Weekly Round Up - 18/08/2024

Your weekly round-up has landed *|FNAME|*

LOOKING BACK AT THE WEEK THAT WAS

Three of the week's headlines ...

Drop in UK students eligible to find university places through clearing

Pupils achieve best A-level results in a generation but regional gap widens

Education secretary says private schools to blame for closures - not VAT policy

Visit EdNews to filter all the education news by phase or topic

Three pieces of policy news - by phase

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:
Child poverty. The government reported that the new Ministerial Taskforce, set up to tackle Child Poverty, had held its first meeting this week ahead of a programme of work over the autumn leading to a report next spring.
Labour market data. The ONS published the latest figures on the UK labour market showing employment and economic inactivity rates little changed and a slight slowing in the annual growth in regular earnings but with the figures based on small samples and needing to be treated, as the ONS indicated, with caution.
More on the labour market. The CIPD published its Summar Labour Market Outlook with findings based on a survey of 2,000+ employers and showing a 1% fall in wage increases, more employers in the public sector looking to decrease rather than increase their staffing levels, and hard-to-fill vacancies remaining “prevalent.”

SCHOOLS:
Summer results. The government welcomed this year’s A level, T level, BTEC and other results, pointing to the slight increase in top grades and the record numbers of disadvantaged 18-year-olds gaining university places as notable positives and praising students and teachers alike, but acknowledging continuing issues around regional inequalities.
Exams data. The Joint Council for Qualifications published the full data set for this summer’s results pointing to over one million qualifications achieved including 250,000 vocational and technical results, with STEM subjects, notably maths, showing an increase in entries.
Result Day analysis. FFT Education Dalatab reported on some of the main trends in grades and subject entries for this year’s L3 exams and awards affirming that grades in England remained similar to last year although with some variations in subjects, pointing also to low retention rates for some T levels and the preponderance of top grades at independent schools.

FE/SKILLS:
L3 results. The AoC published its breakdown of the L3 results awarded this week running through A levels, T levels and other vocational qualifications, along with lists of top subjects and grades.
Post-16 qualifications. The Guardian called in an Editorial for the government’s ‘pause and review’ of applied post-16 qualifications to become part of its wider curriculum review and for colleges to be given greater clarity about the review process and its timescale to help with future planning.
E and M industry. The consultancy PwC reported that the UK’s entertainment and media market (E and M) is likely to overtake Germany and become the largest in Europe next year with advertising, the gaming market and streaming services among the big drivers for growth.

HE:
2024 entry figures. UCAS reported a rise in the overall number of applicants accepted into university or college this year with 82% of those holding an offer getting their first-choice place and a record number of disadvantaged 18-year-olds also gaining places but a 6% drop in accepted applicants from China.
Graduate recruitment. University Alliance published a new survey report undertaken by CBI Economics into what employers were looking for when it came to graduate recruitment suggesting that it was less about which university a person had studied at and more about the subject studied and skills gained that mattered.
International students. The British Council examined study destinations among East Asia students in a new report, pointing to a slowing down from 2015/16 of numbers heading to the UK particularly from Malayasia, Singapore and Thailand as both students and governments look to increased local options.

Access all issues of Steve Besley's Education Eye

Latest research, reports and studies

Evaluation of Youth Employment Service North East | Learning & Work Institute
Girls more anxious about climate change than boys | UCL
The characteristics and career pathways of third-space research professionals in universities: Reflections from practice | HEPI
Primary school meals: who decides? | Nesta
Higher Education Student Statistics: UK 2022/23 released | HESA
Examining post-pandemic absences in England (3) | EPI
Five things to look out for on results day for A-Levels, T-Levels and other Level 3 qualifications | FFT Education Datalab
Paris Olympics 2024: Who can become a top Olympian in Great Britain? | Sutton Trust
Subject choice trends in post-16 education in England: Investigating subject choice over the past 20 years | NFER
Reviewing ed tech’s impact on literacy: It’s a win! | BEIB
Building parent-teacher connections in preschool | BEIB
Chatbot interaction shows positive effects on language learning | BEIB
How test anxiety relates to test performance through decreasing self-test practice | BEIB
The potential impact of Artificial Intelligence on equity and inclusion in education | OECD
A-Level, T-Level and other Level 3 results 2024: The main trends in grades and entries | FFT Education Datalab
Analysis: Level 3 Results Day 2024 | EPI
Widening participation headlines from Level 3 results day | Sutton Trust

Search our education research section

COMING UP IN THE NEXT WEEK

Parliament and elsewhere

GCSE Results Day (Thursday 22 August).
MPs’ summer break (Tuesday 30 July – Monday 2 September).

