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: Shadow Chancellor’s speech. Rachel Reeves challenged the government over its economic record and reiterated Labour Party plans for ‘a modern industrial strategy,’ a New Deal for Working People and a new Take Back Control Act for local growth as part of her approach for securonomics, in a speech to the City of London. Online safety. Ofcom launched a major new consultation aimed at protecting children online with some 40+ measures listed covering ‘robust age-checks’ and the filtering out of harmful content, all set to be in place from next autumn. Maths Academy. The government invited organisations to apply to set up a new National Academy for Mathematical Sciences, modelled on other Royal Academies to help champion the importance of maths, support the PM’s ambition for maths to age 18 and position the UK as a leader in mathematical sciences.
SCHOOLS: Exams 2024. Ofqual wished candidates good luck and reminded them not to take mobile devices into exam rooms and not to search for exam papers online as this summer’s exam season got under way. National curriculum. The Social Market Foundation called for GCSEs to be slimmed down with less formal assessment and for an independent system of cyclical curriculum review to be established as it published a new briefing on curriculum reform. Alternative Provision. The government launched consultation on proposals ‘to improve practice and raise standards’ in unregistered alternative provision which see vulnerable children often placed for long stretches, proposing among other things time limits on placements, a set of national standards and better oversight generally.
FE/SKILLS: Briefing on skills. The Association of Colleges (AoC) outlined some of the challenges and issues around UK skills, reiterating its call for a reformed tertiary system, as it published a briefing on skills for a House of Lords debate. T level funding. The government confirmed the funding bands for the Wave 4 2024/25 T levels which remain as previously suggested earlier in the year. Leadership training. The Education and Training Foundation announced the launch of a set of four free toolkits for leaders in the FE and skills sector covering sustainability, professional standards, equality, diversity and inclusion, and curriculum planning for adult and community learning.
HE: Campus matters. The PM met with leading Vice Chancellors to consider growing concerns about campus tensions spreading from US universities to those in the UK and to discuss plans for tackling any harassment and antisemitic abuse that might arise. UCAS applications. UCAS announced it was waiving the application fee from this September for students in receipt of free school meals and was introducing an entry grades tool for applicants to be able to see both offer rates and previous entry grades as part of a set of measures to encourage wider applications to university. Living costs. The HE Policy Institute (HEPI) and partners reported on detailed research looking into just how much students today need to live and study on, suggesting a figure of around £18,600 outside London as a basic minimum income standard, a figure that falls short of current maintenance support.
SATs Week (Monday 13 May – Thursday 16 May). Mental Health Awareness Week (Monday 13 May – Sunday 19 May). Migration Advisory Committee report on the Graduate Route (Tuesday 14 May). House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee evidence session on apprenticeships and training (Tuesday 14 May). Institute for Fiscal Studies (IfS) HE Funding and Access Conference (Tuesday 14 May). Skills and Education Group Conference (Tuesday 14 May). Westminster Hall debate on the impact of smartphones and social media on children (Tuesday 14 May). Institute for Employment Studies Annual Conference (Thursday 16 May).
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MONDAY 13 MAY On this day in 1787 the First Fleet comprised of eleven ships of convicts and headed by Arthur Phillip set sail for Botany Bay, Australia. On this day in 1989 thousands of students began a hunger strike in Tiananmen Square in Beijing. On this day in 2017 a 22-year-old UK blogger halted the spread of a global ransomware cyber-attack by accidentally identifying the kill switch.
TUESDAY 14 MAY On this day in 1832 Felix Mendelssohn's concert overture 'Hebrides' premiered in London. On this day in 1955 the Warsaw Pact was established when eight communist bloc countries signed the mutual defence treaty. On this day in 1998 legendary singer, actor and show-business icon Frank Sinatra died of a heart attack at the age of 82 in Los Angeles.
WEDNESDAY 15 MAY On this day in 1618 German astronomer, Johannes Kepler, discovered his 'Harmonics law', the third of his three planetary laws. On this day in 1718 James Puckle, a London lawyer, patented the world's first machine gun. On this day in 1928 Mickey Mouse made his first ever appearance in the silent film 'Plane Crazy'.
THURSDAY 16 MAY On this day in 1920 Joan of Arc was canonised as a saint by Pope Benedict XV. On this day in 1929 the first Academy Awards ceremony was held at a dinner party in Hollywood, California. On this day in 2013 human embryonic stem cells were successfully made using cloning techniques.
