Steve Besley's Education Eye: week ending 13 October 2023

What's happened this week?

Important stories across the board:

Labour rounded off the big Party Conference season this week with a smattering of education policy announcements.

These included: notice of a new review of early years to be led by Sir David Bell; a ‘phonics’ like push on maths teaching in primary schools, along with Maths Champions for nurseries; a new skills body, new-style skills levy and new-style technical colleges for FE; and a recognition at least of the need, if not yet a plan, for funding support for universities and students. “Ours will be a government with not just vision, but drive. Not just a dream, but a plan”, the Shadow Education Secretary said firmly in her speech.

A lot of the detail has still to be worked out and not everybody’s convinced yet as Laura McInerney’s tweet below indicates. But it has been largely welcomed by the profession. “We welcome the ambition expressed by the shadow education secretary and her acknowledgement of some of serious issues facing schools”, the National Association of Head Teachers posted.

MPs return on Monday with some clear policy lines now drawn, including for education. It will be interesting to see just how far things develop in the coming months. Whether, for example, the consultation on post-16 reform, and the strategy update on teacher recruitment and retention emerge as promised, given the realities of the current political climate.

As for schools this week, the government published the results from this summer’s KS1 assessments and phonics screening check. Up in all cases on last year, leaving a happy Nick Gibb to declare: “our children are now the best readers in the west”. 

The government also promised what it called ‘a big boost for teacher recruitment’ with funding for a range of ‘scholarships, bursaries, and salary grants’ to help with teacher recruitment and retention. It also announced the first ever education AI hackathon for the end of the month.

But on a less positive note, the Education Policy Institute (EPI) highlighted a worrying picture around the disadvantage gap, affecting the youngest children and those with special educational needs in particular. 'The pandemic', it wrote, 'continues to cast a long shadow over the attainment of children whose educational experiences were disrupted several years earlier or, in the case of reception children, during their earliest years at home'. Details can be found in EPI’s release from its Annual Report this week. 

For FE, the latest ‘Love our Colleges’ campaign has been in full swing this week, and this year is due to run into a second week. Social media has been full of inspiring stories of staff and students alike. 

Elsewhere for FE, as indicated, the Labour Party confirmed plans for ‘technical excellence colleges’ as part of its future skills agenda. And the IfS published its chapter on adult skills ahead of its Green Budget report next week. In summary, Investment and participation both down in recent years, but there are things governments can do.

And talking of things governments can do, Public First published an interesting survey this week, revealing considerable public support for greater investment in FE and apprenticeships – 'far more than politicians give credit for' apparently.

As for HE, that Public First report into public attitudes to tuition fees has been a big talking point this week. Don’t like them, but not sure about alternatives, being the general verdict. Details below.

It wasn’t the only important report out on HE this week. PA Consulting published its latest annual analysis of how things look from the perspective of UK vice-chancellors. ‘Facing greater threats and uncertainties than ever before’, the conclusion here. The report’s, title ‘Navigating Uncertainty’. pretty much sums things up. 

And still on reports for HE this week, the Sutton Trust examined 25 years of University Access. A mixed bag here, but in summary: ‘this research shows that it’s the better off of those state school pupils whose opportunities have improved, but progress for the least advantaged is disappointing’.

Elsewhere for HE, HEPI Director Nick Hillman reflected on the landmark Robbins Report 60 years on, and the new Director for Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom at the OfS – no wonder he called it the longest job title around – gave his first speech. As he explained “the first and most important point is that this is not a partisan role”.  He went on helpfully to tackle a number of concerns about the role.

Links to most of these stories below but first some details behind two of the big stories this week.  

• Tuition fees. 

Sir Keir Starmer made no mention of tuition fees in his Conference speech this week. 

Probably a wise move, given a fascinating survey report out from Public First at the start of the week on public attitudes to tuition fees. In short, fees aren’t popular but there’s no consensus on any alternative either. 

Poll and focus group evidence showed that 45% of people agreed that ‘university should be free for students, with the cost of their education covered by the government and paid for through general taxation’. 

