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, 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
Early Years. The Princess of Wales formally launched her Royal Foundation Centre for Childhood campaign to raise awareness of the importance of the early years of childhood under the banner ‘Shaping Us.’ 
Early Hours. The Sutton Trust reported on new research into the number of hours young children have in early years childcare and the impact of the home learning environment, reinforcing the disadvantages faced by many poorer families in both cases.
Young children and pornography. The Children’s Commissioner published what she described as some ‘shocking’ research from her survey into pornography among young people, indicating that many had seen it, it was easily available and it often led to physically aggressive acts, calling among other things for social platforms to take action such as age verification ahead of the Online Safety Bill.

SCHOOLS
Education recovery. The National Audit Office (NAO) published its report into education recovery in schools following the pandemic, reporting on the funding and various interventions introduced by government to help, concluding that some progress had been made but the disadvantage gap had worsened. 
2023 pay. The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) called for ‘a 15% uplift to all salaries and allowances’ as part of its submission to the Teachers’ Pay Review Body for 2023, while suggesting three quick wins (removing performance related pay progression, limiting working time for school leaders and protecting leadership time) that could help support recruitment and retention generally.
Children’s meals. The Early Years Alliance and LEYF Nurseries highlighted concerns about the rising costs of providing children’s meals, with a recent survey showing 62% of providers resorting to using cheaper ingredients.

FE/SKILLS:
L3 qualifications. Campaigners, including former education ministers and members of the Lords, called on the Education Secretary to reconsider plans to remove funding from a swathe of applied general qualifications including a number of market proven BTECs, arguing that their removal would restrict student choice and mobility and was not what the dept had originally agreed.
New rules. The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) published a series of ‘bite-sized guides’ covering matters such as special payments, senior pay controls and requirements for novel and contentious transactions, which colleges will be required to observe following their reclassification as government bodies. 
Language provision. The British Academy called for a Strategic Committee for Languages in FE among other things, as it published a report showing the bleak state of languages provision across UK FE following years of under investment and lack of positioning among other qualifications.

HE:
Lifelong Learning Bill. The government introduced the long-awaited Lifelong Learning Bill which will enable the funding system to provide for short course, module and other more flexible forms of learning that can support the implementation of the Lifelong Loan Entitlement as envisaged by the Skills and Post-16 Education Act 2022.
Perceptions of HE. The HE Policy Institute (HEPI) and the UPP Foundation published their latest report into public attitudes towards HE, finding among other things concerns about the impact of the cost-of-living on student uptake, support for public investment in universities and their work but mixed views about the value of a degree, particularly one that doesn’t lead to a job.
Ladder of opportunity. The FE/HE minister, Rob Halfon, addressed the Universities UK Apprenticeships Conference where he ran through his favoured ‘ladder of opportunity’ metaphor with its various rungs that include apprenticeship opportunities, quality provision and lifelong learning.
Degree apprenticeships. Universities UK hosted a Conference on degree apprenticeships and higher technical education where it set out a 10-point plan to support universities delivering degree apprenticeships including re-opening the register of apprenticeship training providers and reviewing the regulatory burden involved in putting on such provision.

Monday 06 February: Festival Of Apprenticeships - Online Careers Fair 2023 | Festival of Apprenticeships (online event)
Tuesday 07 February: SEND Leadership (module 2) | Optimus Education (online event)
Tuesday 07 February: How can we internationalise beyond recruitment? | The PIE (online event)
Tuesday 07 February:  Successfully Preparing to Grow Your MAT | Inside Government (online event)
Wednesday 08 February: 2023 National Primary English Conference: Word-Utopia | HFL Education (online event)
Thursday 09 February: Priorities for the independent schools sector | Westminster Forum Projects (online event)
Thursday 09 February: Developing and Delivering Effective Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) | Inside Government (online event)
Thursday 09 February: Ensuring Public Sector Website Accessibility and Compliance | Inside Government (online event)
Tuesday 09 February: Attracting and retaining talent in the post-Covid HE workplace | The PIE (online event)
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