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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:
Social media bans. Ahead of the conclusion of its digital wellbeing consultation,, the government announced a series of short pilots to test out with families various restrictions on social media use, including what impact these may have on family life and the challenges families face in introducing them.
Screen time. The government issued new ‘clear and trusted’ guidance on screen time use for families with young children, which based on Advisory Group recommendations suggested a limit of an hour a day for 2-5 yr olds and avoiding it altogether and sticking to shared activities for under 2s. Digital Inclusion. The government reported on progress made in the first year of its Digital Inclusion Action Plan pointing to the launch of an Inclusion Fund, Essential Digital Skills Framework, a pilot scheme to refurbish old devices and the setting up of an overseeing Ministerial Group among actions completed.
Economic Outlook. The OECD published its latest Interim Economic Outlook pointing to a context of ‘high uncertainty’ arising out of the current global conflicts with higher energy and other commodity prices ‘weighing’ in to create to a downward revision for global growth next year to 3%, with the UK the hardest hit at 1.3%.
GEMs Report. UNESCO published the first of what’s intended to be three major Global Education Monitoring (GEM) reports over the coming years, focusing here on access and equity and indicating increasing levels of school enrolment globally (1bn in 2024) and of levels of investment in education but a worrying rise in out-of-school rates (1 in 6 young people) across all regions
Global Education. The British Council announced a further expansion for two years of its Learning Sectors programme with Formula 1® which aims to encourage more young people globally to get involved in STEM learning.
SCHOOLS:
Countering Online Conspiracies. The Commission into Countering Online Conspiracies in schools pointed to growing concerns about the spread of misinformation online and in particular its alignment with AI as it published an update report on its work, calling on families, schools and government to work together to protect children and support more media literacy in schools.
SEND access. The Sutton Trust published research evidence suggesting that many ‘top’ secondary schools fail to take in SEND pupils and in some cases actively discourage it, calling on government to confront schools that fail to be inclusive and to provide more support for SEND provision generally.
Boys performance. The Centre for Social Justice examined the performance of white working-class boys five years on from the landmark Sewell Report, concluding that little had been done in the intervening years to tackle the root causes of their underperformance and their prospects remained bleak.
Workforce reports. The NFER brought together reflections on its various workforce reports published this year indicating that pay, particularly for FE, remains an issue, along with workloads and career progression for some, calling on the government to focus on these areas in future.
Understanding grading. Ofqual published resource materials in a lesson ready format for school leaders to explain marking and grading for this year’s GCSE and A level students.
Exclusions and suspensions. FFT Education Datalab looked at the data from last term on exclusions and suspensions suggesting a further slowing down in the rate of suspensions in secondary but not primary, with disadvantaged pupils continuing to be most affected.
Curriculum Review. The General Secretary of the SEA reflected in a new comment piece on last year’s Francis Curriculum Review, arguing that it failed to tackle the longstanding issue of post-16 reform and in particular the continued dominance of a narrow 3 A level diet.
School nurseries. The government announced that a further 330+ schools had been approved for funding to open or expand nursery places from this September with local councils being brought into the programme from this May.
EYPP. The Education Endowment Foundation reported on the Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) finding it used mainly to provide resources, intervention and immediate needs and as such highly valued by providers while pointing to some practical barriers for both providers and families in accessing it.
FSM. The county councils network and partners published a briefing on the forthcoming changes to Free School Meals (FSM) that from September will see an expanded entitlement potentially with extra bureaucracy, pointing to the benefits instead of an opt-out, auto-award system.
FE/SKILLS:
Apprenticeship progress. The Secretary of State highlighted improved performance as he published the latest data on apprenticeship achievements, showing a 4.9% increase on the previous year while pointing equally to wider system improvements and recent developments including new investment, new apprenticeship units and new work with employers.
Training Board merger. The government called for views on its proposal to merge the ECITB and CITB into one overall Industry Training Board, able to lead on behalf of both the construction and engineering construction sectors, with consultation due to close on 14 June.
Youth Guarantee. Alun Francis, Chair of the Social Mobility Commission, reflected in FE News on the government’s recent announcements around youth employment, arguing that the sums involved are unlikely to be ‘a game changer’ and calling for clearer responsibility when it comes to policy leadership of NEETs.
Youth employment. The TUC published its response to the Work and Pensions Committee Inquiry into ‘Youth employment, education and training,’ calling for urgent action on NEETs including paid work, apprenticeship opportunities and investment in skills training.
Adult skills. The NFER reported on its analysis of the recently published 2023 international Survey of Adult Skills with its focus on literacy and numeracy, pointing to what it called ‘a striking divide’ between young adults who have shown significant improvement over the last decade and adults aged 45+ who have not.
HE:
Free speech. The OfS announced it had set up a working group to help provide further guidance on free speech and academic freedom for institutions that work with overseas states.
Social mobility. HEPI and London South Bank published their latest Social Mobility Index which based on undergraduate access, continuation and outcome measures, reports on the social mobility of graduates, placing Bradford, Aston and Wolverhampton this year as the top three.
Afterlife. The OfS published commissioned research looking into how well prepared students felt for life after university or college, finding most reasonably confident, particularly those who had studied in college, with most relying on family and friends rather than provider careers services.
Graduate Gap. The Resolution Foundation examined the education and tax records of English graduates born in the mid-1980s on, finding that despite the boost in earnings accrued from gaining a degree, those from very poor backgrounds still earned less than their better off counterparts decades later.
Building healthier communities. The Russell Group set out a commitment to open up access, and to train and upskill over 180k medical and healthcare graduates by 2030, as part of a major response to creating healthier communities in future.
Learning in an AI world. Wonkhe reported on its survey among students about what AI means for their learning, finding a mix of tensions about its value, role and longer-term implications, calling for clearer guidance and focused assessment and accountability that could help determine the authenticity and value of AI’s impact.
Student loans. Barclays Bank highlighted the challenges facing those with student loans trying to enter the housing market with those with a loan putting away almost 2k less a year in savings compared to those without such a loan.
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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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MPs Easter Recess (Thursday 26 March – Monday 13 April)
NEU Annual Conference (Monday 30 March – Thursday 2 April)
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Conferences and CPD opportunities
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Monday 30 March - Thursday 02 April: Annual Conference 2026 | NEU (in-person event)
Tuesday 31 March: 2026 ETF Teaching and Learning Conference | ETF (in-person event)
Tuesday 31 March: Supporting Neurodivergent Learners with Triple-A: Attention, Arousal & Anxiety at School | Schools North East (online event)
Thursday 02 April: Reaching Adult Learners: Effective Marketing to a Crucial Cohort | Skills & Education Group (online event) |
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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 30 MARCH
On this day in 1959 the Dalai Lama fled China and was granted political asylum in India.
TUESDAY 31 MARCH
On this day in 1889 the Eiffel Tower, designed by French engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, was officially opened.
WEDNESDAY 01 APRIL
On this day in 1748 the ruins of Pompeii were discovered by Spanish architect Roque Joaquín de Alcubierre.
THURSDAY 02 APRIL
On this day in 1935 Scottish physicist Robert Watson-Watt was granted the British patent for radar.
FRIDAY 03 APRIL
On this day in 1043 Edward the Confessor was crowned King of England at Winchester Cathedral.
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