Steve Besley's Education Eye: week ending 15 May 2026

What's happened this week?

Important stories across the board:

A hectic week.

The King’s Speech included a new Education Bill, the Prime Minister highlighted apprenticeships and youth opportunities as a core part of his reset strategy and the Education Committee warned about the effects of a UK university going bust, calling it “a real possibility, not a theoretical warning.”

Here’s some details behind these stories, starting with schools and that announcement in the King’s Speech of another Education Bill.

“A Bill will be brought forward to raise standards in schools and introduce generational reforms of the special educational needs system.”

Essentially the Bill puts into legislative form the government’s SEND reform programme of basing individual support plans on national inclusion standards, ensuring across the board training, establishing better transition protections and clarifying the funding available.

The context, as the explanatory notes explains and which is widely recognised, is of a current system not delivering, with families having to fight for support and young people struggling to achieve outcomes hoped for.

It’s a challenging context with the issue of fairness and adequate resources high up there as many have pointed out.

ASCL, for example, said, “we are currently a long way off schools being funded on a fair and consistent basis in the way that the Bill anticipates.”

While the NFER, which has its own report out next week on a pressurised system, said, “successful implementation will depend not only on funding, but on ensuring schools have access to the workforce capacity, training and specialist expertise needed to deliver inclusive practice effectively.”

Elsewhere for schools, the Education Secretary resurrected the Blairite London Challenge model with so-called mission programmes aimed at ‘transforming the life chances of children’ from disadvantaged areas of the country including the N.E. and some coastal areas.

“I want every child in the North East, and in coastal communities like Hastings and Scarborough, to have the same opportunities I was lucky enough to have,” Bridget Phillipson explained.  

The NEU threw down the gauntlet over pay and workloads by announcing plans to hold a strike ballot this autumn if the government doesn’t tackle both issues over the coming months.

The teachers’ pay body has yet to declare its recommendation this year but the government has proposed 6.5% over the next three years.

The union is calling for an above inflation rise and for it not to come out of school coffers. “If ministers insist that any pay rise must be carved out of already decimated school budgets, then it is a wilful rejection of reality.”

The Education Secretary wasn’t impressed. They’re being ‘massively premature’ she reckoned.

And to round off another busy week for schools, Ofqual published its annual qualification price tariff showing average GCSE and A level qualification prices up around 3.4% at the start of this year, and average vocational and technical qualifications up 4%.

It also published its annual perceptions survey of qualifications indicating ‘overall composite confidence’ from employers, parents and young people in the majority of qualifications.

But interestingly with split views over whether onscreen exams would be fairer or not. 33% agree, 31% disagree and 36% neither agree or disagree.

The Education Policy Institute looked at the different ways in which exclusions are being used in some London Schools. The children’s commissioner began her tour around the country hearing from children as part of her Big Future survey and due to report back next year.

And many Yr 6 primary age children breathed a sigh of relief as SATs week rounded off. Results are due online for schools from 7 July.

In FE, no FE Bill in the King’s Speech but plenty of references to skills, apprenticeships and youth opportunities both in that Speech and in the PM’s ‘new mission’ speech at the start of the week.

Three points stand out.

First, NEETs and youth opportunities generally look like remaining a priority for the government with future policy likely to be influenced by both the Milburn and Timms Reviews, both of which were referenced in the King’s Speech and are due to report in the summer and autumn respectively.

The next set of NEET figures are due out on 28 May 2026.

Second, the PM’s pitch for positioning alternative pathways for young people alongside that of going to university, first made at last year’s Party Conference, remains a core mission for the government.

Details can be seen in an accompanying press release.

“Central to that mission is the Prime Minister’s ambition for more young people to take part in higher‑level learning – whether academic, technical or through apprenticeships – so that success is no longer defined by a single path, and talent and hard work are recognised in all their forms.”

And third, skills and Industrial Strategy remain central to the government’s growth ambitions. The PM’s introduction in the briefing notes said as much.

“The immediate challenge is to keep removing barriers to growth. That means developing an industrial strategy to create more highly paid jobs, with an apprenticeships plan to match.”

Much now therefore depends on the emerging political climate.

In further difficult news for City and Guilds, the new owners announced consultation on a company reorganisation that could see a number of roles at risk.

“The proposals are focused primarily on enabling functions, where duplication and inefficiency have been identified. Approximately 75 roles (6%) are likely to be impacted by the proposals,” it was announced.

The statement went on to stress continued support for learners, partners and colleagues during this ‘difficult’ time.

Talking of reorganisation, the NFER outlined a fragmented and poorly planned system for areas of 16-19 provision in a report for the AoC.

Basically, as the report explained, we have a market model with too many often small and competing providers that is neither efficient nor able to provide the range of subject choices sought by students.

“Students’ access to marginal and specialist subjects varies substantially depending on where they live, with the provision of some subjects relatively ‘patchy’, and a substantial number of LAs exhibiting ‘cold spots’ where some subjects are not offered by any provider.“

The report recommended more coordinated planning, greater local powers and partnership provision where need be.

