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, 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 AI Declaration. The government proclaimed the Bletchley Declaration which saw leading AI nations at the government’s inaugural AI Safety Summit sign up to work together to identify risks associated with AI, to develop appropriate policies for managing such risks and to support “an internationally inclusive network of scientific research on frontier AI safety” with future summits planned. Funding fair growth. The economics thinktank the Centre for Progressive Policy examined the challenges of maintaining public services at current levels over the next parliament in a new report, putting forward four recommendations to help with this including targeting an additional £19bn pa on areas like adult skills and childcare that have proven impact on productivity, and reforming the tax system. Youth futures. The British Academy published a range of articles in its latest Journal focusing on the challenges facing young people from climate change, to vocational training to employment, arguing that many of the current issues from conflict to Covid have made thing more difficult for young people around the world.
SCHOOLS Powered by AI. The government announced it was giving the Oak National Academy £2m to help develop new ‘AI powered’ teaching tools, such as lesson plans and class quizzes, arguing that this would help reduce teacher workloads and ultimately equip teachers with personalised AI support. Pupil attendance. The children’s commissioner set out a range of recommendations including nominating senior leaders to manage school attendance policies, formal sharing of attendance data and clearer guidance and agency working as she issued a new report suggesting that pupil absence had become ‘endemic’ at KS4 and was opening out attainment gaps. Ofsted on tutoring. Ofsted published the findings from the latest phase of its tutoring review commissioned by the government, indicating general support for the programme albeit with some variable provision, some schools focusing too heavily on exam groups and the tuition partner route appearing as the weakest route but with most schools preparing to cut back on programmes in the absence of continued funding.
FE/SKILLS Some concerns. David Hughes, chief executive of the Association of Colleges (AoC) called for a meeting with the secretary of state to discuss a number of issues, outlining five in particular including college staff pay and future options, learner numbers and GCSE resit pressures, low T level numbers and the defunding of alternatives, plans for capital funding, and some wrinkles around college reclassification. Business education. Ofsted published the first in what’s intended to be a series of curriculum reviews of provision in FE looking here at business qualifications from L2 to L7 and highlighting good practice such as the provision of ‘pillars of knowledge’ for learner progression, and the use of cross-cutting themes for best provision to aspire to. Skills report. The CIPD looked at the evolution of skills policy across the four regions of the UK against a background of what it termed ‘megatrends impacting the world of work,’ calling for reform of the apprenticeship levy, more flexible apprenticeship routes, support for small businesses and UK wide employer advice and support as key priorities.
HE Graduate recruitment. Stephen Isherwood, CEO of the Institute of Student Employers (ISE,) outlined on the Wonkhe website the findings from the Institute’s latest survey of student recruitment showing continuing high demand for trained graduates but with employers increasingly dropping standard minimum entry requirements in favour of more flexible recruitment practices. LLE. The QAA called for ‘some simple changes’ to the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) including removing the requirement for modules to be drawn from parent courses and lowering the credit threshold to ten, in a new paper issued as part of its ‘Future of Quality’ series. Evidence response. Universities UK issued its response to the OfS call for evidence on positive outcomes for modular study acknowledging the need for regulation to change but suggesting among other things that this should be transitional and proportionate.
Number Confidence Week (Monday 06 November to Friday 10 November). The King’s Speech (Tuesday 07 November). Festival of Higher Education (Tuesday 07 November to Wednesday 08 November).
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MONDAY 06 NOVEMBER On this day in 1860 Republican Abraham Lincoln of Illinois was elected as the 16th President of the United States of America. On this day in 1962 the United Nations passed a resolution to condemn apartheid in South Africa. On this day in 1999 Australia rejected a referendum to become a republic with a president as its head.
TUESDAY 07 NOVEMBER On this day in 1492 the oldest meteorite with a known date of impact struck a wheat field near the village of Ensisheim in Alsace, France. On this day in 1872 the Mary Celeste sailed from Staten Island for Genoa but was mysteriously found abandoned four weeks later. On this day in 1917 Vladimir Lenin led the Bolsheviks in the October Revolution where they took over the winter palace and ended the rule of the post-Tsarist provisional government.
WEDNESDAY 08 NOVEMBER On this day in 1602 the Bodleian Library at Oxford University was opened. On this day in 1895 German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen produced and detected electromagnetic radiation in a wavelength range today known as x-rays. On this day in 1974 British peer the Earl of Lucan disappeared and has never been seen again after his children's nanny was found murdered in London.
