Steve Besley's Education Eye: week ending 27 September 2024

The Labour Party has been in Conference this week so what have we learnt? Particularly about education.

One of the objectives of the Conference, we were told, was to lighten the mood, raise spirits, “adjust the base and the treble but not change the tune” as one member neatly put it.

There’ve been mixed views as to how far that has happened. It was perhaps difficult to spot the sunny uplands amidst the continuous rain.

The other objective was to help set the direction of party policy. There was some evidence of that from the set piece platform speeches although others complained about a lack of detail.

Let’s start with the Prime Minister’s speech, summed up by Politico as “all vibes as the kids say.”

The PM ticked off teacher recruitment, universities, skills and the importance of education as the speech went on but the only detail came with the reference to apprenticeship reform and the promise of a more flexible levy focused on young people.

Much of the speech was spent spelling out the challenges although Sir Keir did acknowledge that “we need joy” and he did promise, staccato style, “a decisive mission-led government, moving our country forward, step by step. Focused on a long-term plan. That first, we stabilise our economy. Second, we fix the foundation. And third, we build, with pride and determination, a Britain that belongs to you. But it will be hard. That’s not rhetoric – it’s reality.” Education, by the way, features in one of the missions.

As The Independent’s John Rentoul put it “It was a subdued version of the sunlit uplands, more sunny spells over rolling hills, a very British destination in which public services work and care workers are respected.”  

As for the Chancellor, she did try to lighten the mood, claiming for instance that ‘her optimism for Britain burns brighter than ever’ and ‘her ambition for the country knows no limits.’

Good to know, and it was accompanied by a sprinkling of uplifting pledges on things like free breakfast clubs for primary children and the working up of a new Industrial Strategy. But as The Guardian summarised it: “Rachel Reeves sticks to script and saves big changes for next month’s budget.”

And on that all-important Budget, she had little else to add beyond “So, it will be a budget with real ambition, a budget to fix the foundations, a budget to deliver the change that we promised, a budget to rebuild Britain.” Now we know.

In her platform speech, the Education Secretary sought to paint the picture of a government that now cares about education and is up for the challenge. “You deserve a government that works with you, to deliver the change our children need. And I am here today to tell you, that we are that government.”

As evidence of this she rattled through a number of positive changes that have already happened, changing Ofsted judgements, launching the curriculum review, reforming apprenticeships and so on, before rounding off with an announcement about the first phase of school-based nurseries.

Unions had mixed reactions to the speech. The UCU said “We now need to see these warm words backed up by hard cash.” The NAHT reckoned it was all ‘helping to build trust with leaders and teachers.’ The NEU was less sure.

In other related set piece speeches, Angela Rayner promised ‘historic legislation’ in the shape of an Employment Rights Bill setting out Labour’s proposals for a New Deal for Working people and due to be tabled next month.

And Liz Kendall, the Work and Pensions Secretary, promised “the biggest reforms to employment support in a generation” to help get Britain back to work, and singled out tackling child poverty as “my personal priority.”

So plenty for the world of education to look out for in the coming weeks, hopefully in a more upbeat mood albeit with muscles tensed ahead of the Budget now just a month or so away.

What else has been happening in education this week?

For schools, a big moment has been the launch of a call for evidence from the independent curriculum and assessment review. 50+ questions ranging from primary assessment to the use of technology, GCSEs to T levels.

Anything in effect that ensures “that all young people have access to a rich and fulfilling curriculum, meaningful qualifications and assessments that are manageable, valid, fair and reliable.”

But no tirades or lists of must-do’s yet. That may come with the later discussions. “This is not a consultation; we are not seeking views on specific recommendations yet. Instead, we want feedback on what works, what doesn’t, and potential improvements.” It’s all about evidence-base.

An interim report is set for early next year. It’s going to be a busy few months.

Elsewhere, the government invited bids from suitably placed primary schools for capital funding to help transform spare classroom space into extended nursery capacity.

And, in a busy time for primary schools, plans for an early adopters scheme to test out free breakfast clubs from April were confirmed. ‘Hopefully the start of a more comprehensive strategy to tackle child poverty’ according to ASCL. 

In other news, the Education Policy Institute (EPI) highlighted significant gaps in the provision of non-NHS mental health support for young people in England. “There does not appear to be a clear relationship between level of need and the availability of different service types,” it argued. The NAHT called the report ‘worrying.’

Ofsted reported on the welfare arrangements for armed force recruits and trainees giving most a clean bill of health while the boss of Ofqual rounded off this summer’s exams with a summary letter to governors and trustees. “A levels, AS and GCSE grading continued as normal this summer and standards were maintained from 2023” he concluded. Onwards and upwards.

In FE, skills featured prominently at the Labour Party Conference with the Chancellor confirming that a green paper on the nascent industrial strategy would be published as part of the Budget bundle next month and the PM and education secretary both highlighting reform of the apprenticeship levy.

The reforms were broadly welcomed.

The AoC said ‘the government was right to focus levy funds where they are most needed’ but the ‘rebalancing of funding away from L7 apprenticeships’ has left some employer groups concerned.  The British Chambers of Commerce said pointedly “we’ll be working with Government to make sure businesses have clarity on how Level 7 qualifications will be funded in the future.” They may not be the only ones.

Skills England, the body the government is hoping will lead the drive on growth and skills, published its first report this week.

The interim Chair described the report as ‘doing nothing more than setting the scene,’ but it provides a useful ‘initial assessment’ of skills needs as well as of “some significant skills barriers to growth that Skills England aims to overcome.” The government is relying on it.