But then came the difficult bit, because when asked about whether such fees should be considered a priority for public spending generally, tuition fees came in as the third least popular choice. 'Amongst all adults, abolishing fees was behind most other options presented, including more funding for the NHS, increases in the value of the state pension, and free childcare for young children'. 

It wasn’t even high up in the list of education spending priorities selected either, coming in at ninth out of a list of twelve. And interestingly, behind more funding for FE. (More teachers, free school meals for all and higher pay were the top three priorities).

So what to do? As the report shows, a majority of respondents (43% to 30%) thought Starmer was right to go back on his promise to scrap tuition fees but there were mixed views, varying by age and voter intention, on other options. There was support for instance for a fee cut to around £6,000 to £7,500 – an early hope under the Browne review. Also for a graduate tax, re-introducing maintenance grants and employer contributions. 

But arguably, the big takeaway was the broad support for further education, apprenticeships and training.

In summary, a final word from funding expert Professor Nick Barr. “What is surprising – and impressive – is the wisdom of the crowd in recognising that the pledge to abolish tuition fees, though desirable to many, is not feasible, and hence that some form of cost sharing between students and taxpayers is part of the way forward”. 

And for those who like considering the options, it’s worth looking at the proposals put forward by Mark Leach this week on the Wonkhe site here

• Rishi’s exam reforms one week on. 

One week on from the PM’s proposed post-16 exam reforms what’s the general verdict? 

On the positive side, there’s been some support for a return to the fray of trying to balance the curriculum, open up opportunities for young people and provide for future skills. The education body Edge, for example, which has long campaigned for something similar, described it as ‘a bold vision’ and 'an inspiring break from the school of thought that has characterised policymaking over the last 13 years or more'. 

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IfS) also saw the proposal as ‘ambitious’, but went on to point out that, however well-intentioned, it would come at a cost. IfS Research Fellow Luke Sibieta argued for example that 'Increasing total teaching time by 195 hours will require more teachers and more funding to pay for them”.

Robin Walker MP, Chair of the Education Committee, reckoned there was ‘some exciting stuff’ in the announcement, but wanted the government to go further by exploring reform of GCSEs too. It was a point made by the Nuffield Foundation’s Education Director Josh Hillman as well. “It is surely a missed opportunity”, he argued “not to drop the review down to age 14 and at least consider the future and nature of GCSEs”.

The view from the profession, let alone professional bodies, has been more guarded. As Laura McInerney, co-founder of the teacher survey organisation Teacher Tapp highlighted, "these announcements do not reflect what teachers see as priorities in schools". In addition, as others have pointed out, there’s the years of upheaval that go with changes of such magnitude. 

As The Guardian put it in its editorial this week: 'sweeping changes are out of the question for the next few years. What schools need is support to recover and recruit' The interim suggestion was for a return of AS levels to allow for a wider choice of subject choices to be permitted. Their demise began under Gove reforms when the Conservatives returned in 2010. It feels like the wheel is turning.

The top headlines of the week:

• ‘Teachers to join DfE trial on how AI can reduce workload’ (Monday).
• ‘Pupils still learning from home due to concrete crisis’ (Tuesday).
• ‘Teach primary pupils real - world maths – Labour’ (Wednesday).
• ‘Concern as research shows children as young as seven regularly use social media’ (Thursday).
• ‘SEND: 1 IN 5 primary teachers have ‘nowhere near’ enough support’ (Friday).

 General:

