Steve Besley's Education Eye: week ending 06 September 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:

Buckle up, it’s going to be a hard ride.

That was the gist of the message from the government ahead of the return to work this week.

For education, a busy autumn looms and it began on the first day back when one school in London had little time to hand out the class pencils before the PM and education secretary arrived to make an important announcement about Ofsted.

The announcement confirmed the immediate scrapping of Ofsted single statement judgements for schools in England along with manifesto plans to shift to a School Report Card system for inspections from next autumn.

There was naturally considerable delight from critics about the scrapping of so-called ‘single word judgements’ such as ‘Outstanding’ and ‘Inadequate.' ‘Good riddance’ one commentator exclaimed in The Guardian, while even former chief inspector Amanda Spielman acknowledged that it was “a welcome recognition from government that the weight of consequences hung on inspection had become counterproductive.”

The use of such judgements had been controversial for some time and had been brought to the fore with the tragic death of Ruth Perry. But as Stephen Bush explained in the FT, many parents have found the system useful and ultimately ‘there are going to be cliff edges in a school inspection report.’

Views appear mixed too about the shift to a School Report Card system potentially from next autumn. The PM said this would help create ‘a richer picture’ of a school’s performance for parents and as Public First’s Ed Dorrell outlined, 77% of parents backed the idea when the consultancy carried out a survey on the matter last year.

Yet, as he acknowledged, ‘serious focus will be required’ to make the Card system work.

To return to Stephen Bush’s article in the FT, he provided two examples of report cards for public services currently being used which in both cases made it more difficult to discern how good or not the services actually were. Designing a simple, clear system would be a tall order, he concluded. The full article can be read here.

Before we leave Ofsted – and yes it’s been hogging much of the news this week, just a word on the outcomes of its major consultation exercise, known as the Big Listen, which reported this week.

It received over 20,000 responses and in the words of Sir Martyn Oliver, the chief inspector, will promote ‘real change’ in how inspections operate in future.

Along with the promised Report Card and various advisory panels of external stakeholders, this will include piloting announcements of routine inspections for that week by Monday afternoon, introducing new annual safeguarding, attendance and off-rolling reviews, homing in on provision for disadvantaged pupils, setting up a ‘training’ Ofsted Academy, and working up a reformed inspection framework.

Of particular interest to many were the results of an independent learning review led by Dame Christine Gilbert, published along with the Big Listen report. The review came up with 14 recommendations covering aspects of culture, governance and approach for Ofsted, which may well set the agenda for this ‘real change’ expected over the coming months.

To take one example, recommendation 8 stated: “Ofsted should place a greater emphasis on managing and supporting the performance of inspectors so that everyone is clear about what is expected of them, how well they are doing and what support might be needed to do better.”

A potential sugar rush of change therefore looms for Ofsted in the coming months. But as bodies like ASCL and the Confederation of School Trusts pointed out, “the challenge for Ofsted and government is to hold the moving parts together and to land a coherent and high-quality approach to inspection, regulation and improvement that addresses the concerns raised in the Big Listen without inadvertently ushering in adverse unintended consequences.” Good luck, as they say, with that.

In other education-related news this week, the education secretary heralded the start of the new academic year. “As we enter my first September as Education Secretary, I’m full of hope and optimism for the future.

Elsewhere the House of Lords discussed Labour’s VAT plans for private schools, the Deputy PM and Business Secretary met with business leaders to discuss the forthcoming Employment Bill and the Education Secretary had a reset meeting with union leaders.

On next to other education news this week.

In schools, exam board OCR set the bar high for the government’s Curriculum and Assessment Review by publishing its own such review looking in particular at provision for 11–16-year-olds in England. In a word, too many exams, too much content to plough through, too little use of non-exam assessment, not enough time for the development of other key aspects such as digital literacy, all leading to a narrow and at times distorted curriculum.

It’s not quite as straightforward as that of course and there’s lots more in the 100+ page report which was chaired by former education secretary Charles Clarke but the key messages, which were described by ASCL as “spot on,” will provide Becky Francis, who’s leading the government’s review, with plenty to think about. Her library shelf is filling up rapidly.

In other news for schools this week, the IPPR published what it called ‘a sobering report’ on school exclusions which often affect the most vulnerable and which rose by 20% last year. A follow-up paper with recommendations is promised.

