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GENERAL: Budget build up. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IfS) set out its regular traditional scene setter for the forthcoming Budget, acknowledging some improvement to the UK economy since the Autumn Statement but suggesting that existing spending plans remain ‘challenging’ and the case for tax cuts is ‘weak.’ UK economy. The National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) reflected on the state of the UK economy one week away from the Budget pointing to such positives as inflation being on a downward trend and wages starting to rise but equally concerns such as the high sickness levels in the UK workforce and the need for investment in public services. ‘Growth’ committees. The CBI announced it was setting up two major committees, UK and globally focused respectively, to help provide perspective and intelligence to support UK growth through the general election and beyond.
SCHOOLS: School attendance. The government announced a new package of measures to help improve school attendance with fines for unauthorised absence in term time of five days increased to £80, a new attendance ambassador announced and the sharing of data from daily registers in state schools Tackling sexual harassment. Shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson outlined plans to tackle the growing threat of online misogyny and sexual harassment in schools, promising coaching, mentoring and monitoring among a package of measures. School finances. The IfS assessed school funding ahead of the Budget arguing that while school spending per pupil could be viewed as at an ‘historical’ high, set against inflation, increased costs and reductions in capital budgets, it would leave many schools facing a 5% drop in per-pupil spending compared to 2009/10.
FE/SKILLS: Skills classification. The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) announced it was working with the government’s Future Skills Unit to develop a new standard skills classification that could help employers, careers advisers, providers and learners alike with a clearer understanding of the skills needs of the UK labour market. Level 2/3 reform. The Commission on post-16 education that has been looking into the impact of the government’s qualification reform at L2 and 3 published its report urging the government to pause its current plans to defund qualifications until an alternative was in place and to review the requirements for English and maths resits, while in the longer term developing a coherent qualification framework as part of a Young Person’s Entitlement. Apprenticeship Conference. Rob Halfon, the skills minister, addressed this week’s Annual Apprenticeship Conference where he outlined three ‘apprenticeship goals’ that he was aiming to achieve, including building a strong apprenticeship system, prioritising quality over quantity, and ensuring opportunities for those that need them.
HE: International students. Universities UK raised concerns about a potential fall in the recruitment of international students, particularly at postgraduate level, linking it to a concern about post-study work opportunities and some recent policy rhetoric, arguing that this could have a damaging economic impact and calling on the government to offer reassurances about the Graduate Visa. Foundation programmes. The QAA set out the scope of its work, commissioned by Universities UK, into examining International Foundation and Year One programmes, looking at issues such as admissions requirements and course standards which have been the subject of debate recently. Student survey. The financial wellbeing platform, Blackbullion, published its 2024 survey of student money and wellbeing conducted by Censuswide at the start of this year, showing among other things the financial pressures many students are facing, the impact this is having on their studies and university experience, and what forms of university support really helps.
Westminster Hall debate on the educational attainment of boys (Tuesday 5 March). Budget Day (Wednesday 6 March). Westminster Hall debate for World Book Day (Wednesday 6 March). World Book Day (Thursday 7 March).
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MONDAY 04 MARCH On this day in 1801 Thomas Jefferson became the first US President to be inaugurated in Washington, DC. On this day in 1918 the first documented cases of the Spanish flu heralded a deadly pandemic which spread around the world and caused over 25 million deaths. On this day in 1952 Ernest Hemingway completed his short novel 'The Old Man and the Sea'.
TUESDAY 05 MARCH On this day in 1496 King Henry VII commissioned John Cabot and his sons to investigate, claim and possess lands 'which before this time were unknown to all Christians'. On this day in 1946 Winston Churchill's 'Iron Curtain' speech in Fulton, Missouri popularised the term and drew attention to the division of Europe. On this day in 2022 explorer Ernest Shackleton's ship 'Endurance' that sank in 1915 was rediscovered in the Weddell Sea, Antarctica in excellent condition.
WEDNESDAY 06 MARCH On this day in 1869 Dmitri Mendeleev presented the first periodic table of the elements to the Russian Chemical Society. On this day in 1964 boxing legend Cassius Clay joined the Nation of Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Ali, calling his former title a 'slave name'. On this day in 2018 the world's oldest message in a bottle was found in Western Australia having been thrown from German ship 'Paula' 132 years previously.