• Leader of the Opposition’s address. Sir Keir Starmer pledged ‘a decade of renewal’ when he addressed the Labour Party Annual Conference, with more houses, new towns, strengthening workers’ rights and cutting NHS waiting times among the priorities for a future Labour government along with ‘a new generation of colleges’ and ‘a new direction for skills’ part of the agenda for education.
• Shadow Chancellor’s address. Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves addressed the Labour Party Annual Conference where she committed a future Labour government to “iron-clad fiscal rules” but also promised a new charter for budget responsibility, to charge VAT and business rates on private schools, create a National Wealth Fund, provide a ‘genuine’ living wage and develop plans to get Britain building.
• World Economic Outlook. The IMF published its latest World Economic Outlook report pointing to a slowing down in global growth from 3.4% last year to 2.9% for next year and only a gradual (2025) return to target inflation levels, with the UK among the weakest performers.
• Labour market. The British Chambers of Commerce published its latest Quarterly Recruitment Outlook showing over three-quarters (73%) of firms surveyed reporting challenges in hiring staff, with the hospitality sector the hardest hit.
• Jobs. The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and KPMG published their latest report on the jobs market showing firms continuing to look for short-term rather than permanent appointments as economic uncertainty remained.
• Children’s services. The Local Government Association (LGA) published a commissioned report into the current state of children’s services arguing that while the operating context had become more complex since Covid and the cost-of-living crisis, many services have responded well and become more adept at listening and responding to needs. 
• Social prescribing. Barnardo’s called for a more extensive system of social prescribing, which can help link children and young people to a range of support services, as part of a new report to mark World Mental Health Day.

FE/Skills:

• Labour plans. Sir Keir Starmer confirmed future Labour government plans for the creation of ‘a new generation of colleges’ to help drive local skills, along with the transformation of the apprenticeship levy into ‘a Growth and Skills Levy’ and the setting up of a new overarching skills body - Skills England.
• AoC response. The Association of Colleges (AoC) responded to Labour Party proposals to create new, specialist colleges, pointing to the key role colleges overall play in delivering skills for the country and urging the Party to strengthen the current system than trying to duplicate it. 
• Skills training. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IfS) published the chapter on skills training from its forthcoming Green Budget report, pointing to a drop in recent years in both investment and participation in training, and putting forward a number of options for government(s) to consider, including beefing up investment, looking at tax relief for self-funded training, broadening the apprenticeship levy, and clarifying the role of the Lifelong Learning Entitlement.
• Manufacturing growth. Make UK and RSM set out their thoughts for the Chancellor ahead of next month’s Autumn Statement, calling in particular for reform of the UK’s regime of tax and regulation, investment in infrastructure and skills, and transformation of the apprenticeship levy. 
• VTQ results 2024. Ofqual confirmed arrangements for the delivery of vocational and technical qualification (VTQ) results next year, building on the procedures adopted this year but with the term-time checkpoint to be taken before exams begin in May and for similar arrangements being extended to L1 and L2 results used for progression, but with the continuation of the early release of results to schools and colleges to allow for any problems to be resolved early.

HE:

• Freedom of speech. Arif Ahmed set out his background, beliefs and the approach that he will take as the Director of Freedom of Speech at the Office for Students (OfS) in his first major speech in the role, pledging to “protect the lawful speech rights of speakers at universities - students, staff, visiting speakers – independently of the viewpoint that they are expressing”.
• Who pays? The consultancy Public First published a major new survey report on public attitudes to tuition fees finding that while people don’t support tuition fees, there’s no consensus on alternatives, and for many people other priorities were more important.
• The view from here.. PA Consulting reported a sector in transition as it published its latest annual survey report into on how UK university vice-chancellors saw the state of play in UKHE at present, showing a sector adopting a wide-range of reforms from AI to degree apprenticeships, coping with systemic issues notably around funding and market uncertainty, but all the while continuing to deliver research and student numbers. 
• University access. The Sutton Trust published a major new report on ’25 Years of University Access,’ using evidence from dataHE to indicate that although the last 25 years have seen more young people going to university, ‘considerable access gaps have remained,’ calling among other things for greater use to be made of contextual offers.
• Robbins at 60. Nick Hillman reflected on the landmark Robbins Report 60 years on, looking at both what it achieved but also what it didn’t and how far it might offer a model for any future review today, albeit in the context of different financial, regulatory and political pressures. 
• Exam grading 2024. Ofqual wrote to Admissions Officers to confirm grading arrangements for next summer’s exams, which will see the transition to pre-pandemic arrangements complete, and offers and places allocated on established lines. 

