Steve Besley's Education Eye: week ending 10 May 2024

Welcome to Education Eye, a regular update detailing the policies and stories happening in UK education, compiled by Steve Besley.

What's happened this week?

Important stories across the board:

Online protection for children, cyclical reviews of the national curriculum, ‘panoptican like’ management techniques threatening academic freedom, minimum income standards for students, arguments for and against the ‘critical’ Graduate Route visa, and the onslaught of this summer’s exams. All among the talking points this week.

Here’s a few details behind some of these stories, starting with that online protection for children.

“We’re taking action to keep kids safer online.” That was how the communications services regulator, Ofcom, introduced its new consultation on the safety measures companies will need to take to keep children safe online.

In summary, ‘sites and apps must introduce age-robust checks’ and ‘harmful content must be filtered out or downranked in recommended content.’

To make this a reality, Ofcom is proposing more than 40 practical measures to help in ‘taming the toxic algorithms.’ The measures reflect the four requirements set out in last year’s Online Safety Act, namely: assess if children can access the services, complete a children’s risk assessment, implement appropriate safety measures, monitor and review. These are set out in detail with expectations to match in the consultation.

Further consultation may follow this autumn with systems finalised next spring and lift-off next autumn. The chief executive of Ofcom described it all as ‘a big moment,’ the children’s commission and teacher’s leaders ‘welcomed’ it though admitted that the proof lay in the pudding but some parents worried that things were happening ‘at a snail’s pace.’

On to cyclical reviews of the national curriculum.

These were put forward in a briefing paper by the Social Market Foundation ahead of what’s expected to be a detailed review of the curriculum and assessment by Labour, should it become the next government.

The issues are fairly familiar and have been detailed in a series of reports in recent years from awarding organisations, unions, and bodies such as The Times Education Commission and more recently the House of Lords.

Essentially they boil down to an overburdened national curriculum too heavily focused on exam performance along with a politicised review procedure. As the briefing put it, “There is an excessive amount of content in the national curriculum, leading to rote learning and teachers skipping through content too quickly.”

At the heart of the of all this is our old friend – the GCSE. The briefing calls for these to be slimmed down and for more online assessments. In fairness, much of this is already happening with all three major exam bodies in England lining up online assessment alternatives in certain subjects over the next couple of years.

As for a different approach to curriculum review, the briefing proposes the creation of an independent curriculum review group with reforms carried out on “a cyclical periodic basis, divorcing them from the political cycle.”

Again this model has been considered before and we may come near to it with Labour’s promised ‘expert-led’ review. The hard part comes when there are differing views about curriculum content: which literature text should be studied, which period of history and so on.

The briefing suggests “a citizens’ assembly, which tries to find consensus on contentious political questions like what history young people need to know.” Maybe there will be takers.

Next those ‘panoptican like’ (undue surveillance apparently) management techniques threatening academic freedom.

These were referenced in a report commissioned by the University and College Union (UCU) looking into new digital technologies and how far these were being used as a management tool to harm academic freedoms in universities.

“In place of traditional worker management practices, more powerful and digitally-enabled and digitally-enhanced management practices are taking root,” the report argued.

Using membership survey evidence it concluded “overall respondents viewed the digital surveillance landscape of the UK higher education sector as a means of increasing institutional control while limiting academic freedom and amplifying the influence of student voice.” It set out five principles that would support a number of recommendations around collaboration and transparency.

On to other news this week.

In Westminster the House of Lords debated the importance of skills for both individuals and the economy with leading figures including Baroness Alison Woolf and Baroness Martha Lane-Fox among the contributors.

MPs discussed the provision, support and nutritional standards of free school meals. In some parts of the country apparently, only 1% of packed lunches reach nutritional standards. All agreed on the importance of free school meals, breakfast clubs and other forms of support for children growing up with the government defending its record in this area.

Moving on to schools where the onset of the summer exams have been on the minds of many this week.

It’s the last year in which some post-Covid help will be available for students in England at least with formulae and equations in maths and some sciences.

The dangers of trying to purchase, usually fake, exam papers online has been among the stories in the build up to exams this week with both Ofqual and the Joint Council pointing to the risks involved. ‘Play it safe’ was the message from Ofqual.