The Sutton Trust called for school admissions codes to be reviewed after publishing evidence showing high levels of segregation in some types of school and regions. As Sir Peter Lampl explained ““Having a better mix of pupils helps to level the playing field for all families, regardless of their socio-economic background.”

The National Consortium for Languages Education reported that parents were keen for their children to learn languages in school with Spanish topping the preferred list followed by French, German and Mandarin Chinese.

And Arabella Byrne recounted in The Spectator some rules for surviving the start of the school year. Buy shoes online, buy uniforms second hand and watch out for the parents’ WhatsApp Group, seem to be three important rules..

In FE, frustrations have continued over the government’s L3 qualification reform programme with the Protect Student Choice campaign group unhappy with the government’s response to their letter last week calling for a pause in the defunding programme. The response, they claimed “doesn’t even address or reference the request.” It doesn’t sound like that’s the end of it.

Also this week, JISC painted a more positive picture on the digital experience for FE learners in its latest survey report. 72% of those surveyed rated the quality of the digital learning provided as above average, up from 66% in 2020/21.

And NCFE invited people to take a free digital assessment over the next couple of weeks with a view to building up a picture of the nation’s digital skills levels. A report will follow later this year.

In HE, Universities UK has been in Conference while the Times Higher carried a timely interview with Sir David Behan, interim Chair of the OfS. Both signalled important pointers for the sector.

Dame Sally Mapstone, President of Universities UK indicated that it (the sector) ‘stood at a fork in the road in terms of its history.’ She pointed to a new report highlighting the important economic impact of HE and significantly confirmed that the much-anticipated blueprint for HE that they had been working on would be published in the coming weeks. “Each chapter will incorporate recommendations both for universities and for government.” Clear the decks.

As for Sir David, he reckoned the organisation ‘had been asked to do too much’ and should instead focus on “four core priorities” covering financial sustainability, quality, public money and students’ interests.

That said the OfS has been busy this week with a briefing on subcontracting - ‘‘partnerships need robust management and oversight if they are to achieve benefits, and deliver for students and taxpayers” and a report on student characteristics and outcomes over the last decade.

And here too JISC reported on the digital experiences of learners, in this case in HE, showing students generally happy with the provision, quality and support available. It seems a growing number is using AI in their learning, the survey reported a figure of 22%.

So, a blistering week to welcome everyone back and in the words of the song ‘It’s only just begun.’

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

The top headlines of the week:

‘Pay-as-you-go schooling: parents under pressure to fund essentials’ (Monday).
‘Ofsted reforms to focus on inclusion, behaviour and attendance’ (Tuesday).
‘England’s school curriculum needs reform to fix ‘glaring omissions,’ report finds’ (Wednesday).
‘School exclusions rise by fifth in England in past year, study finds’ (Thursday).
‘English universities need tuition fees of £12,500 to break even, analysis finds’ (Friday).

General:

Childcare. The second phase of the government’s childcare programme rolled out at the start of the week with eligible families of children aged nine months and over able to claim 15 funded hours a week of childcare and early education for 38 weeks but with sector concerns continuing to rumble over staffing and capacity.
Economic outlook. The British Chambers of Commerce published its latest Economic Forecast upgrading its growth forecast for this year to 1.1% but remaining at 1% next year, with the growth landscape remaining ‘relatively weak.’
Public services. The TUC called for the creation of a Public Services Workforce Commission to help tackle key challenges around public service delivery and workforce recruitment, following survey evidence showing increased public concern about such services.
Devolution. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IfS) examined some of the issues around devolution in light of government plans to see more powers devolved, arguing ahead of a promised new report that ‘a proper system of allocating funding between councils’ let alone new revenue sources remain vital issues, and flexibility and transparency should be adopted as key principles.
Business confidence. The Institute of Directors (IoD) published its latest Economic Confidence Index suggesting that business confidence was draining away with business leaders reporting investment intentions and headcount expectations both down, and worries about UK economic conditions and skills shortages both up.
Fixing solutions. The CSJ’s Social Justice Commission went through the five major challenges of making work pay, creating safe streets, building stable communities, supporting fragile families and championing the lost generation identified as part of its follow-up work on creating ‘A United Nation,’ offering recommendations in each in the hope of ‘addressing people’s struggles.’
Working from home. The Centre for Cities looked at how London was doing compared to other cities when it came to returning to the office, concluding that London ‘trails the pack’ with 2.7 days in the office a week on average and with younger workers in more than their senior colleagues, arguing that this was hindering the Capital’s growth and productivity and calling for the Mayor and government to take action to improve things.
Temp work. The Recruitment and Employment Confederation launched a new campaign to give temporary workers a voice as it published survey evidence showing that nearly 80% value the flexibility it offers and more than two-thirds say it provides them with greater work-life balance.
Connectivity. The EU set out plans ‘to make Europe the most connected continent by 2030,’ using initiatives such as WiFi4EU which promotes free Wi-Fi access in public spaces and outlining a series of goals that would see all European households with access to high-speed internet coverage by next year as part of its planned Digital Decade.