And, as part of Mental Health Awareness Week, the AoC published two survey reports, one on student and one on staff mental health, pointing to what it called ‘a perfect storm’ of growing mental health needs among students, pressures on staff and systems poorly equipped and funded to cope with it all.

They called for “the government to recognise colleges as essential partners in national mental health strategy and local system policy delivery, with sustained investment and resourcing for student mental health and staff wellbeing.”

In HE, funding has been a big talking point again this week with four important reports.

First, the Education Committee reported on its Inquiry into HE funding indicating a sector in financial crisis. 

Describing UKHE as “one of the UK’s most valuable national assets,” the Committee spelt out how its ‘financial foundations have been steadily eroded’ over recent years.

The fear now is of an institution going bust, something the Committee report said “could have a catastrophic impact” not just on students and staff but on the wider economy and UK reputation.

The report made a number of recommendations including creating an early warning system for institutions at risk of financial insolvency and strengthening student financial protections, along with tighter borrowing rules, tougher scrutiny of franchising and an evaluation of the International Student Levy.

The Russell Group welcomed many of the recommendations although former OfS director John Blake said they were more reactive than proactive.

The UCU said the government had been ‘asleep at the wheel’ and we now need an emergency HE taskforce.

The NUS said the report made for ‘scary reading.’

Second and also scary for many, the OfS published its latest annual financial health check of finances in the HE sector.

On the glass half full side, “the sector reported a small improvement in financial performance in 2024-25, driven by higher income from tuition fees and education contracts.” On the glass half empty side and in the next sentence, “providers’ forecasts then predict a slight deterioration in financial performance in 2025-26.”

Many it seems are banking on increased student recruitment but as the OfS made plain, “our view is that forecasts that repeatedly assume strong future growth are potentially masking the need for more fundamental structural changes for some providers, and the need in some cases for new business models, including mergers and other forms of consolidation.”

There was another proposed merger announced this week. More, it seems, may follow.

Third, Universities UK highlighted how much government investment in teaching per undergraduate had fallen over the years.

Down from 54% in 2012 when increased tuition fees came in to 23% currently, according to a report from London Economics, timed ahead of the forthcoming Strategic Priorities Grant.

As the report explains, “there has been a fundamental shift in the balance of contribution to higher education in England since 2012-13. Graduates pay considerably more, and the Exchequer pays considerably less.”

And fourth, and if it’s any consolation, a report indicating that UKHE isn’t alone in facing financial anxieties.

The report came from the King’s College Policy Institute which looked at evidence from other European countries and found “a striking set of common challenges.”

In their words, “higher education sectors across major European economies are experiencing the same underlying pressure.”

Two positive notes for HE to end on.

First the Sutton Trust this week pointed to the value of a university degree in helping close what it called the ‘happiness gap’ in life.

And second, the HEPI/TechnologyOne report this week looking back on twenty years of the student experience, found many students valuing much of their student times.

Links to most of these stories below, starting with the week’s headlines.

The top headlines of the week:

• ’Teachers in England to vote on striking over pay’ (Monday)
• ‘Students at risk if universities go bust, say MPs’ (Tuesday)
• ‘King’s Speech confirms plan for SEND reform’ (Wednesday)
• ‘Students missing twice as much teaching time as 20 years ago’ (Thursday)
• ‘Two-fifths of universities expect deficits amid student downturn’ (Friday)

General:

• King’s Speech. The King’s Speech, which set out the government’s legislative programme for the coming year or so, included an Education Bill on raising standards and reforming SEND, a Bill to extend voting rights to 16/17 yr olds and a Digital ID Bill to be used for checking services and rights to work.
• Jobs market. KPMG and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation published their latest monthly market report on jobs, pointing to a further decline in permanent staff appointments across the UK, albeit at a slower rate, as employers look for staff flexibility at a time of global uncertainty.
• Economic reset. The Resolution Foundation outlined a range of measures that the government could use after a damaging set of local election results to reset and reinvigorate the economy, including tacking NEETs, helping first time house buyers, ‘calling time’ on the Triple Lock and replacing the Council Tax with a proportional property tax.
• Business Plan. The County Councils Network released a new ‘Stronger Counties, Stronger Communities’ Business Plan for 2026/27 focusing on the key priorities of local government financing, adult social care, children’s services, housing, communities and growth and transport.
• Children and Economic Inequality. UNICEF examined economic inequality and children’s wellbeing across a number of wealthy countries, finding links between high levels of inequality and education performance and children’s health, calling for better safety nets and support for disadvantaged communities in particular.

