Steve Besley's Education Eye: week ending 07 February 2025

What's happened this week?

Important stories across the board:

A big week for the education secretary.

A landmark speech with the promise of ‘a new era for school standards’.

It came at the start of the week with the education secretary taking to the stage to set out her plans ‘to overhaul school inspection and accountability,’ tackle the problem of so-called stuck schools and herald ‘a new era of relentless improvement’. 

The reverberations have continued all week, although largely targeted at school inspection reforms.

The speech itself was pretty wide-ranging with noticeable references to academies (“perhaps the key driver of rising standards across our schools has been strong multi academy trusts,”) the Curriculum and Assessment Review (“delivering a core curriculum for all children that is deep and rigorous, knowledge-rich down to its bones”) and provision for SEND (“the debate around how we support children with SEND is a sign of progress.”) 

Two main themes stood out: school improvement and school inspections.

On school improvement the education secretary argued that this was “a march that never ends” and should currently focus on raising the bar for so-called ‘stuck’ schools.

Broadly these are schools that have consistently received poor inspection judgements and have found it difficult to progress. Currently there are some 600+ such schools and she promised a new ‘tailored, bespoke and effective’ response to tackling the problem. 

This would see teams of local experts, regional improvement teams (RISE,) who would work alongside schools to help drive improvements. “They will work with schools to get to grips quickly with the problems Ofsted spots, backed with an initial £20m of funding.” 

No time limit was set but the first teams are already in place and beginning to work with schools where needed. “No more stuck schools drifting along,” was the message. 

On to school inspections and Ofsted’s proposed new inspection model, released at the same time following a major review and rethink by the agency last year as part of its Big Listen, and reinforced in her speech by the education secretary. 

Stalwarts who have followed developments over the past year or so will be familiar with the main thrust of the proposals which involve scrapping single word/phrase judgements and shifting to a report card approach. “A more nuanced view of a provider’s strengths and areas for improvement”,  as Ofsted described it. 

The final proposed model, embracing nine reported areas, from leadership and governance to attendance and safeguarding, with a colour-coded, five-point scale to boot, has, however, raised some blood pressures.

‘Complicated and pleases nobody’, was the snap verdict from the shadow education secretary. “We are extremely disappointed with these proposals and will do everything possible to persuade Ofsted and the government to see sense”, the view from ASCL. ‘Continued disaster’, as the NEU saw it.

“Can’t remember an education policy development getting such a concerted kicking”,  tweeted the education commentator Warwick Mansell.

In fairness, not everybody was going in studs up.  

Parentkind, the body that represents parents, reckoned that “Ofsted has shown it is listening to parents”. The National Governance Association (NGA) welcomed many of the changes though added ‘it needs to be the start of a conversation not its conclusion.’ The Children’s Commissioner supported the move towards ‘a more detailed and nuanced’ approach and both she and the LGA welcomed ‘the much greater focus on inclusion.’ 

As for the education secretary, she booted away suggestions that parents might not be able to cope with the new level of information. “I think it’s frankly deeply insulting to suggest that somehow parents either don’t want or can’t understand a wider range of areas that need further improvement, or where there is real strength within the school system”.

Details on not just how the proposed new inspection system might work, as well as the wider accountability model with its proposed new data monitoring process and set intervention procedures along with RISE working arrangements, are set out in accompanying consultations.

Either way, as recent polling from TeacherTapp and some unions shows, debate, particularly around inspections, looks set to continue for some time. 

On to other education news this week.

In schools, leading children’s organisations launched a new campaign to highlight the social and economic costs associated with the rapid rise in children’s mental health issues. “The long-term impact of mental health problems in childhood now costs the UK over £1 trillion in lifetime lost earnings”.

They called in a new report for 'the Government to deliver urgent reform and investment to boost children’s mental health services in its forthcoming Spending Review and 10 Year NHS Plan'.

Elsewhere, the government promised funding, training, and a new writing framework to help raise standards in reading and writing, while the think tank Demos called for extra funding to help support the latest National Plan for Music Education. Broadly, over £160m will be needed over the next five years if Music Hub partnerships are to take off as envisaged. 

And don’t tell the kids, but according to research reported this week, just banning mobile phones in schools doesn’t really help with pupil attainment or wellbeing. 

“Overall, our findings suggest that restrictive school policies in their current form do not significantly influence phone and social media use, or result in better outcomes for adolescents across a range of mental, physical, and cognitive domains”, researchers from the University of Birmingham wrote.

It’s the wider use of phones outside school, at bedtime, on behaviours, on exercise and so on, that’s the problem. ‘Interventions both in and outside of school should be considered in tandem’. Not easy.

Moving on to FE, where the NEU suspended its current strike actions among members in sixth form colleges to allow them to consider the latest pay offer and the promise of no more ‘no two-tier pay offers. 

“In light of this positive development, and following a democratic decision of our elected strike committee, we have suspended our strike days of Thursday 6 February and Friday 7 February”.

The AoC published a useful briefing for MPs on the issues around apprenticeships ahead of next week’s National Apprenticeship Week. Recommendations included more flexibility around programme structures and assessment, and for a refocusing of the levy on 'new job starters, young people and SMEs'.

The AoC also submitted its call for evidence to the Education Committee’s inquiry into SEND, arguing that ‘the biggest challenge the college SEND system faces is not lack of inclusion, but issues such as students’ transition from school, and the lack of an adequate funding mechanism for students with SEND, but without high needs’.

In HE, the OfS launched consultation on some changes to its registration process for new providers. The changes relate to consumer protection and treating students fairly, and to effective governance arrangements. Wonkhe reckoned the changes should equally apply to existing providers.