More specifically ...

Schools:

Ofsted single headline grades. The government announced that Ofsted’s use of single statement judgements would be scrapped for schools in England immediately and for the rest of the education system in due course, with plans to introduce a School Report Card system set for next autumn.
Ofsted’s Big Listen. Ofsted reported on its recent ‘Big Listen’ public consultation highlighting among other things views raised about inspection practice (‘need more consistency,’) reporting (‘need to report on pupil’s wider experience,’) and safeguarding (‘should be addressed separately.’)
Gilbert review of Ofsted. Ofsted published the outcomes of its commissioned independent learning review, conducted by Dame Christine Gilbert in the wake of the Ruth Perry tragedy to look at matters such as communications and behaviours in the light of such events, concluding with a range of recommendations including the creation of an overarching improvement plan to be ‘published for transparency on Ofsted’s website.’
Curriculum reform. Exam body OCR called for a major rethink around the volume, nature and content of GCSEs, arguing that the present system does not serve 11-16 yr old students well and does not allow time for consideration of other important aspects of learning such as digital literacy and climate change, as it published the outcomes of its major curriculum review, chaired by former education secretary Charles Clarke.
School exclusions. The IPPR think tank examined the impact of school exclusions both on individuals and society pointing to ‘a record 32m days’ of learning lost by pupils last year through a combination of exclusions and unauthorised absences, calling for a concerted effort by schools, councils and government to tackle this worrying rising trend.
MFL. The National Consortium for Languages Education (NCLE) highlighted the importance of young people learning modern foreign languages (MFL) as it published a new survey report showing that nearly 50% of parents surveyed regretted never having learnt another language at school and most believing it should be compulsory in secondary school, with Spanish the most favoured.
KS2. FFT Education Datalab looked into this year’s KS2 attainment data ahead of next week’s provisional release, pointing to attainment slightly up on last year but below that of 2019 with ‘a slight increase’ in the attainment gap.
Socially selective. The Sutton Trust examined the extent of socio-economic selectivity in comprehensive schools in England suggesting that this was most prevalent in schools in the North and among vulnerable groups where it was helping fuel attainment gaps, calling as a result for both schools and government to review admission criteria so as to ensure fair access.
Free schools. The NFER announced it had secured funding from UKRI (UK Research and Innovation) to work with Manchester Met University in exploring the impact of Free Schools on matters like pupil attainment and attendance as well as participation in HE, with a report due next spring.
Online assessment. The NFER publicised its new standardised interactive tests which, following trials and evaluation earlier this year, have now been made available for KS2 reading and maths with a similar package for Yrs 5 and 6 to follow next autumn.
Writer in Residence. The children’s reading charity, BookTrust, announced that the author Patrice Lawrence would take up the post of the new Writer in Residence from this September with a focus on helping more vulnerable children discover the joys of reading.
Reading at home. The Children’s reading charity Coram Beanstalk in partnership with Mumsnet published the results of a new survey report showing that increasing numbers of children are not reading at home with parents too busy and screens providing other attractions, calling for families to try and make time for one-to-one reading each day.

