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LOOKING BACK AT THE WEEK THAT WAS
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The main stories from the papers
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The latest announcements and policy news
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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.
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GENERAL:
King’s Speech. The King’s Speech, which set out the government’s legislative programme for the coming year or so, included an Education Bill on raising standards and reforming SEND, a Bill to extend voting rights to 16/17 yr olds and a Digital ID Bill to be used for checking services and rights to work.
Jobs market. KPMG and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation published their latest monthly market report on jobs, pointing to a further decline in permanent staff appointments across the UK, albeit at a slower rate, as employers look for staff flexibility at a time of global uncertainty.
Economic reset. The Resolution Foundation outlined a range of measures that the government could use after a damaging set of local election results to reset and reinvigorate the economy, including tacking NEETs, helping first time house buyers, ‘calling time’ on the Triple Lock and replacing the Council Tax with a proportional property tax.
Business Plan. The County Councils Network released a new ‘Stronger Counties, Stronger Communities’ Business Plan for 2026/27 focusing on the key priorities of local government financing, adult social care, children’s services, housing, communities and growth and transport.
Children and Economic Inequality. UNICEF examined economic inequality and children’s wellbeing across a number of wealthy countries, finding links between high levels of inequality and education performance and children’s health, calling for better safety nets and support for disadvantaged communities in particular. SCHOOLS:
Education for All Bill. The King’s Speech included a new Education Bill aimed at ‘building a truly inclusive education system’ and in particular at legislating for the government’s SEND reform programme with the introduction of National Inclusion Standards, compulsory training, smoother transition arrangements and dedicated funding.
Education missions. The Education Secretary announced new education mission programmes to help children from disadvantaged communities in the North East and many coastal areas with mentoring, partnerships and careers support as part of the package.
Qualification prices. Ofqual published latest annual qualification prices for regulated qualifications including A levels, GCSE and vocational/technical qualifications showing price inflation ‘slightly above’ the 3.2% of consumer price inflation.
Qualification perceptions. Ofqual also published its latest annual survey report into ‘public’ perceptions of GCSE, A level and Applied General qualifications finding confidence levels remaining largely unchanged apart from a slight dip by parents and young people in A levels but with overall agreement of standards remaining the same but mixed views over online assessment.
Strike action. The NEU announced plans to hold formal ballots among members this autumn for strike action if the government failed to provide for a fully-funded pay offer and tackle the issue of workloads.
Boys’ education. The Centre for Policy Research on Men and Boys published the first of three intended reports looking into why average attainment, particularly among boys, has fallen in many OECD countries, pointing among other things to literacy weaknesses among boys along with ‘higher risks of delayed progression’ although not all linked to disadvantage. FE/SKILLS: PM on apprenticeships. The PM met with apprentices to discuss latest developments in training and youth opportunities for young people, confirming in a keynote speech this week plans ‘to break down barriers to opportunity for young people.’
Post-16 provision. The NFER examined planning and provision for 16-19 yr olds in a report for the AoC, finding a fragmented system hindering choice and efficiencies in many areas particularly where a number of small providers were competing, calling as a result for shared provision and clearer local oversight of sixth-form planning.
Mental health. The AoC called for dedicated funding and support for mental health across FE as it published separate survey reports on student and staff mental health respectively, showing rising concerns in each case.
Workforce data. The government published data on the college workforce for 2024/25, showing a total headcount of 209,500, with the number of teaching, admin, support and leadership staff all up, the number on permanent contracts also slightly up and salaries also up on the previous year.
Employer Workforce Audit. The 5% Club, which champions workforce development, launched its 2026 Employer Audit inviting employers to benchmark their commitment to developing and upskilling their workforce and to helping more people earn and learn.
City and Guilds. FE Week reported that the new owner of City and Guilds had announced plans for a company restructure intended to cut back on ‘duplication and inefficiency,’ that could leave some 6% of the workforce at risk of redundancy.
Apprenticeship support. Edge and partners called in an open letter for funding from government to support brokerage services outside the current pilot strategic authorities, arguing that this would help SMEs and local delivery generally.
NOS. The Skills Federation announced plans to work with the Workforce Development Trust to examine the role and potential of ‘pan-sector National Occupational Standards’ (NOS) with a view to helping recognise shared competences, reducing duplication and developing clearer progression pathways. HE:
Committee report on funding. The Education Committee found a higher ed sector facing ‘unprecedented’ financial pressures as it published a report into HE funding, calling as a result for essential financial protections for students and for better signals and clearer procedures for when/if an institution goes bust.
Latest financial picture. The OfS suggested a mixed picture and some optimism for the future as it published its latest ‘independent’ assessment of HE finances, showing a slight drop in the number of institutions reporting a deficit last year although not across the board and with a likely rise this year with much depending on restructuring and future student recruitment.
More on funding. Universities UK urged the government not to make further cuts to university funding as it published a new report from London Economics showing a reduction over recent years in the government funding contribution to undergraduate teaching.
European funding perspective. King’s College Policy Institute reported on its recent work looking into the financial challenges facing European universities, finding similar concerns to those of the UK over falling funding levels, a ‘fragile’ dependency on international students and worries about global conflict, all generating similar questions over the value of the graduate premium.
Global HE. UNESCO published a new report on Global HE Trends showing that the number of students enrolled globally in HE has doubled over the past two decades with women outnumbering men, private institutions accounting for a third of the recruitment and the number of students going abroad for HE more than tripling but with student completion rates not always increasing and with ‘stark regional disparities’ generally as poorer parts of the world miss out.
The student experience. HEPI and TechnologyOne reported on their work monitoring the student experience in UKHE over the past twenty years, noting a drop in in-class attendance by students over the years and a rise in p/t work and mental health issues but for many, particularly those engaged in their communities, a sense of a rich and valuable experience.
Proposed merger. Universities UK welcomed the proposed merger from next summer between London King’s College and Cranfield University, arguing that it ‘will create an extraordinary powerhouse of a university.’
Youth mobility scheme. The Guardian reported that despite the PM’s recent "commitment to a post-Brexit youth mobility scheme enabling young people to work, study or travel across Europe,” the UK’s insistence on home fees and a numbers cap remain big stumbling blocks.
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Research, reports and studies published this week
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COMING UP IN THE NEXT WEEK
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Important reports, deadlines and government events
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Institute for the Future of Work event on ‘Making the Future Work’ (Monday 18 May)
Education Committee evidence session on ‘Reading for Pleasure’ (Tuesday 19 May)
Learning and Work institute ‘Essential Skills Summit’ (Thursday 21 May)
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Conferences and CPD opportunities
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MONDAY 18 MAY
On this day in 1804 Napoleon Bonaparte was proclaimed Emperor of France by the French Senate.
TUESDAY 19 MAY
On this day in 1536 Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII, was beheaded at the Tower of London on charges of adultery, incest and treason.
WEDNESDAY 20 MAY
On this day in 1990 the Hubble Space Telescope sent its first photographs from space.
THURSDAY 21 MAY
On this day in 1792 Mount Unzen on Japan's Shimabara Peninsula erupted creating a tsunami and killing an estimated 15,000 people.
FRIDAY 22 MAY
On this day in 1859 Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of master sleuth Sherlock Holmes, was born.
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