At the same time it’s making the registration process clearer, but more efficient for new providers. 'We want well-governed, innovative institutions that are currently unregistered, or new to higher education, to be able to enter the sector smoothly".

And with talk of a relations between the UK and the EU being under review, the IoD added its voice to those calling for a renewed Youth Mobility Scheme that could enhance research, skills and volunteering among young people. 

'The UK joining the Youth Mobility Scheme would be particularly beneficial for sectors like hospitality and retail, which typically employ large numbers of young people and have struggled to find workers', it argued.

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

General:

• Council cash. The government announced a final funding settlement amounting to just under £69bn with additional funding now for the Children’s Social Care Prevention Grant and compensation for higher National Insurance contributions for English councils for the coming year.
• Employment Rights. The Institute of Directors (IoD) called for changes around the application of unfair dismissal and access to Statutory Sick Pay as it reported on its survey among members about preferred amendments to the Employment Rights Bill, which is currently working its way through the House of Commons.
• Cyber risks. The British Chambers of Commerce called on the government to recruit more cyber security professionals and carry out a cyber security awareness programme across businesses as it published a new report highlighting the continued cyber threats they face.
• Annual presentation. Gareth Davies, the head of the NAO, called on leaders in government to harness the potential of new technology, develop a culture of fast learning and adaptation, and set out their appetite for risk as he gave his annual address in parliament, stressing the importance of such attributes in ‘unlocking gains in productivity and resilience.’ 
• Early years. The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, a body set up by the Prince and Princess of Wales 12 years ago, published the results of its work in defining and developing a new Framework of some 30 social and emotional skills that can help shape, not just children growing up, but adulthood as well.

HE:

• Registration requirements. The Office for Students (OfS) launched consultation on two new initial registration conditions, as well as some changes intended to make the registration clearer and more efficient for new providers.
• Working together. JISC reported on its work with KPMG, examining the potential of collaborative activity to help solve current challenges across HE – outlining five areas, including the central provision of digital/data skills development and the sharing or commissioning whole services that could help in this regard.
• Sector prospects. The University and College Union (UCU) reported on its interview with HE/Skills minister Jacqui Smith, as more universities reported financial concerns and likely job losses – with the minister suggesting it was unlikely that the government would be offering more funding in the short-term, pointing instead to sector reform, which may follow a White Paper this summer.
• Top pay.The Times Higher published analysis of the average pay packets for UK vice-chancellors, finding an overall increase of just over 4% over the last year to around £340,000.
• Youth Mobility Scheme. The Institute of Directors (IoD) called on the government to consider a Youth Mobility Scheme for 18–30-year-olds across the EU, citing survey evidence from last year, indicating the benefits in terms of mobility and skills to both employers and young people. 

Tweets and posts of note:

• “My hot take on the Ofsted stuff is that, if you had a well-funded system with lots of extra people, it would help drive school improvement (and 'could' reduce stress). As the system currently stands: I’m concerned it’ll drown people in workload” | @miss_mcinerney.
• “I hate the word 'exemplary' with a passion already. I think the OFSTED dudes literally googled 'synonyms for outstanding' and used the first word that came up. This ain't the sea change ppl wanted, it's repackaging” | @RogersHistory.
• “Bridget Phillipson: I'm no Marxist, I just want better schools (The Times)” | @schoolsontap.
• “Today, I had tutor time, down to cover period 1, y13 period 2, met with my trainees uni tutor at break, observed trainee P3, y13 p4, delivered CPD to the NTT and ECTs at lunch, taught year 7 p5, then did feedback with the trainee. Powered by only a Twix and a coffee” | @MBDscience.
• “No functional behaviour policy, but a 5th CPD in 2 years about AI” | @MrMac_Math.
• “A big issue nobody seems to want to talk about: There is no lunch provided with online training. That was always a highlight with face to face CPD. Just saying” | @MrH_1978.

A selection of quotes that merit attention:

• “Constructive optimism” – how one world leader felt about the future as he left Davos last weekend.
• “Prejudice is an incredibly light sleeper, and old hatreds are not always that far from the surface; they have never completely gone away”– @ Labour MP David Pinto-Duschinsky reflects from family experience on the importance of Holocaust Memorial Day.
• “Cyber threat to UK government is severe and advancing quickly” – the NAO reports on the extent of cyber threats to the UK government.
• “It is 20 years and counting since we last saw a prolonged period of falling poverty” – the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report on Poverty in the UK.
• “In this inquiry, the Education Committee will examine the issues that matter most to students, teachers, parents, school and college leaders, and employers” – the Education Committee launches a new inquiry into the FE sector.
• “It is astonishing that a Labour government is now treating them less favourably than the Conservatives by refusing to spend an additional £13m” – The Guardian takes up the case of the lack of an equal pay award for sixth-form college teachers.
• “Employer engagement with DAs is not currently systematic, nor do DAs fully accommodate the needs of all employers” – Edge reports on changes needed for Degree Apprenticeship (DA) programmes.
• “The tampering will be an unnecessary distraction” – The Times casts its editorial verdict on the Schools Bill.
• “Children are different to adults, and a child must be seen as such first and foremost, rather than as an offender, to keep communities safe by preventing and reducing offending behaviour” – the Children’s Commissioner reports on children charged during last summer’s riots.
• “We do think it is time for the government to explore ways in which they could restrain travel firms from raising their prices during school holidays. We cannot see how this problem can be solved another way” – ASCL comments on the rise in fines for term-time holidays.

You can sign up here to receive Education Eye straight to your inbox on publication.

If you find my policy updates useful, please consider donating something, however small, to help support its publication. EdCentral is a not-for-profit social enterprise and relies on donations to continue its work.

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.