FE/Skills:

FE and Ofsted. The AoC reported on the latest reforms around Ofsted listing those likely to have any impact for the FE sector, such as the ending of single statement judgements and use of report cards, expected to be developed over the coming year.
L3 reform. The Sixth Form Colleges Association voiced its frustration at the government’s failure to acknowledge their recently expressed concerns about needing to pause the defunding of applied general qualifications such as BTECs and to extend the timetable for review, confirming that the support group will be meeting in the next few weeks to determine a course of action.
ASK. The government confirmed that it was handing over to the Careers and Enterprise Company the contractual management of the Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge (ASK) programme, which provides free support to schools and colleges in England about T levels and apprenticeships.
Q/A. The AELP followed up its recent CEO Q/A with responses to a series of other questions that weren’t able to be covered in the time including those on future skills developments, funding and the role of employers.
Digital experience. JISC reported on its recent survey into the digital experience of FE learners where over three-quarters of respondents rated their organisation’s digital learning environment as above average and were generally supportive of the learning resources provided for them but where poor wifi connectivity continued to be a bugbear.
Digital skills. Awarding organisation NCFE launched a new campaign to highlight the importance of digital skills and to boost opportunities for those that need them, offering an explainer on the importance of such skills and a chance to take a digital assessment, free of charge for the next couple of weeks.

HE:

Minister’s address. Minister Jacqui Smith addressed the UUK Conference where she confirmed that the government was looking at funding options for the sector and was keen to see the OfS take a strong role in ensuring financial stability for institutions but added few further details on future funding plans.
President’s address. Dame Sally Mapstone, President of Universities UK addressed their annual Conference arguing that the sector was now at a critical juncture in terms of decline or growth as she launched a new report into the economic impact of HE and promised to set out in the coming weeks a major blueprint for the future of HE and research.
Economic impact. Universities UK published a new report, undertaken by London Economics, and showing that UKHE’s combined activities amounted to an economic impact of £158bn, generating huge returns both for individuals and for society.
Office for Students (OfS.) The Times Higher reported on an interview with Sir David Behan, current interim Chair of the OfS, in which he argued that the body needs to refocus on key priorities including financial sustainability, quality and regulating in the interests of students.
Student trends. The OfS published data on student characteristics over the last decade showing among other things a continuing higher proportion of female entrants over males, an increase in the number of undergrad entrants from disadvantaged and other ethnic backgrounds, and f/t completion rates ‘remaining steady or decreasing’ in some groups.
Subcontracting. The OfS published a briefing on subcontracted provision highlighting some of the risks involved such as uncontrolled third-party recruitment, students not being informed or matched to abilities, and low-level quality arrangements, pointing to the importance of strong governance, clear reporting structures and transparent communication as ways of avoiding risk.
Equality funding. The OfS invited applications from collaborative partners ‘to support new ideas and innovation’ that could provide equality of opportunity in HE, with £2m available for the years 2024/5 to 2026/27.
Digital experience. JISC reported on its recent survey into the digital experience of HE learners showing that despite some difficulties with connectivity and finding spaces to work, more students than ever rated the quality of the digital learning environment provided by their university along with the quality of support provided.
International students. George Blake, Policy Officer at London Higher, reflected in a blog on the HEPI website about the impact of government restrictions on international students, suggesting these could slash university income by over £1bn let alone lead to a loss of confidence in the UKHE market generally, calling as a result for a more sustainable funding approach.

Tweets and posts of note:

“After 6 weeks with my own kids I would like to make this abundantly clear. PRIMARY STAFF DO NOT GET PAID ENOUGH! Give them all the money… all if it” – @ScottPughsley.
“Setting expectations in those first few lessons…. Don’t waste time lecturing pupils about your expectations. Get straight into the teaching, the content, your routines. The kids don’t need a hour long talk about who you are & your rules etc” -@Strickomaster.
“For those of you who need to hear this: I have done no fancy meal prep. I have just ordered a (bad) takeaway. I have no exercise plans. I can’t find my laptop charger” -@FunkyPedagogy.
“I'm going to put this out there: I am not ready to go back to work. I have never before switched off as much as I have this summer and I actually don't know how to get my work brain back. It's dead” - @MissCatnach.
“Lots of teachers plan to do ‘get to know you activities’ for a few days at the start of term. This is a nice idea, but you can get to know the kids via normal lessons. I plan easier lessons for the first two days to make it easy to establish expectations and iron out routines…”- @MrBoothYr6.
“Has any commentator considered that the "attendance crisis" in schools my be partly due to how unpleasant many schools have become? I don't blame kids for avoiding a place with draconic rules, humourless teachers and constant nagging about standards & "preparing you for work" - @little_mavis.
“Bluey is a bad influence on children because it makes them think I want to engage in imaginative play with them instead of scrolling my phone on the couch” - @ASFleischman.

