Weekly Round Up - 15/08/2025

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LOOKING BACK AT THE WEEK THAT WAS

The main stories from the papers

The i Paper: At least six unis at risk of going bust before 2025 freshers finish their degrees

STV: Supervised toothbrushing in nurseries and schools 'helps to reduced absences'

Guardian: Ministers vow to tackle England’s ‘entrenched divides’ in A-level results

Independent: Labour fails to rule out annual tuition fee rise to stop universities going bust

Standard: Phillipson: Teachers cannot insist on gender-neutral Mx title

Independent: More than one in four students who start T-level courses do not complete them

Herald: High school leaders feel 'exhausted, helpless, and frustrated'

STV: Dundee University ‘fell well short’, says interim boss in response to report

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The latest announcements and policy news

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, and all the not-to-be-missed statistics.

GENERAL:
On the buses. Westminster’s Transport Committee published the results of its Inquiry into local bus services, proposing among other things a free bus pass for young people aged under 22 to help with access to college and jobs.
Labour market. The ONS published its latest data on the UK labour market presenting what many called ‘a mixed bag’ with both the employment rate and earnings remaining steady but with the estimated number of vacancies down again amid suggestions of a tightening job market.
Back to work. The Centre for Social Justice called for more help for 50 – 64 yr olds looking to get back into work including strengthened occupational health services and a reformed fit note system as part of a new national 50+ employment strategy, as it published a new report showing near record levels of economic inactivity among this age group.

SCHOOLS:
Results day summary. The Joint Council for Qualifications published full details for this summer’s L3 exam results including a breakdown of A/AS grades, performance levels and subject entries, along with initial data on T levels and vocational qualifications.
Results day worries. Childline reported on some of the main worries facing young people as results days loomed, ranging from mood swings to fears about the consequences, concluding with a series of helpful tips for both parents and students.
School absences. The Education Policy Institute looked into the latest school absence figures welcoming the fall in the overall rate but highlighting concerns about widening absence gaps for more vulnerable groups and for those just starting school.
School reform. Former Schools Minister, Sir Nick Gibb, listed ten key lessons from his new book on school reform including learning how to challenge ideology and consulting with trusted experts as he set out details in a comment piece for Schools Week.

FE/SKILLS:
Results day summary. The AoC published full details on this summer’s L3 exam results, showing results and performance across the range of qualifications including vocational qualifications, T levels and A/AS levels, along with regional variations and results by provider type.
TECs. The government announced further details of its new Construction Technical Excellence Colleges which will work across the country with local training providers and employers to train up to 40,000 construction recruits by the end of this parliament.
Skills priorities. Skills England published an assessment of the skills needs over the next few years of priority occupations in the ten key sectors identified in the Industrial Strategy, suggesting growth in demand for workers with L 2 and 3 qualifications as well as in many occupations for L 4 and above.
Jobs market. KPMG and REC UK pointed to a ‘steep decline’ in permanent staff appointments last month and a sharp reduction in overall vacancies as they published their latest report on the jobs market.
Growth and Skills Levy reform. The Fabian Society argued in a new report for reform of the Growth and Skills Levy, calling among other things for increased levy contributions from big employers, a refocus of levy funds on non-graduates, and giving employers and local areas a greater say in the skills system generally.

HE:
UCAS admissions. UCAS reported on university admissions as L3 exam results came in and Clearing got under way, indicating that record numbers, including of 18-year olds and those from deprived areas, had been accepted for their first-choice with plenty of options remaining available through Clearing.
Student living costs. Researchers from HEPI, Loughborough and TechnologyOne reported on rising living costs for many university students, suggesting that the current maintenance loan covers just about half of the £400+ a week needed by first-years living in halls leaving many to resort to p/t working or living at home.
Graduate Guarantee. The government announced increased job opportunities and additional support into employment for qualified nurses and midwives following graduation, as part of plans to remove barriers and improve access and opportunity across the NHS.
Loan forgiveness. University Alliance published the results of its survey undertaken by YouGov and showing strong public support for bursaries and grants for students training to work in public services such as teaching and the NHS.

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Research, reports and studies published this week

Teacher Tapp insights: Lunchtime | Teacher Tapp
The languages crisis: Arresting decline | HEPI
Tailored work experience in Wales | OECD
How are countries balancing teaching staff compensation with broader education investment? | OECD
Access and participation in Higher Education (HE) in 2023/24 | EPI
Levelling down: the distributional consequences of public pay caps | IFS
Widening participation in higher education | DfE
New UKCT report on China studies and universities regulator guidance comes into force | UKCT
The 2024–25 school report is in: How did the year go? | Teacher Tapp
Five things to look out for on results day for A-Levels, T-Levels and other Level 3 qualifications | FFT Education Datalab
Sharing policy successes within the UK offers solutions for early years workforce | Early Education
Fair Funding Review 2.0: the impacts on council funding across England | IFS
Reforming gambling taxation: How to lift half a million children out of poverty | IPPR
School absence crisis now “entrenched”, new data reveals | CSJ
The true cost of the Government’s proposed levy on international students | HEPI
Survey of Adult Skills 2023 Technical Report | OECD
Examining post-pandemic absences in England (5) | EPI
Crisis or variation in languages education provision in England? | IOE
A minimum income standard for students | HEPI
Levying up: How to make the growth and skills levy work | Fabian Society
Level 3 Results Day 2025 | EPI
A-Level, T-Level and other Level 3 results 2025: The main trends in grades and entries | FFT Education Datalab

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COMING UP IN THE NEXT WEEK

Important reports, deadlines and government events

Summer recess (Tuesday 22 July – Monday 1 September)

Conferences and CPD opportunities

Thursday 21 August: Action Planning for Your Next Funding Audit | AELP (online event)
Friday 22 August: Unlocking Mental Capacity: A Practical Guide for Education & Training Leaders | AELP (online event)
Tuesday 26 August: Embracing AI in Education – Tools, Trends and Tactics | AELP (online event)
Wednesday 27 August: From Manager to Leader: Building Culture, Confidence and Capability | AELP (online event)
Thursday 28 August: Rethinking Data: From Burden to Breakthrough | EducationScape (online event)
Friday 29 August: New legal duty of preventing Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment in the workplace | AELP (online event)

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A fact for each day

MONDAY 18 AUGUST
On this day in 2010 the first Summer Youth Olympic Games was held in Singapore.

TUESDAY 19 AUGUST
On this day in 43 BC Octavian, later known as Augustus, compelled the Roman Senate to elect him as Consul.

WEDNESDAY 20 AUGUST
On this day in 1975 Viking 1, an unmanned US planetary probe, was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on a mission to Mars.

THURSDAY 21 AUGUST
On this day in 1888 American inventor William Seward Burroughs patented the adding machine.

FRIDAY 22 AUGUST
On this day in 565 St Columba reported seeing a monster in Loch Ness.

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