THURSDAY 09 NOVEMBER On this day in 1799 Napoleon Bonaparte seized political power in a coup d'état and became the dictator of France under the title of First Consul. On this day in 1888 the mutilated body of Mary Jane Kelly, Jack the Ripper's fifth and probably last victim, was found in a room she leased in the Spitalfields area. On this day in 1985 22-year-old Russian Gary Kasparov won the 13th World Chess Championship against Anatoly Karpov to become the youngest World Chess Champion.
FRIDAY 10 NOVEMBER On this day in 1674 the Dutch formally ceded New Netherlands (New York) to the English and took possession of what is now Surinam in return. On this day in 1871 Henry Morton Stanley encountered David Livingstone near Lake Tanganyika in Central Africa, with the immortal words 'Dr Livingstone, I presume'. On this day in 1940 Walt Disney began serving as an informer for the Los Angeles office of the FBI reporting back information on Hollywood subversives.
Awareness days from around the world
NOVEMBER IS UK: Veg Pledge, Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, Mouth Cancer Action Month, National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), Lung Cancer Awareness Month. WORLDWIDE: National Diabetes Month, COPD Awareness Month, National Family Caregivers Month, National Career Development Month, National Scholarship Month, Movember - Men's Health Awareness Month, National Military Family Month, National PPSI Aids Awareness Month, National Medical Science Liaison (MSL) Awareness & Appreciation Month, National Pet Cancer Awareness Month, National Hospice & Palliative Care Month, Stomach Cancer Awareness Month, Worldwide Bereaved Siblings Month, World Vegan Month, Sweet Potato Awareness Month, Spinach And Squash Month, PTA Healthy Lifestyles Month, Prematurity Awareness Month, National Roasting Month, National Raisin Bread Month, National Pomegranate Month, National Pepper Month, National Peanut Butter Lovers Month, National Family Literacy Month, National Native American Heritage Month, National Marrow Awareness Month, National Long-term Care Awareness Month, National Life Writing Month, National Inspirational Role Models Month, National Impotency Month, National Home Care & Hospice Month, National Fun With Fondue Month, National Alzheimer's Disease Month, National Adoption Month, Historic Bridge Awareness Month, Gluten-free Diet Awareness Month, Family Stories Month, Epilepsy Awareness Month, Diabetic Eye Disease Month, Banana Pudding Lovers Month, Aviation History Month, Adopt A Senior Pet Month, National Gratitude Month.
THIS WEEK IS UK: National Spa Week, Talk Money Week, National Pathology Week, Great British Game Week, Number Confidence Week. WORLDWIDE: Children's Book Week, National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week, National Fig Week.
MONDAY 06 NOVEMBER WORLDWIDE: National Nachos Day, World Let’s Stop Shouting Day, Job Action Day, International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict, Color The World Orange Day, National Saxophone Day, Job Action Day, National Broadcast Traffic Professionals Day.
TUESDAY 07 NOVEMBER UK: Purple Tuesday. WORLDWIDE: International Merlot Day, National Retinol Day, International Day of Medical Physics, National Canine Lymphoma Awareness Day, National Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day, National Hug A Bear Day.
WEDNESDAY 08 NOVEMBER UK: Roast Dinner Day. WORLDWIDE: World Radiography Day, International Day of Radiology, World Urbanism Day, National STEM STEAM Day, National Parents As Teachers Day, National Harvey Wallbanger Day, National Cappuccino Day, Benjamin Banneker Week, Cook Something Bold and Pungent Day, National Harvey Wallbanger Day, Shot Day, Eating Healthy Day, National Dunce Day.
THURSDAY 09 NOVEMBER UK: British Pudding Day. WORLDWIDE: Social Media Kindness Day, World Freedom Day, World Adoption Day, World Freedom Day, National Louisana Day, Microtia Awareness Day, National Scrapple Day, National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day, Chaos Never Dies Day, World Quality Day, Carl Sagan Day.
FRIDAY 10 NOVEMBER WORLDWIDE: United States Marine Corps Birthday, National Civic Pride Day, World Net Cancer Day, National Vanilla Cupcake Day, Forget Me Not Day, World Top Up Day, Area Code Day, World Science Day for Peace and Development, Sesame Street Day, International Accounting Day.
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