A selection of quotes that merit attention:

“While computing did well as university students made the most of summer discounting and readied themselves for the new academic year, other back to school related sales were weaker than normal as some families opted for second hand purchases” – the British Retail Consortium reports on spending habits over the past month.
“While the UK economy will perform better this year, it’s unlikely to be heading into the fast lane any time soon” – the British Chambers of Commerce reports on the prospects for the UK economy.
“Fizzling out” – the Institute of Directors summarises their latest report on what’s happening to business confidence.
“It is clear we are at a fork in the road. We can choose to act to ensure our universities thrive, or we can allow them to slide into decline” – the President of Universities UK outlines the stark options facing higher education.
“I hadn’t been in the job an hour before people were outlining for me the real financial peril that the sector faces” – Skills minister Jacqui Smith addresses the UUK Conference about the challenges of the job.
“You’re never the most popular person when you run a regulator with the sector, but I think being respected for the way that you discharge your responsibilities, engaging with the sector is absolutely key” – the interim Chair of the OfS in an interview with the Times Higher.
“So far, I am more pessimistic than optimistic about Skills England’s potential from what we know” – AELP CEO Ben Rowland on initial thoughts around Labour’s new skills body.
“The idea that you could give a verdict on a whole school in one or two words was always ridiculous” – the NEU doesn’t hold back on the scrapping of Ofsted single-word judgements.
“It makes recommendations to help develop an inspection regime that can both report ‘without fear or favour’ and also support school leaders and staff to improve their schools” – Ofsted publishes the results of its commissioned independent learning review.
“Ofsted certainly needs reform, and their response sets out a blueprint for what changes we can expect, but we absolutely must avoid replacing one flawed system with another one” – ASCL responds to Ofsted’s latest reform plans.
“We need to move away from this idea that a new secretary of state comes in and then there’s a big set of changes” – former education secretary Charles Clarke, who chaired OCR’s new curriculum review, on the need for curriculum evolution rather than revolution.
“I will also shortly be launching a survey for every school in the country to tell me about the support services they offer pupils, so we can better understand what is in place to help children who find it hard to attend and help schools to intervene early” – the children’s commissioner sets out plans to tackle pupil attendance.
"Despite now being at the midway point of the expansion, the success of the rollout remains incredibly uncertain” – the Early Years Alliance marks the latest rollout of the government’s funded childcare programme.
“A risk that we’re willing to take” – one parent on the possibility of facing fines for taking a child out of school for a holiday during term time.

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

64%. The number of respondents who said they were proud of Britain’s history, down from 86% ten years ago according to the latest British Social Attitudes Survey on National Identity.
3. The number of days a week PwC staff are expected to spend with clients or in the office, up from 2 previously according to the company.
270,000. The cap on international students imposed by the Australian government for 2025 as part of what was termed ‘a wide crackdown on migration.’ (600,000 student visas were issued last year.)
£14. The amount of ‘economic impact’ generated by UK universities for £1 of funding, according a new report by London Economics.
13%. The percentage of FE leaners who said they used AI in their learning, according to a new survey from JISC.
68%. The number of parents in a survey who reckon that learning a modern foreign language in secondary school should be compulsory, according to the National Consortium for Language Education.
20%. The ‘likely’ rise in fees for Eton College from January taking them to potentially £63,000 pa as a result of the government’s VAT changes, according to media reports.
180. The number of council run libraries in the UK that have either closed or are now just run by volunteers, according to BBC analysis.
500 a day. The number of children in England referred to mental health services for anxiety, more than double the rate from before the pandemic according to figures quoted by The Guardian last week.
11%. The percentage of UK children surveyed with low wellbeing, according to the latest Good Childhood report from the Children’s Society last week.
14m. The number of people hoping to secure Oasis tickets, according to Bloomberg UK.

Everything else you need to know ...

What to look out for next week

ResearchED National Conference (Saturday 7 September).
Annual TUC Congress (Sunday 8 – Wednesday 11 September).
MPs Education Questions (Monday 9 September).
Release of DfE provisional KS2 attainment data (Tuesday 10 September).
Release of OECD’s annual ‘State of Global Education’ report (Tuesday 10 September).

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.