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: Conservative election manifesto. The Conservatives launched their 2024 election manifesto with a range of pledges including another 2p off National Insurance and ultimately scrapping it for the self-employed, a legal cap on migration, more police officers, teachers, doctors and nurses along with National Service for 18-year-olds, all under the strapline of a clear plan, bold action and a secure future. Labour election manifesto. Labour published its 2024 election manifesto promising ‘a mission-driven government’ focused on stability and growth and delivered initially through the party’s recently announced six first steps of economic stability, cutting NHS waiting times, setting up new Border Security, creating a new British Energy Company, cracking down on anti-social behaviour and recruiting more teachers. Lib Dem election manifesto. The Lib Dems pledged to fight for a fair deal for patients, parents, pensioners and homeowners as they published their 2024 election manifesto with a big focus on health and care but with core promises and costings on education, families and the environment.
SCHOOLS: 10 asks. The ASCL called on the leaders of the major parties as they prepare to launch their respective manifestos ‘to commit to a better deal for education’ and to take on board ten asks including tackling the funding crisis, improving the fortunes of the ‘forgotten third’ and rescuing special needs. Leadership survey. ASCL highlighted some of the many financial pressures school leaders were facing as it published the results of its survey of headteachers in England, revealing particular worries about class sizes, school buildings and classroom resources. Workforce picture. The Education Policy Institute offered its thoughts on last week’s data on the school workforce, noting that although pay growth had improved and a number of teachers were, perhaps surprisingly, returning to the profession, recruitment and retention remained a concern particularly in the secondary sector.
FE/SKILLS: Skills body. The AoC published a commissioned report into how an overarching skills body might operate, outlining a number of strategic functions and governance arrangements including data collection, skills planning and policy innovation with a focus on social partnership. Defunding BTECs. Mary Curnock Cook examined the issues around the defunding of BTECs and allied qualifications in a blog on the Wonkhe site, arguing that the policy could leave many students, particularly the disadvantaged, with a limited choice of courses, and leave universities short of vitally needed student numbers, urging a new government to move swiftly and remove the defunding. Learning and Work. The Learning and Work Institute published what it called ‘A Blueprint for change’ for learning and work built around five steps including introducing a Young Person’s Guarantee, expanding employment support, extending the Lifelong Learning Entitlement, broadening the apprenticeship levy, and creating a more coherent employment and skills system.
HE: Student survey. The HE Policy Institute (HEPI) and Advance HE published the latest annual major survey into students’ academic experience, reporting a more positive picture than is often suggested with improved satisfaction ratings for teaching, assessment and value for money but with wider concerns about the impact of the cost-of-living forcing growing numbers of students into p/t work alongside their studies. NUS survey. The NUS published the results of its latest survey, conducted in April into the impact of the cost of living on students, showing it having a major impact on over half of students, with increasing numbers having to cut back on food, take on extra jobs and/or rely on family support and with the cost of housing emerging as a major worry. What do graduates do? Universities UK reported on the HE Statistics Agency’s recent data on how the class of 2022 were faring 15 months after graduating, finding most (83%) of this post-pandemic generation either in employment or unpaid work and ‘positive about their progression.’
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MONDAY 17 JUNE On this day in 1579 English navigator Francis Drake landed at Drakes Bay on the coast of California and named it 'New Albion'. On this day in 1885 the dismantled Statue of Liberty, a gift of friendship from the people of France to the people of America, arrived in New York Harbor. On this day in 1939 the last public guillotining took place in France when Eugen Weidmann, a convicted murderer, was guillotined outside the Saint-Pierre prison in Versailles.
TUESDAY 18 JUNE On this day in 1815 French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte suffered defeat by British forces at the Battle of Waterloo bringing an end to the Napoleonic era of European history. On this day in 1928 American aviator Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, landing at Burry Port, Wales. On this day in 1979 Leonid Brezhnev and Jimmy Carter signed the second 'Strategic Arms Limitation Talks' (SALT) agreement, a ground-breaking arms reduction treaty between the Soviet Union and the United States.
WEDNESDAY 19 JUNE On this day in 1829 Robert Peel introduced the Metropolitan Police Act 1829 into Parliament. On this day in 1917 Britain’s King George V changed the royal surname to Windsor. On this day in 2006 the ceremonial first stone of the Global Seed Vault was laid on the remote island of Spitsbergen.