Events and CPD opportunities

Tuesday 20 August: An Introduction to the Principles and Practices of Assessment | Skills and Education Group (online event)
Tuesday 20 August: How to Write a Highly Effective Self-Assessment Report and Quality Improvement Plan | AELP (online event)

Running an education-related event that you'd like to see included in our calendar? Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with details and a link to the booking info.

See all events

Three interesting daily facts

MONDAY 19 AUGUST
On this day in 43 BC Octavian, later known as Augustus, compelled the Roman Senate to elect him Consul.
On this day in 1900 the first and only Olympic cricket match started in Paris; Great Britain beat France by 158 runs.
On this day in 1909 the first race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, now the home of the Indianapolis 500.

TUESDAY 20 AUGUST
On this day in 1862 Horace Greeley’s 'The Prayer of Twenty Millions' calling on President Abraham Lincoln to declare emancipation for slaves in Union-held territory was published.
On this day in 1882 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's '1812 Overture' debuted in Moscow.
On this day in 1975 Viking 1 an unmanned US planetary probe, was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on a mission to Mars.

WEDNESDAY 21 AUGUST
On this day in 1888 American inventor William Seward Burroughs patented the adding machine.
On this day in 1911 Leonardo da Vinci's 'Mona Lisa' was stolen from the Louvre by Vincenzo Perugia.
On this day in 1942 Walt Disney's animated movie 'Bambi', based on the book by Felix Salten, was released.

THURSDAY 22 AUGUST
On this day in 565 St Columba reported seeing a monster in Loch Ness.
On this day in 1849 the first air raid in history was attempted when Austria launched pilotless balloons to bomb Venice.
On this day in 1932 the BBC began experimental regular TV broadcasts.

FRIDAY 23 AUGUST
On this day in 1305 Scottish patriot William Wallace was executed for high treason by Edward I of England.
On this day in 1856 Eunice Foote's research about the possibility of global warming was publicly presented in New York.
On this day in 1966 the first photograph of the Earth was taken from the orbit of the Moon.

Awareness days from around the world

AUGUST IS
UK:
National Road Victim Month.
WORLDWIDE:
Psoriasis Awareness/Psoriasis Action Month, National Immunization Awareness Month, National Fishing Month, National Dog Month, National Hair Loss Awareness Month, National Wellness Month, Medic Alert Awareness Month, Children's Eye Health And Safety Month, National Brownies At Brunch Month, Black Business Month, Spinal Muscular Atrophy Awareness Month, Motorsports Awareness Month, International Peace Month, Get Ready For Kindergarten Month, National Panini Month, National Goat Cheese Month, National Sandwich Month, Happiness Happens Month, National Back To School Month, National Crayon Collection Month, National Golf Month, National Eye Exam Month, National Catfish Month, National Water Quality Month, Romance Awareness Month, Family Fun Month, Beautiful in Your Skin Month, National Breastfeeding Month, National Cheerleading Safety Month, Child Support Awareness Month, National Inventors Month, National Anti-Frizz Month.

THIS WEEK IS
WORLDWIDE:
National Management Training Week, National Aviation Week.

MONDAY 19 AUGUST
UK:
National Moving Day.
WORLDWIDE:
National Aviation Day, World Humanitarian Day, International Orangutan Day, Talk Like Jar Jar Binks Day, World Photography Day, National Potato Day, International Bow Day, National Soft Ice Cream Day.

TUESDAY 20 AUGUST
WORLDWIDE:
National Accessible Air Travel Day, National Bacon Lovers Day, World Mosquito Day, International Day of Medical Transporters, International Hawaiian Pizza Day, National Radio Day, National Chocolate Pecan Pie Day.

WEDNESDAY 21 AUGUST
UK:
Cavernoma Awareness Day.
WORLDWIDE:
Brazilian Blowout Day, National Senior Citizens Day, International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism Day, National Spumoni Day, National Finance Brokers Day, Poet’s Day.

THURSDAY 22 AUGUST
WORLDWIDE:
National Take Your Cat to the Vet Day, National Surgical Oncologist Day, Never Bean Better Day, National Tooth Fairy Day, Burger Day, National Bao Day, National Pecan Torte Day, Daffodil Day, National Eat A Peach Day, National Be An Angel Day, World Plant Milk Day.

FRIDAY 23 AUGUST
WORLDWIDE:
Find Your Inner Nerd Day, Internaut Day, International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, National Cuban Sandwich Day, Cheap Flight Day, Valentino Day, National Ride the Wind Day, National Sponge Cake Day.

Forward

Weekly Round-Up will appear briefly over the summer break as news dictates.

Not already an EdCentral member? If you're interested in sharing ideas and collaborating with your peers we provide a safe secure environment where that can happen. You can register here

If you would like to receive an email copy of this weekly round-up you can opt in here

Steve Besley's education policy updates are also available via email. Head over to this page if you'd like to sign up