In other news for schools, the FT reported that private schools were ‘bolstering’ their advance payment scheme ahead of possible Labour tax changes. The government launched consultation on new quality standards for unregistered alternative provision and outlined further expansion of special free schools for SEND pupils. “Too little, too late,” according to ASCL.

In FE, the AoC announced it was launching its general election hub next Friday, bringing together lots of valuable updates and resources “to help you and your college navigate the next few months and pre-election period.”

Elsewhere, WorldSkills UK announced its team for the Skills Olympics in Lyon in September, the FT picked up on last week’s story about the low uptake of T levels pointing to calls for reform, and the Education and Training Foundation launched a set of toolkits for leaders in the sector covering topics like professional standards and equality, diversity and inclusion.

In HE, where it’s been a busy week of meetings, planning and reports, three things have stood out.

First Number 10 called in university leaders to discuss plans for tackling threats to campus security, particularly to Jewish students, in light of tensions spreading from US universities. Former college principal Will Hutton felt the meeting was unnecessary: “Universities are perfectly capable of handling student protest without being hauled into Number 10 for a dressing down.” But the education secretary said they needed to show leadership.

Second, the HE Policy Institute (HEPI) and partners published a landmark survey into how much students need to live on in this day and age of financial restrictions. “We have – finally – today achieved something I have long wanted HEPI to do:” as HEPI director Nick Hillman put it, “we have taken a blank sheet of paper and worked out how much money students need to live on.”

Using detailed research from Loughborough University, it works out at “£18,632 a year outside London and £21,774 a year in London to reach MIS.” MIS is minimum income standard and as the report is quick to point out, doesn’t include the fripperies, just basics like a shared house with a basic Netflix, a laptop and mobile for studying and one short UK holiday a year.

It's an important report and raises questions about future levels of student support, maintenance grants, p/t working and ultimately higher education opportunities for those without access to back up funds.

As Professor David Phoenix outlined in a blog for Wonkhe this week, “Reform needn’t involve the Treasury simply putting more money into the system, however – there are also opportunities to better utilise existing funds.”

And third, ahead of next week’s likely report from the Migration Advisory Committee on immigration and the Graduate visa, HEPI along with bodies such as the British Academy have been out in force this week outlining the importance, financial as well as cultural, that accrue from the current scheme.

£1,240 per international graduate for the UK Exchequer for a start and likely to increase as numbers grow, according to analysis from London Economics.

The report is due on Tuesday and former minister David Willetts’ comment piece on conservativehome this week is a useful scene setter. Basically it’s questioning why international students are counted into the migration figures. It’s here.

Links to most of these stories below starting with the week’s headlines.

The top headlines of the week:

‘Ofsted to scrap subject deep dives for ungraded inspections. (Monday).
‘Social media sites urged to stop school exam scams.’ (Tuesday).
‘2024 exams: Ofqual issues warning over cheating.’ (Wednesday).
‘University students in England face cost-of-learning crisis, data suggests.’ (Thursday).
‘Universities to reveal actual A level entry requirements for first time.’ (Friday).

General:

Shadow Chancellor’s speech. Rachel Reeves challenged the government over its economic record and reiterated Labour Party plans for ‘a modern industrial strategy,’ a New Deal for Working People and a new Take Back Control Act for local growth as part of her approach for securonomics, in a speech to the City of London.
Online safety. Ofcom launched a major new consultation aimed at protecting children online with some 40+ measures listed covering ‘robust age-checks’ and the filtering out of harmful content, all set to be in place from next autumn.
Maths Academy. The government invited organisations to apply to set up a new National Academy for Mathematical Sciences, modelled on other Royal Academies to help champion the importance of maths, support the PM’s ambition for maths to age 18 and position the UK as a leader in mathematical sciences.
Back to work. The government announced plans to roll out its WorkWell’ pilot scheme in 15 regions across the country from October, providing integrated health and support services including revised fit notes to help more people return to work and progress in it.
Monetary report. The Bank of England voted to retain interest rates at their current level as it published its latest Monetary Policy Report suggesting demand growth for the UK will remain weak, unemployment will rise and CPI inflation will hold at around 2.5%.
Economic Outlook. The National Institute of Social and Economic Research (NIESR) published its latest Economic Outlook for the UK pointing to continuing low growth with economic inactivity still on the rise but inflation falling and living standards picking up over the next year.
Obesity and the labour market. The IPPR think tank examined the relationship between obesity and the labour market, noting that many of the regions affected by obesity and economic inactivity are in some of the poorest constituencies in the country, calling on the government to take a stronger role in tackling the problem.
Green jobs. The innovation agency, Nesta, reported on its survey about green jobs finding limited public understanding of what these entailed with women in particular seeing themselves as less suited to them, and suggesting that emphasising the benefits of such jobs both to the individual and society may well help overcome barriers and misunderstandings.
Loneliness. The Centre for Social Justice called on the government to help recover “a sense of shared community…rooted in stable and secure family life” as it published a new report highlighting the extent of loneliness with nearly six in ten adults polled saying they felt lonely most, often or some of the time.
Start for Life services. Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission published their government commissioned review into the Start for Life programme which provides support for parents from pregnancy until a baby is two, finding from initial area visits broad support for the programme but a need for minimum long term funding levels and clearer national outcomes covering all families.
Publishing business. The Publishers Association reported a rise in revenue for UK publishing in 2023 with the digital and export markets both up along with academic publishing but the overall UK education market down.

More specifically ...

Schools:

Exams 2024. Ofqual wished candidates good luck and reminded them not to take mobile devices into exam rooms and not to search for exam papers online as this summer’s exam season got under way.
National curriculum. The Social Market Foundation called for GCSEs to be slimmed down with less formal assessment and for an independent system of cyclical curriculum review to be established as it published a new briefing on curriculum reform.
Alternative Provision. The government launched consultation on proposals ‘to improve practice and raise standards’ in unregistered alternative provision which see vulnerable children often placed for long stretches, proposing among other things time limits on placements, a set of national standards and better oversight generally.
Special free schools. The government announced plans for a further expansion of special free schools for pupils with SEND with 16 more announced, as it claimed to be working towards its commitment of 60,000 more places for children with additional needs.

FE/Skills:

Briefing on skills. The Association of Colleges (AoC) outlined some of the challenges and issues around UK skills, reiterating its call for a reformed tertiary system, as it published a briefing on skills for a House of Lords debate.
T level funding. The government confirmed the funding bands for the Wave 4 2024/25 T levels which remain as previously suggested earlier in the year.
Leadership training. The Education and Training Foundation announced the launch of a set of four free toolkits for leaders in the FE and skills sector covering sustainability, professional standards, equality, diversity and inclusion, and curriculum planning for adult and community learning.
Skills Olympics. WorldSkills announced its team of 31 participants that in partnership with Pearson will represent the UK at the WorldSkills event in Lyon this September, competing in 27 skills disciplines ranging from hairdressing to cybersecurity.

HE:

Campus matters. The PM met with leading Vice Chancellors to consider growing concerns about campus tensions spreading from US universities to those in the UK and to discuss plans for tackling any harassment and antisemitic abuse that might arise.
UCAS applications. UCAS announced it was waiving the application fee from this September for students in receipt of free school meals and was introducing an entry grades tool for applicants to be able to see both offer rates and previous entry grades as part of a set of measures to encourage wider applications to university.
Living costs. The HE Policy Institute (HEPI) and partners reported on detailed research looking into just how much students today need to live and study on, suggesting a figure of around £18,600 outside London as a basic minimum income standard, a figure that falls short of current maintenance support.
Graduate Route. HEPI and partners published a commissioned report undertaken by London Economics into the benefits accruing from the Graduate Route ahead of a government report due next week, listing the range of financial, social and global returns that emanate from the current system and placing its importance in wider context.
Think tank report. The Centre for Policy Studies included calls for the Graduate route to be scrapped, the target number for international students revised, and universities made more accountable for their international students’ performance as it published a new report on immigration written by two previous ministers.
Academic freedom. The University and College Union (UCU) published a major new commissioned study into the extent to which digital technologies were being used as management tools to limit academic freedom and scrutinise staff, calling as a result for more transparent policies and principles to be adopted.
Financial support. Professor David Phoenix, V.C. at London South Bank, looked at options for improving student financial support in a blog on the Wonkhe site, suggesting among other things a lifting of the freeze on the parental earnings threshold to allow for more maintenance support, employer investment in skills, and better utilisation of existing funds.