THURSDAY 20 JUNE On this day in 1840 Samuel Morse was granted a patent for his dot-dash telegraphy signals known to the world as Morse code. On this day in 1963 the Red Telephone hotline between the US and Soviet Union was established following the Cuban Missile Crisis. On this day in 2020 the highest-ever temperature of 38C/100F was recorded in the Arctic circle, in Verkhoyansk, Siberia.
FRIDAY 21 JUNE On this day in 1788 the US Constitution came into effect when New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify it. On this day in 1895 the Kiel Canal connecting the North Sea with the Baltic Sea was opened by German Emperor Wilhelm II. On this day in 1993 English mathematician Andrew Wiles proved the last theorem of French mathematician Pierre de Fermat after 356 years.
Awareness days from around the world
JUNE IS UK: National Age Without Apology Month, National Candy Month, National Smile Month. WORLDWIDE: Pride Month, National Portuguese Heritage Month, National Migraine And Headache Awareness Month, National Caribbean-American Heritage Month, National PTSD Awareness Month, National Homeownership Month, National Give A Bunch Of Balloons Month, National Pollinators Month, National DJ Month, National Safety Month, Men's Health Month, African-American Music Appreciation Month, National Soul Food Month, National Papaya Month, National Iced Tea Month, National Great Outdoors Month, National Dairy Month, National Country Cooking Month, National Camping Month, National Fresh Fruit And Vegetables Month, National Adopt A Cat Month, National Accordion Month, Turkey Lovers Month, National Rose Month, Aquarium Month.
THIS WEEK IS UK: Drowning Prevention Week, Learning Disability Week, Cervical Screening Awareness Week, National School Sport Week, Rose Awareness Week. WORLDWIDE: Refugee Week, LDN Awareness Week, World Continence Week, National Picnic Week, National Play Catch Week, Waste And Recycling Workers Week, Animal Rights Awareness Week, Universal Father's Week, National Forgiveness Week.
MONDAY 17 JUNE WORLDWIDE: World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, National Mascot Day, National Apple Strudel Day, National Eat Your Vegetables Day, National Root Beer Day, World Tessellation Day, National Take Your Cat to Work Day, National Stewart’s Root Beer Day, Global Garbage Man Day.
TUESDAY 18 JUNE WORLDWIDE: Autistic Pride Day, International Picnic Day, National Wanna Get Away Day, National Splurge Day, National Go Fishing Day, International Day for Countering Hate Speech, Sustainable Gastronomy Day, National Cherry Tart Day, National Accounts Payable Day, International Sushi Day, International Panic Day, Clean Your Aquarium Day.
WEDNESDAY 19 JUNE UK: Brake’s Kids Walk, National Thank a Teacher Day. WORLDWIDE: World Refill Day, World Sauntering Day, Juneteenth, National Watch Day, National FreeBSD Day, National Garfield The Cat Day, Real Food Day, World Sickle Cell Day, International Box Day.
THURSDAY 20 JUNE UK: National Clean Air Day. WORLDWIDE: World Refugee Day, Global Car Recycling Day, National Seashell Day, National Hike With A Geek Day, Summer Begins, National Kouign Amann Day, National Ice Cream Soda Day, Anne & Samantha Day, National Vanilla Milkshake Day, National American Eagle Day, World Tapas Day, World Productivity Day, National Yard Games Day, Summer Solstice, International Tennis Day, National Dump the Pump Day.
FRIDAY 21 JUNE UK: National Ice Cube Day, Wallace & Gromit’s Wrong Trousers Day, Suffolk Day. WORLDWIDE: National Peaches 'n' Cream Day, Global MND Awareness Day, World Music Day, World Humanist Day, Canada's National Indigenous Peoples Day, National Take Your Dog To Work Day, National Wagyu Day, National Smoothie Day, National Arizona Day, National Day Of The Gong, National Selfie Day, Go Skateboarding Day, National Daylight Appreciation Day, National Cookie Dough Day, International VanLife Cooking Day, National Dachshund Day, National Flexible Working Day, National Take Back the Lunch Break Day, Make Music Day, World Motorcycle Day, Ugliest Dog Day, International Yoga Day, World Giraffe Day.
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