FRIDAY 17 MAY On this day in 1792 the New York Stock Exchange was formed at 70 Wall Street. On this day in 1961 Fidel Castro offered to exchange Bay of Pigs prisoners for 500 bulldozers. On this day in 1990 the World Health Organization took homosexuality out of its list of mental illnesses.
Awareness days from around the world
MAY IS UK: Time For A Cuppa, Make May Purple/Action On Stroke Month, National Walking Month, National Share A Story Month, Local And Community History Month, Big Asthma Bake Sale, The Big Paddle Cleanup, National Smile Month. WORLDWIDE: National Teen Self Esteem Month, Zombie Awareness Month, National Clean Air Month, Maternal Mental Health Month, May Measure Month, Skin Cancer Awareness Month, Tourettes Awareness Month, National Returning Youth Month, National Miniature Garden Month, Jewish American Heritage Month, Global Employee Health And Fitness Month, Better Speech And Language Month, Als Awareness Month, National Preservation Month, National Wildfire Awareness Month, National Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month, National Foster Care Month, Correct Your Posture Month, International Drum Month, National Dental Care Month, Coeliac Disease Awareness Month, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Awareness Month, National Asparagus Month, National Stroke Awareness Month, National Moving Month, National Brain Tumor Awareness Month, National Mental Health Awareness Month, Sturge-weber Syndrome Awareness Month, Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, National Military Appreciation Month, Melanoma Awareness Month, National Water Safety Month, National Chamber Music Month, Asian American And Pacific Islander Heritage Month, National Mediterranean Diet Month, National Strawberry Month, National Salsa Month, National Salad Month, National Recommitment Month, National Photography Month, National Lyme Disease Awareness Month, National Hamburger Month, Get Caught Reading Month, National Egg Month, National Blood Education Pressure Month, National Bike Month, National Barbeque Month, Older Americans Month, Date Your Mate Month, National Inventors Month, American Cheese Month. THIS WEEK IS UK: ME Awareness Week, National Weaning Week, Food Allergy Awareness Week, Coeliac UK’s Awareness Week, Mental Health Awareness Week, Dementia Action / Awareness Week, National Stationery Week, Learning At Work Week, Foster Care Fortnight. WORLDWIDE: American Craft Beer Week, National Police Week, National Salvation Army Week, National Etiquette Week, Bike to Work Week, Christian Aid Week, National Women’s Health Week, Water Saving Week, Be Nice to Nettles Week.
MONDAY 13 MAY WORLDWIDE: World Cocktail Day, Writing for Health & Healing Day, National Crouton Day, National Women's Checkup Day, National Fruit Cocktail Day, National Apple Pie Day, National Frog Jumping Day, Cough Drop Day, Leprechaun Day, International Hummus Day, Top Gun Day.
TUESDAY 14 MAY WORLDWIDE: National Decency Day, National Buttermilk Biscuit Day, National Underground America Day, National Dance Like A Chicken Day, International Chihuahua Appreciation Day, Online Romance Day, International PMO Day, National Buttermilk Biscuit Day.
WEDNESDAY 15 MAY UK: Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Day. WORLDWIDE: Peace Officers Memorial Day, Bring Flowers To Someone Day, National Juice Slush Day, National Nylon Stocking Day, National Chocolate Chip Day, International Family Day, National Straw Hat Day, International Vascular Birthmarks Awareness Day, World Product Day, International Customer Support Day.
THURSDAY 16 MAY WORLDWIDE: National Coquilles Saint Jacques Day, National Classic Movie Day, National Mimosa Day, National Barbecue Day, National Do Something Good For Your Neighbor Day, Honor Our LGBT Elders Day, National Piercing Day, National Biographer’s Day, National Sea Monkey Day, National Love A Tree Day, Horse Rescue Day, Global Accessibility Awareness Day, International Day of Living Together in Peace, Wear Purple for Peace Day, National Waiters Day, International Boys’ Day, International Day of Light, National Notebook Day, Drawing Day, National Biographers Day.
FRIDAY 17 MAY WORLDWIDE: National Defence Transportation Day, World Hypertension Day, Malcolm X Day, National Idaho Day, National Graduation Tassel Day, National Walnut Day, NASCAR Day, National Pizza Party Day, National Bike To Work Day, National Bike To School Day, National Cherry Cobbler Day, National Pack Rat Day, National Endangered Species Day, Cheese Souffle Day, World Telecommunications Day, National Mushroom Hunting Day, National Work From Home Day, National Pinot Grigio Day, Shades Day, International Virtual Assistants Day, International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, World Neurofibromatosis Awareness Day.
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