THURSDAY 07 MARCH On this day in 1530 Pope Clement VII denied King Henry VIII's request for an annulment from his first wife Catherine of Aragon. On this day in 1876 Alexander Graham Bell received a US patent for his revolutionary new invention, the telephone. On this day in 1912 Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen announced his team was the first to reach the South Pole 34 days before British explorer Robert Falcon Scott.
FRIDAY 08 MARCH On this day in 1867 the British North America Act was passed in the House of Commons and served as Canada's constitution for more than 100 years. On this day in 1910 Baroness Raymonde de Laroche of Paris became the first ever licensed female pilot. On this day in 2017 a mitochondrial DNA study showed that modern Aboriginal Australians are the descendants of a single founding population that arrived in Australia 50,000 years ago.
Awareness days from around the world
MARCH IS UK: National Bed Month, Marie Curie Great Daffodil Appeal, Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, Dechox, Walk All Over Cancer, Brain Tumour Awareness Month, 100 Miles In March For Mind, Veggie Month. WORLDWIDE: Deep-Vein Thrombosis Awareness Month, National Irish-American Heritage Month, National Nutrition Month, Mustache March, Brain Injury Awareness Month, Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, National Save Your Vision Month, Red Cross Month, National Athletic Training Month, National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month, National Brain Injury Awareness Month, National Breast Implant Awareness, Endometriosis Awareness Month, Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month, National Kidney Month, Asset Management Awareness Month, National Trisomy Awareness Month, National Social Work Month, National Women's History Month, National Sauce Month, National Noodles Month, National Frozen Food Month, National Flour Month, National Credit Education Month, National Craft Month, National Cheerleading Safety Month, National Celery Month, National Caffeine Awareness Month, National Peanut Month, National Umbrella Month, National Nutrition Month.
THIS WEEK IS UK: New Homes Week, Eating Disorders Awareness Week, Endometriosis Awareness Week, National Careers Week, No More Week, Cultivation Street Week, British Pie Week, National Butchers Week. WORLDWIDE: National Lawnmower Maintenance Week, Will Eisner Week, National Invest in Veterans Week, Iditarod, Groundwater Awareness Week, National School Breakfast Week, Words Matter Week, Read an E-Book Week, Teen Tech Week, Newspapers in Education Week, Dental Assistant Recognition Week, National Professional Pet Sitter Week, National Salt Awareness Week, Butchers’ Week, Return Borrowed Books Week, National School Social Work Week, National Consumer Protection Week, Jewish Book Week, National Professional Pet Sitters Week, Cheerleading Week, Write a Letter Appreciation Week, Universal Human Beings Week, Telecommuter Appreciation Week, No More Week, Women in Construction Week, National Procrastination Week.
MONDAY 04 MARCH UK: Endo The Night. WORLDWIDE: International HPV Awareness Day, National Sons Day, National Grammar Day, National Hug A GI Day, National Pound Cake Day, Marching Band Day, Fun Facts About Names Day, World Tennis Day, Do Something Day, Toy Soldier Day, International Scrapbooking Industry Day, World Obesity Day.
TUESDAY 05 MARCH UK: St Piran’s Day. WORLDWIDE: National Absinthe Day, National Cheese Doodle Day, National Multiple Personality Day, Unique Names Day, Dissociative Identity Disorder Awareness Day, National Sportsmanship Day.
WEDNESDAY 06 MARCH WORLDWIDE: Dentist’s Day, National Dress Day, National Oreo Cookie, National White Chocolate Cheesecake Day, National Frozen Food Day, Hospitality Workers in HealthCare Day.
THURSDAY 07 MARCH UK: Crufts 2024. WORLDWIDE: National Cereal Day, World Book Day, National Slam The Scam Day, National Hospitalist Day, National Crown of Roast Pork Day, National Be Heard Day, National Flapjack Day, Plant Power Day, Name Tag Day, National Sock Monkey Day, Alexander Graham Bell Day.
FRIDAY 08 MARCH WORLDWIDE: International Women's Day, National Oregon Day, National Proofreading Day, National Peanut Cluster Day, National Freelancers Day, International Grant Professionals Day, National Middle Name Pride Day, Be Nasty Day.
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