Education, by the way, features as one of those occupations in high demand with digital skills as a sector likely to see growth in demand.

In other skills news, City and Guilds called for revamped Sector Skills Councils and for a greater focus on intermediate skills as it published a new report on the importance of skills for productivity and living standards.

“Too many people leave school without the skills and direction they need to enter meaningful work and careers in their region, and then don’t have the opportunity to upskill throughout their life,” the CEO argued.

And leading celebrities who were able to beef up their skills with a City and Guilds qualification were celebrated in a new promotional campaign from the organisation called ‘Skills Change Lives.’  They included Alan Titchmarsh and Ainsely Harriott

As for HE, fees and the future funding of HE have continued to drive the headlines this week ahead of an anticipated new blueprint from Universities UK.

The three leading contributions this week have come from different corners.

Lord Mandelson offered a mix of increased tuition fees and institutional efficiencies in a spoiler alert on his chapter in the blueprint in an article in The Guardian this week. ‘Universities are in a hole’ and ‘inaction is not an option, he argued.

The UCU called for ‘big business, “which reaps profits from the graduates they employ,” to pay more through corporation tax. They argued that this would still leave the tax at the level it was under Tony Blair.

And former DfE Chief Analyst Tim Leunig set out in a paper for HEPI a useful list of ten proposed changes on tuition fees that would see ‘universities better funded, outstanding student loans paid off after 20 years and better maintenance support.’

According to one commentator, “this report contains exactly the type of radical thinking we need, given the scale of the challenge facing universities.”

A high note on which to end this week’s roundup.  

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

The top headlines of the week:

• ‘Labour urged to bring forward measures to tackle teacher supply’ (Monday).
• ‘Skills England publishes first report’ (Tuesday).
• ‘National conversation on curriculum begins’ (Wednesday).
• ‘Employer levy could fund universities and maintenance grants’ (Thursday).
• ‘Labour scraps UK’s planned national academy for mathematics’ (Friday).

More specifically ...

Schools:

• Curriculum review. The Curriculum and Assessment Review launched an eight week call for evidence to inform its independent review, looking in particular at evidence of what’s working well and what could be improved across a wide range of topics from primary English and maths to post-16 pathways, with an interim report due next spring.
• School based nurseries. The education secretary invited primary schools in England to bid for capital funding to upgrade spare capacity for use as nursery provision, as a first step towards the government’s plan of 3,000 nursery places.
• Exams 2024. Sir Ian Bauckham, the chief regulator, wrote to round off this summer’s exams for governors and trustees, confirming that results this year had remained stable and that detailed pictures could be seen in the various published analytics, as work gets under way for next summer’s exams season.
• Mental health. The Education Policy Institute called for further research into the quality and provision of mental health provision and the early roll out of mental health Young Futures Hubs, as it published a commissioned report into non-specialist mental health support for young people in England highlighting huge regional variation.
• Falling rolls. The NFER examined the issue of falling roles in primary schools reporting that this was most pronounced in London and among primary schools with lower Ofsted ratings, noting that when pupil numbers do fall, schools tend to reduce the numbers of classes rather than their sizes.

FE/Skills:

• Growth and Skills Levy. The government announced its anticipated reform of the apprenticeship levy which would see a new foundation programme, some shorter programmes and the likely removal of funding for some L7 programmes, all matched more closely to identified skills needs as part of a new growth and skills levy.  
• Skills report. Skills England, the body being set up by the government to map out and work across the system on skill needs, issued its initial report, outlining the current picture on skills indicating high demand in sectors such as health and social care, education and manufacturing and potential growth in sectors such as digital and green skills, life sciences and construction.
• Skills. City and Guilds emphasised the key role that improved skills can play in delivering the government’s growth agenda as it published a research report showing both employers and individuals keen to develop their skill levels and calling for the Lifelong Learning Entitlement to include workforce reskilling.
• Apprenticeships. The Gatsby Foundation published its commissioned report into how far end-point assessment (EPA) had contributed to a fall in achievement rates in recent years, pointing to factors such as functional skill requirements and recommending among other things the development of a more flexible vision for EPA.

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

• 1.1%. The predicted growth rate for the UK economy this year, up 0.7% on its previous prediction according to the OECD’s latest Economic Outlook.
• 8%. The number of jobs in the UK in critical demand with nearly a half of these requiring at least a L2 qualification along with work-related training, according to Skills England.
• 48%. The number of working age adults who reckon they left their education equipped with the right skills for their future career, according to City and Guilds.
• £79.6bn. The total net planned expenditure by local authorities on schools, education and children and young people’s services for 2024/25, £7.4bn up on the previous financial year according to government figures.
• 33%. The number of primary school teachers (9% for secondary teachers) able to undertake PPA (Planning, Prep and Assessment) from home, up 2% on last year according to Teacher Tapp.
• 95.2%. The attendance rate for pupils in state schools in England for week commencing 9 September, according to latest government figures.
• 70,000. The drop in state-funded primary school numbers in England since 2017/18, although with significant regional differences according to research from NFER.
• 750. The number of state primary schools in England expected to become early adopters of the government’s free breakfast club scheme, according to the DfE.
• 25%. The number of Gen Zs reported to be completely teetotal, according to a survey from the charity Drinkaware.
• £73.5m. The amount of money raised for charity from this year’s London Marathon, a record according to the organisers.

Everything else you need to know ...

What to look out for next week

• Conservative Party Conference (Sunday 29 September – Wednesday 2 October).