Tweets and posts of note:

“I didn’t do that well in SATs but I’m doing a lot better now. I’m predicted all 9s at GCSE” - @NEUnion.
“And yet schools put enormous pressure on kids to perform well in these tests. My y6 has done nothing but tests, mock SATS and more tests since Christmas. Yesterday he drew a line on his arm for every time SATS were mentioned. It’s ridiculous” - @fcsampson.
“Cold calling’ is terrifying but nowhere near as terrifying as having to take part in a drama lesson…” - @Trivium21c.
“Ideas for future #RaceAcrossTheWorld series. Getting between any two places in south London by public transport without falling in to despair” - @tweetingteach.
“I live halfway along a street that has over 400 houses. It's posher at one end than the other. The sign at the posher end has a possessive apostrophe; the one at the other end doesn't. You don't get more middle England than that” - @AngelosantoK.
“Ever since I began sharing puns, my followers have doubled in sighs” - @ThePunnyWorld.

A selection of quotes that merit attention:

“New powers for elected mayors over transport, skills, enterprise, energy, planning” – shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves outlines what Labour Party plans for taking back control will mean for the regions.
“Inactivity is still on the rise, crimping the supply side of the economy” – the NIESR reports on the UK economy.
“We should not damage a valuable service boosting Britain’s international influence and earning useful revenues” – former universities minister David Willetts on the value of the graduate visa scheme.
“Eschewing pessimistic determinism and fatalism, this study provides a range of agentic solutions that seek to empower those who value academic freedom and appreciate academic freedom’s essential role in cultivating a thriving, successful higher education sector” – UCU reports on how far digital management techniques are harming academic freedom.
“Look, I’m not naive. I’ve spent too long as a teacher and school leader to think I can make an inspection an enjoyable experience. It is rigorous and challenging, quite rightly” – Ofsted chief inspector Sir Martyn Oliver addresses last weekend’s NAHT Conference.
“Buying papers is never worth the risk” – Ofqual warns against buying exam papers online.
“It is clear that the extent of material in the curriculum is putting pressure on teachers to, in the words of one expert, “gallop through the content”- the Social Market Foundation calls for the National Curriculum to be slimmed down.
"Young people are fed harmful content on their feed again and again and this has become normalised but it needs to change” – Ofcom launches consultation on keeping children safe online.
“It is an oasis, a special, magical place where children can discover more about themselves, their inner worlds and the world beyond their front door” – Waterstone’s Children’s Laureate on the importance of school libraries as the Queen opened the 1,000^th primary school library this week.

Important numbers

Not-to-be-missed numbers of the week:

0.8%. The forecast for UK economic growth this year, according to the NIESR.
9.4m. The number of people working in STEM related jobs, according to latest government figures.
£70m. The return to the UK economy from Graduate Route visa holders during the first full year of the scheme 2022/23, according to research from London Economics.
£366. The amount that students typically need a week to live on, according to research published by HEPI.
70%. The volume of adult skills funding likely to be devolved following last week’s mayoral elections, according to the AoC.
200,550. The number of apprenticeships starts from last August to this February, up 2.5% on the same period last year according to latest government figures.
58%. The number of Britons polled saying they felt lonely at least some of the time, according to a report from the Centre for Social Justice.
25%. The number of 18–34-year-olds who have never answered their phone, according to a survey in The Times.

Everything else you need to know ...

What to look out for next week:

SATs Week (Monday 13 May – Thursday 16 May).
Mental Health Awareness Week (Monday 13 May – Sunday 19 May).
Migration Advisory Committee report on the Graduate Route (Tuesday 14 May).
House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee evidence session on apprenticeships and training (Tuesday 14 May).
Institute for Fiscal Studies (IfS) HE Funding and Access Conference (Tuesday 14 May).
Skills and Education Group Conference (Tuesday 14 May).
Westminster Hall debate on the impact of smartphones and social media on children (Tuesday 14 May).
Institute for Employment Studies Annual Conference (Thursday 16 May).

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.