of China.
WEDNESDAY 02 JULY
On this day in 1992 theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking broke British publishing records when his book A Brief History of Time remained on the non-fiction bestseller list for three and a half years.
THURSDAY 03 JULY
On this day in 1844 the last pair of Great Auks were killed off the coast of Iceland.
FRIDAY 04 JULY
On this day in 2012 the Higgs Boson particle discovery was announced by scientists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN).
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