Tweets and posts of note:

• “I know Labour don’t want to risk messing up, blah blah, but … Was hoping for something slightly more than “we will continue to teach maths” as the big education promise. (Kids are already taught the maths needed for currency exchange & budgeting) | @miss_mcinerney
• “I was told by a member of the audience at an Open Morning presentation last week that I’m “50% headteacher, 50% stand-up comedian”. I think I’m going to add that to my CV” | @chrisedwardsuk
• “Zoom says it has a clear rationale for why it’s calling some workers back to the office twice a week: To build collaborative products for the new ways of working, employees need to experience the pain firsthand” | @washingtonpost
• “School-provided laptops for students are ubiquitous, but handwritten essays and math homework on paper are making a comeback amid AI cheating concerns” | @educationweek
• “Pupils 'jumping up and down' as King Charles thanks them for hand-decorated underwear” | @SkyNews
• “This is why I never wash my mug out after I use it. People who pinch mugs are too lazy to wash them out first | @mtbscotland1

Memorable quotes

A selection of quotes that merit attention:

• “The global economy is limping along, not sprinting” – the IMF on the latest global economic outlook.
• “And this is our mission. Every new era of growth must start with an expansion of the country’s productive capabilities – that is an iron law” – Sir Keir Starmer lays down the law in his Conference speech. 
• “So, a Labour government will not waver from iron-clad fiscal rules” – Rachel Reeves prepares to play by the rules when it comes to the economy.
• “It’s very much keeping me awake at night just how we are going to square some particularly challenging questions” – Labour’s Shadow HE Minister, as reported by the Times Higher, on funding for higher education.
• “This is perhaps the longest job title anyone ever had outside the Mikado” – the Director for Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom at the Office for Students gets his mouth round his job title.
• “The sector is in unprecedented times and it is anybody's guess how things will develop” – a university V.C. quoted in PA Consulting’s latest UKHE report. 
• “Increased entry rates have resulted in an educational ‘arms race’, as those from advantaged groups seek ways of differentiating themselves further in the labour market” – the Sutton Trust reports on 25 years of university access policies.
• “In the last twenty years ministers have enjoyed inventing new organisations, which is an approach that often results in duplication and wasted spending” – the AoC responds to Labour proposals to develop colleges.
• “It’s like filling a bath without a plug to keep the water in” – the NAHT responds to the government’s latest bursaries for trainee teachers.
• “Numeracy isn’t enough, we need full financial education, it needs to be properly resourced with school materials and ongoing teacher training” – moneysavingexpert Martin Lewis on Labour’s plans for maths in schools.
• “I promise to be empathetic, compassionate and understanding of the challenges that those of us working in education, children’s services and skills face” – Sir Martyn Oliver on his formal appointment as Ofsted Chief Inspector.
• “When it’s breaktime I normally just watch YouTube in bed” – the BBC reports on how the RAAC crisis is still forcing some children to learn remotely.
• “And so you're always learning. You never finish school, man” – reflections from Keith Richards as he turns 80.

Other stories

• Lockdown effect on children. Last week, the former children’s commission, Anne Longfield, gave evidence to the Covid Inquiry. She argued forcibly in a detailed submission that children had been overlooked during the pandemic period and had suffered as a result. She pointed specifically to three areas which she reckoned had made things worse for children. These included the shutting down of schools, decisions to reduce safeguarding for vulnerable children and decisions to restrict children’s ability to socialise and use public spaces. “All could have been managed very differently,” she maintained, “if there had been consistent will and commitment to put children first.” As she acknowledged many families coped but many more, particularly in disadvantaged areas, found it very hard. Telling evidence cited included a 12% increase in 2020 in domestic abuse case referrals with proven effect on children’s wellbeing, a record 1.4m young people last year seeking help for mental health problems, and a 22% rise in the number of children persistently absent from school subsequently. She concluded her evidence with two messages: the need to recognise the long-term disadvantage many children have suffered and the need to put children at the heart of any future such crisis planning. A link to her submission document is here. 

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Steve Besley

Disclaimer: Education Eye is intended to help colleagues keep up to date with national developments in the education sector. Information is correct at the time of writing and is offered in good faith. No liability is accepted by Steve Besley or EdCentral for decisions made on the basis of any information provided.