Early Years Workforce. The government published a hefty survey report into the early years workforce, looking especially at recruitment, pay, hours and retention, with much depending n provider type but finding pay often low and hours often high, leading accordingly to issues with recruitment and retention.
Jobs market. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IfS) offered further thoughts on the current jobs market based on sample vacancy posting and survey data, suggesting a notable increase in vacancies among low-skilled occupations and some re-balancing in the mix of vacancies but no sense of any major upheaval for the labour market generally.
Flexi working. The professional body for HR, CIPD, published an update on flexi and hybrid working suggesting that an increase in homeworking had led to an increase in productivity but noting that employers and employees often had different views about how they wanted flexi work to operate, calling as a result for both to work together to develop a system that worked for all.
SCHOOLS
SATs Special Considerations. The Standards and Testing Agency set out the cases where special considerations might apply for this year’s SATs, listing five in all including family bereavement in the last year, a recent traumatic indent, a life-changing injury or cases of surgery to the pupil or family member.
New 5-year strategy. Ofsted launched a new 5-year strategy built around eight major priorities that will include among other things a focus on early years to help with post-pandemic recovery, ensure all schools are inspected by July 2025, and assess how well colleges are meeting skill needs.
Exodus of school leaders. The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) highlighted concerns about the numbers of school leaders leaving their roles within five years as it submitted evidence to the School Teachers Review Body.
FE/SKILLS
Skills and post-16 Act. The Skills Bill became one of the Bills to be passed as Parliament completed its current session, with the new Act enshrining many of the proposals in last year’s Skills for Jobs White Paper, granting employers a key role with the creation of local skills planning, government new intervention powers and FE providers new responsibilities in providing for the range of new qualifications permitted.
Priorities for the year ahead. The government issued its annual strategic priorities for the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education for 2022/23, highlighting the importance of the Institute’s work and setting out three core priorities around developing employer-owned standards, foresighting emerging skills, and revamping post-16 qualification provision.
Skills report. WorldSkills UK’s Skills Taskforce published a new report calling for a big push on foreign investment in UK skills by piloting for example a ‘Rapid Response Fund’ to fund training that could help raise skill levels and attract foreign companies to this country.
HIGHER EDUCATION
Freedom of Speech Bill. The universities minister addressed the Policy Exchange thinktank where she outlined the importance of the HE Freedom of Speech Bill and what it proposed, arguing that it set the ‘right balance’ and confirming that it will now be carried over to the next session of Parliament.
Reflections on the minister’s speech. Nick Hillman, director of the HE Policy Institute (HEPI) reflected on the minister’s Freedom of Speech Bill address, suggesting that the grey area in between what’s illegal and what isn’t remained the key challenge for institutions.
Impact of minimum eligibility requirements. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IfS) examined the potential impact of applying minimum eligibility requirements for accessing student loans in future, concluding such a move would hit disadvantaged and ethnic minority students hardest.
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MONDAY 02 MAY On this day in 1536 Anne Boleyn, charged with incest and adultery, was taken to the Tower of London. On this day in 1997 the Labour leader Tony Blair was elected prime minister. On this day in 2011 Osama bin Laden was killed in a covert operation by US special forces in Pakistan.
TUESDAY 03 MAY On this day in 1494 Columbus discovered Jamaica. On this day in 1945 Rangoon, capital of Burma, was captured from the Japanese by British forces under Lord Mountbatten. On this day in 1968 surgeons performed the first heart transplant in Britain.
WEDNESDAY 04 MAY On this day in 1904 America took over the construction of the Panama Canal. On this day in 1926 the General Strike started. On this day in 1932 the American gangster Al Capone went to prison for tax evasion.
THURSDAY 05 MAY On this day in 1881 Louis Pasteur tested his inoculations against anthrax on an ox, several cows and 25 sheep. On this day in 1905 fingerprint evidence was used for the first time in Britain to secure a murder conviction. On this day in 1981 having refused food for 66 days, the hunger striker Bobby Sands died in the Maze prison in Northern Ireland, aged 27.
FRIDAY 06 MAY On this day in 1940 the first adhesive postage stamp, the Penny Black, went into use. On this day in 1889 the Prince of Wales opened the Eiffel Tower in Paris. On this day in 1954 Roger Bannister became the first man to run a mile in less than four minutes.
SATURDAY 07 MAY On this day in 1663 the first of a series of playhouses known as the Theatre Royal opened in Drury Lane. On this day in 1727 Jews were expelled from Ukraine by Empress Catherine I of Russia. On this day in 1765 HMS Victory, which was to be Nelson’s flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, was launched at Chatham Dockyard.
SUNDAY 08 MAY On this day in 1660 the monarchy was restored and Charles II was proclaimed King. On this day in 1790 France began to go metric when its National Assembly approved Talleyrand’s proposal for a unified system of weights and measures. On this day in 1945 VE Day (Victory in Europe Day) was celebrated throughout Britain (with the exception of the Channel Islands, liberated the following day).
Awareness days from around the world
MAY IS:
UK Smile Month (Monday May 16 to Wednesday June 15)
US Bladder Cancer Awareness Month, Better Speech and Language Month, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Awareness Month, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month, Prader-Willi Syndrome Awareness Month, Lupus Awareness Month, Military Appreciation Month, Deck Safety Month, Bike Month, Lyme Disease Awareness Month, Get Caught Reading Month, Hamburger Month, Golf Month, Photography Month, Barbecue Month.
THIS WEEK IS: Lawyer Wellbeing Week (US – from Monday May 02 to Sunday May 08), Nurses Week (US – from Friday May 06 to Thursday May 12). MONDAY MAY 2
Dawn Chorus Day (International), Baby Day (International),
TUESDAY MAY 3
Eid Al Fitr (International), Teacher Day (International), World Asthma Day (International), Poem on Your Pillow Day (US), Garden Meditation Day (US), Lumpy Rug Day (US), Two Different Coloured Shoes Day (US), Paranormal Day (US).
WEDNESDAY MAY 4
Firefighters’ Day (International), Star Wars Day (International), 45 Day (US), K.I.N.D. Day (US), Candied Orange Peel Day (US), Renewal Day (US), Petite and Proud Day (US).
THURSDAY MAY 5
Cinco De Mayo (International), World Password Day (International), Day of the Midwife (International), World Maternal Mental Health Day (International), Nail Day (US), Hoagie Day (US), Revenge of the Fifth Day (US), Hug a Shed and Take a Selfie Day (US), Cartoonists Day (US).
FRIDAY MAY 6
Sauvignon Blanc Day (UK), No Diet Day (International), Tuba Day (International), space Day (US), Beverage Day (US), No Homework Day (US), No Pants Day (US), Day of Reason (US).
SATURDAY MAY 7
Cosmopolitan Day (International), Beaufort Scale Day (International), Astronomy Day (International), World Beer Pong Day (International), World Naked Gardening Day (International), Free Comic Book Day (International), Roast Leg of Lamb Day (US),Wildfire Community Preparedness Day (US), Love’s Baby Soft Day (US), Join Hands Day (US)
SUNDAY MAY 8
Garden Day (UK), Birthday of Buddah (International), Mothers’ Day (International – not UK), World Red Cross Day/Red Crescent Day (International), No Socks Day (International), World Donkey Day (International), Free Trade Day (International), World Ankylosing Spondylitis Day (International), World Ovarian Cancer Day (International), Iris Day (International), Amyloidosis Day (US), Military Spouse Appreciation Day (US).
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