HE:

• Committee report on funding. The Education Committee found a higher ed sector facing ‘unprecedented’ financial pressures as it published a report into HE funding, calling as a result for essential financial protections for students and for better signals and clearer procedures for when/if an institution goes bust.
• Latest financial picture. The OfS suggested a mixed picture and some optimism for the future as it published its latest ‘independent’ assessment of HE finances, showing a slight drop in the number of institutions reporting a deficit last year although not across the board and with a likely rise this year with much depending on restructuring and future student recruitment.
• More on funding. Universities UK urged the government not to make further cuts to university funding as it published a new report from London Economics showing a reduction over recent years in the government funding contribution to undergraduate teaching. 
• European funding perspective. King’s College Policy Institute reported on its recent work looking into the financial challenges facing European universities, finding similar concerns to those of the UK over falling funding levels, a ‘fragile’ dependency on international students and worries about global conflict, all generating similar questions over the value of the graduate premium.
• Global HE. UNESCO published a new report on Global HE Trends showing that the number of students enrolled globally in HE has doubled over the past two decades with women outnumbering men, private institutions accounting for a third of the recruitment and the number of students going abroad for HE more than tripling but with student completion rates not always increasing and with ‘stark regional disparities’ generally as poorer parts of the world miss out.
• The student experience. HEPI and TechnologyOne reported on their work monitoring the student experience in UKHE over the past twenty years, noting a drop in in-class attendance by students over the years and a rise in p/t work and mental health issues but for many, particularly those engaged in their communities, a sense of a rich and valuable experience.
• Proposed merger. Universities UK welcomed the proposed merger from next summer between London King’s College and Cranfield University, arguing that it ‘will create an extraordinary powerhouse of a university.’
• Youth mobility scheme. The Guardian reported that despite the PM’s recent "commitment to a post-Brexit youth mobility scheme enabling young people to work, study or travel across Europe,” the UK’s insistence on home fees and a numbers cap remain big stumbling blocks.

Tweets and posts of note:

• “Being “stressed out” by your kids’ exams is the ultimate example of modern parenting, and it’s pretty pathetic, we are not the ones taking the exams and we are adults. It’s self indulgent and unhelpful” -@KirstieMAllsopp.
• “Two things will trigger my retirement from teaching in about 10 years: A) a desire to go to Greece in September and Spain in June B) marking. God I HATE it” -@icod.
• “Saw a Y6 teacher post today that they felt left out of the boxing up process of the SATs papers and they'd really wanted to be involved in it. Can confidently say that the only people who would ever feel left out of that process is anyone who has never had to do it. So boring” -@MrBoothYr6.
• “I informed the local authorities that L wouldn’t make it in for her Biology GCSE because she’s so dysregulated at the thought of going and they asked if she was getting support from her support network. That’s me, I’m her support network” -@cix_stormrage.
• “Why should schools do ‘enrichment’ at all? Or breakfast? If teachers arrive 8am leave 5.30pm. 4pm Fri. That’s approx 43.5hours. Say 30 mins break each day. That’s teaching load/marking/prep/meetings. Schools aren’t youth clubs or leisure centres or baby sitters” -@BarryNSmith79.
• “Teachers make around 1,500 decisions a day. In a 10 hour day thats 150 decisions an hour. That’s a decision to make every 24 seconds. Nearly 300,000 decisions in 39 weeks of teaching. Such a mentally demanding job. Too many holidays, yeah right!” -@DeputyGrocott.

A selection of quotes that merit attention:

• “We will strengthen our economic security, energy security, our defence and national security. We will unblock the barriers to growth and prepare our country for a world where external shocks like this are ever more frequent. And we will fight for every child to have the chance to go as far as their talent and effort will take them” – the PM sets out his government’s programme in the King’s Speech.
• “There was room for more ambition” – the Centre for Young Lives responds to the King’s Speech.
• “So we will go much further on our investment in apprenticeships, in technical excellence colleges, in special educational needs” – the PM puts education and training at the heart of his reset mission.
• ‘A sector in England facing a financial crisis that now poses a real risk of institutional insolvency’ – the Education Committee publishes a report into HE funding.
• “This research finds that graduates have greater happiness and wellbeing than non-graduates, suggesting that the benefits of higher education shouldn’t only be measured in terms of graduates’ financial returns” – the Sutton Trust finds holding a degree helps fuel better wellbeing.
• “I am delighted to be joining the City & Guilds Foundation at such an important and exciting moment ” – WorldSkills UK Chief Exec Ben Blackledge on his appointment as Chief Exec of the City and Guilds Foundation due later this year.
• “The organisation is now entering a formal consultation process to gather feedback, consider alternative approaches and ensure all perspectives are reviewed before any outcomes are confirmed” – City and Guilds announces a restructure.
• “A marketised approach does not result in a high quality, broad and complete offer of courses and institutions that are accessible by every young person” – the NFER reports on a fragmented system for 16-19 provision.
• “School leaders have serious worries about their ability to implement reforms of this scale effectively with the proposed training and funding” – the NAHT responds to the government SEND reforms outlined in the King’s Speech.
• “Unfunded below-inflation pay increases are an insult. The government is well aware that schools do not have the money to fund them” – the NEU makes its case for possible strike action later this year if the government doesn’t stump up an above inflation pay offer.
• “Instead, stock the cupboards with nutritious food (think slow-release energy and Omega-3) and encourage them to drink plenty of water” – one provider’s advice to parents about how to support students during exam times.

Everything else you need to know ...

What to look out for in the next couple of weeks: