Steve Besley's Education Eye: week ending 02 May 2025

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:

Teachers, pay, inspection reforms, NEETs and student health. All have been hotting up this week and appearing in headlines.

Let’s start with teacher’s pay, always a hot topic.

Reports this week suggested that the pay review body was likely to recommend a higher pay award this year than that put forward by government. Something around 4% rather than the government’s 2.8%.

It raises two questions. When will know and who pays?

On the when, the government said it’s looking at the recommendations and in the words of the PM, “we will respond in due course.” On the who pays, it looks like schools. ‘Existing budgets and efficiency savings’ is the phrase.

Unions have been left unhappy. The NEU called for the full report to be published now and for the government's intentions on funding this year's pay award to be made clear. “Teachers are sick of hearing things through the press,” they said.

On to the teaching workforce where there have been three interesting reports out this week, one from the National Audit Office (NAO) and two from think tanks.

In its report, the NAO examined what steps the dept was taking to tackle teacher shortages and whether these were providing value for money.

Broadly, the report acknowledged the efforts around teacher recruitment but felt that the target of 6,500 more teachers by the end of this parliament needs more clarity, while raising concerns about the lack of some specialist teachers and the need to cope with the growing numbers of secondary pupils ‘expected to peak in 2028.’

It felt that poorly paid FE in particular could struggle with recruitment when these numbers come through and suggested that the FE workforce model needs looking at. “The DfE has less mature and comprehensive data for further education than for schools,” it noted.

The AoC agreed, indicating that ‘the challenges of recruitment and retention are stark’ when it comes to FE “where salaries continue to be around £10,000 lower than in secondary schools and there is a requirement for both industry experience and the ability to motivate and engage a wide range of students.”

It’s a long running issue.

As for the two think tank reports, the Education Policy institute highlighted the workforce challenges faced by schools with the most disadvantaged pupils and the impact this can have on pupil attainment. Typically more inexperienced teachers and leaders, fewer subject specialists, higher staff turnover, all of which can lead to poorer outcomes.

It called for better retention incentives and support for those who work in more disadvantaged areas.

As ASCL explained, “This report lays bare one of the starkest issues in our education system – that children and young people who would most benefit from being taught by our strongest teachers and leaders are the least likely to experience this.”

While the IPPR and Ambition Institute reported on teacher CPD, calling on the government to invest in a new training entitlement for teachers. “A career-long ‘golden thread’ of recognised qualifications. This should be free for all teachers,” as they explained it.

The aim was “to generate a common body of knowledge and effectively serve as a training ‘passport’, from career entry through to leadership.”

In other school news, the government appointed new advisers to help with its breakfast club scheme and announced more advisers to help extend its regional improvement RISE programme.

Ofqual released a new 3-year strategy, and its boss issued the traditional eve-of-exam season guidance and support notice for school and college leaders.

And to round off a busy week for schools, consultation closed at the start of the week on Ofsted’s proposed inspection reforms with key players calling on the Education Secretary ‘to delay proposals to take the time to get change right.’

“We believe the proposed new system will continue to have a detrimental impact on the wellbeing of education staff and hence on students’ school experience, they argued.”

It’ll be interesting to see what flexibilities emerge in the coming weeks.

In FE this week, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) outlined a long list of recommendations for tackling the growing numbers of young people not in employment, education or training (NEET.)

NEET figures hit 13.4% at the start of the year, up 1.3% on the previous year. The next figures are due out in a few weeks’ time but as the BCC reported, “the longer we leave this pool of talent to drift away from the workplace the harder it becomes for them to engage.”

It called on employers to have more proactive and supportive policies for recruiting 16 – 24 year olds and for the government to widen the youth guarantee and invest in a framework of support for young people.

Ultimately the growing numbers of young people needing support adds to the urgency of the NAO’s concerns about FE teacher numbers.

Elsewhere, the AELP highlighted the challenges around post-16 High Needs provision in a new blog. In a word, “despite rising demand, High Needs funding has not kept pace with inflation or the increasing complexity of students' needs.”

It called for a more structured and long-term investment system.

In HE this week, the Russell Group published its report into how countries such as Germany and Canada go about funding and managing R/D.

Undertaken by the consultancy PwC, the report highlights the importance of balancing key objectives in each country’s approach. “Each country needs to decide to what extent the funding system is designed to build broad-based capacity as opposed to driving and incentivising research excellence.”

Key themes for the UK appear to be the importance of block grant funding, incentivising engagement with industry and implementing efficient funding mechanisms.

The Office for the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) published its latest annual report pointing to a further rise - the ninth in a row - in student complaints over the year.

Most cases centred around academic appeals or service issues, particularly when linked to issues around career progression and from individuals facing mental health and other issues.

And also on students, Wonkhe and the research agency Cibyl reported a mixed picture from their latest polling on student health and health care.

To take just one statistic “while 61 per cent of students report “good” or “very good” health (compared to 82 per cent in the general population), a full 32 per cent describe their health as merely “fair” – nearly two and a half times the rate in the general population.”

A key issue appears to be the availability or otherwise of accessible health services.

The House of Commons Library Service had a useful briefing out on this topic this week, setting out some of the latest data in this area and what action was being taken by both government and universities in response.

Finally, in Westminster this week, the House of Lords held the Second Reading for the Children’s Welfare and Schools Bill and MPs questions at the start of the week covered familiar ground including SEND provision, school funding, online safety and HE financing but without shedding much new light.

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

The top headlines of the week:

‘No extra money for NHS staff and teacher pay rises, warns Treasury’ (Monday)
‘Teacher training recruitment target cut by 19%’ (Tuesday)
‘Labour’s pledge to hire 6,500 extra teachers in England will be a challenge, report says’ (Wednesday)
‘Schools in England urged to teach relationship violence prevention’ (Thursday)
‘V.C.s mull ‘multi-university trust’ mergers to save costs’ (Friday)

General:

Economic growth. The EY ITEM Club issued its Spring Forecast downgrading its growth projections for the UK both for this year and next, pointing to ‘global trade disruption and subsequent market disruption’ as key factors, with a ‘normal’ growth level of around 1.5% only expected by 2027.
AI adoption. The Institute of Directors (IoD) reported business leaders fairly enthusiastic about the benefits of AI but equally concerned about some of the barriers of adoption including security risks, low levels of understanding and limited staff expertise, as it published the results of its latest survey on AI among business leaders.
Online protection. The children’s commissioner raised concerns about ‘deepfake’ sexual abuse of children in a new report, calling on the government to bring in a ban on apps that use AI to generate this sort of material, along with specific legal responsibilities on developers.

More specifically ...

Schools:

Inspection proposals. Leading players wrote an open letter to the Education Secretary expressing concern about some of Ofsted’s proposed inspection reforms, including notably the report card and the grading scale, calling for any implementation to be delayed for further discussion and review.
Regulator strategy. Ofqual published a new three-year strategy built around five principles including overall stewardship and, where appropriate, strengthening of the qualification market, innovating in areas like assessment, engaging and developing systems and processes as necessary.
Pay and rations. The government indicated that if the pay review body ended up recommending a pay rise for teachers this year of around 4%, as opposed to the government’s recommended 2.8%, this would have to come out of school budgets.
Teacher workforce. The NAO reported on teacher recruitment and retention and government initiatives in this area, indicating that recruitment at secondary level in particular remains ‘a challenge’ with growing student numbers and calling on the government to publish a delivery plan for meeting its pledge of 6,500 extra teachers by the end of this parliament.
On the RISE. The government announced a big increase in the number of advisers able to support so-called ‘stuck’ schools, as part of a further expansion of the RISE (Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence) programme.
CPD. The IPPR think tank and Ambition Institute highlighted the importance of continuous professional development (CPD) for teachers in a new report, calling on government to support a new funded training entitlement built around a core set of recognised qualifications that could help raise school standards.
Quality teaching. The Education Policy Institute called for dedicated retention incentives, enhanced leadership and more professional development for those working in disadvantaged schools as it published a new commissioned report pointing to disadvantaged schools often having the least experienced teachers and leaders and facing higher turnover than other schools.
Pupil absences. FFT Education Datalab added further detail on the picture of pupil absences for the last two terms suggesting a slightly improving story but with unauthorised absences, particularly at secondary level, remaining high.
Reducing school absences. The Institute for Government examined the issue of school absences suggesting that the cross-sectoral approach adopted by the Blair government could serve as a model and calling for much greater partnership working and the setting of a formal public goal for improvement.
Exams 2025. The boss of Ofqual sent out the traditional eve-of-exam season letter to school and college leaders setting out the expectations, guidance and support available this year and reminding them of a few specifics around tech and voc qualifications.
A level Economics. The Bank of England announced a new partnership programme with the University of Manchester to help beef up economics teaching in schools by offering funded training to deliver A level Economic alongside their core subject
Numeracy. Exam board AQA reported on the recent parliamentary reception for its proposed new numeracy ‘test’ which will encourage students to develop everyday numeracy skills which can then be assessed via a numeracy app.
Children’s reading. The Publishers Association set out what it called ‘some key steps’ on reversing the decline of children’s reading for pleasure, calling in a new report for the government to collect data on school library provision and for reading for enjoyment to be prioritised in the curriculum.
Private school fees. The i-newspaper reported that many parents with children in private schools were bracing themselves for a further fee increase ahead of the next school year which could see fees in some cases up by 20% in the space of 12 months.
Violence among children. The Youth Endowment Fund pointed in a new report to a growing trend of violence among children in different settings, putting forward a number of recommendations for education to help tackle this including setting up a joint strategy, creating a designated training grant and refocusing Pupil Premium funding.
School uniform. The government confirmed that as part of its current Schools Bill, schools will be formally limited to just three branded unform items per pupil, potentially saving families some £50 a year.
Moving to big school. The Early Years Alliance announced the launch of a costed toolkit and practical resources to help early years providers support children as they prepare to make their transition to school.
Early years. Ofsted reported on its recent research into the work of early years practitioners with case study evidence of how they support toddlers and young children as part of the early years foundation stage (EYFS,) highlighting the importance of the key person role and of practitioners holding requisite qualifications.
On the Wrack. The NASUWT re-opened nominations for its post of general secretary following a high court ruling brought by two claimants challenging the legality of the and appointment of Matt Wrack to the post.

FE/Skills:

Teacher workforce. The NAO published its report into teacher recruitment and retention pointing to particular challenges facing FE with growing student numbers and poorly paid staff, calling for a review of the FE workforce model to assess how far it’s fit for purpose.
NEET opportunities. The British Chambers of Commerce called on employers to confront skill shortages by taking on more young people and for the government to widen the youth guarantee to include all 16 – 24 yr olds, as it published a new report on tackling the growing number of young people not in employment, education or training (NEETs.)
Post-16 High Needs. AELP highlighted the growing numbers of post-16 learners with high and often more complex needs, calling in a new blog for ‘a fairer and more consistent’ funding formula for post-16 High Needs generally.
Who does what in the skills sector. AELP published a handy guide on who does what in the skills sector, explaining each of the five main oversight bodies including the newly formed Skills England, along with a listing of key organisations and their functions as well as useful acronyms.
EuroSkills. WorldSkills UK announced the team that will head to Denmark this September to take part in the EuroSkills competition ahead of next year’s ‘skills Olympics’ in China.

HE:

Comparative research. The Russell Group reported on its commissioned research into how other countries go about R/D and what lessons there might be for the UK, pointing among other things to the importance of performance-based block grant funding, collaboration with industry and system efficiencies.
Annual report. The Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) published its annual report for 2024 showing an increase in complaints received over the year, often from more vulnerable students, and largely around academic appeals and some service issues.
Student health. Wonkhe reported on the results of its latest polling along with the agency Cibyl on student health issues, revealing a pretty mixed picture with many students finding the student experience quite challenging with mental health, academic and cost of living pressures all referenced and with health support not always readily available.
Student mental health. The House of Commons Library Service published a briefing on student mental health in England indicating a growing upward trend leading to impacts on academic performance, dropout rates and likely self-harm, but pointing also to a growth in government policy and university support in this area.
Partnership working. The Russell Group published a briefing along with case study evidence of how its members are working with local employer and regional bodies, including some colleges, to help address local skill needs.
Student tutoring. Lee Elliot Major reported on how the University of Exeter had developed a ‘pioneering’ tutoring programme in which student tutors used course placements to deliver basic literacy support to local schools, helping raise attainment and strengthen connections between the university and local schools.
Digi skills. The OU and Institute of Coding advertised their free ‘Click Start’ programme that will run until the end of this September, offering a mix of online learning and expert webinars covering cyber, coding and AI skills, and aimed particularly at filling digital skills gaps for 18-35 year olds.

Tweets and posts of note:

“Non-uniform day on the hottest day of the year so far, so this morning's mantra has been "does that skirt get any longer? It needs to be knee-length" -@MBDscience.
“I once thought I could write songs and then I studied everything by Bob Dylan and Lennon/McCartney. I felt the same way when I first saw an expertly constructed, properly sequenced curriculum. Curriculum design is really difficult and we shouldn’t expect teachers to do it on the fly any more than we should expect them to write ‘Abbey Road’ every week” -@C_Hendrick.
“It's against human rights to prevent children going to the toilet, when they're adults, regardless of their job they can go whenever they want" My last opportunity to use the facilities expired at 08:30 this morning. My next won't arrive until 13:30 this afternoon” -@MBDscience.
“Asking kids to be quiet for two minutes, 3 or 4 times a day is not unreasonable. It should be up to schools to run their behaviour systems the way they want. If they want silent corridors, that’s fine. And fine if not. There is no controversy here” -@tombennett71.
“I went to a Quaker boarding school and we did multiple minutes of silence multiple times a day so can confirm it is possible for teens to not speak sometimes” -@EmSilverwood91.
“Important breakthrough for plain English against pompous officialese, I just heard the recorded announcement at Charing Cross station saying my train HAS 10 coaches rather than “is formed of” 10 coaches” -@David_Goodhart.

A selection of quotes that merit attention:

“As for the pay recommendations, we will look at them and we will respond in due course," – the PM clears his throat as headlines report the pay review body recommending a higher than budgeted pay rise for teachers this year.
“I look forward to working with everyone to improve the safeguarding of children and I will do everything I possibly can to make a positive difference in this role” – Sir David Holmes on being appointed as the new Chair of the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel.
“People will be able to take more control of their education, to learn, retrain or refresh their skills at a time of their choosing” – the Skills Minister tries to convince universities of the importance of the Lifelong Learning Entitlement.
“Generation Z face a double whammy of increasing barriers to entering the workforce, and reducing opportunities as the number of vacancies continues to fall” – the British Chambers of Commerce reports on the NEET problem.
“I’ve always known I was terrible with numbers. But it wasn’t until I was older that I realised just how much my fear of them had shaped my life” – National Numeracy ambassador Denise Welsh ahead of next month’s Big Numbers Natter.
“There remains a shortage of teachers, particularly in certain subjects, disadvantaged areas and further education colleges” – the NAO reports on the teacher workforce.
“We’ve had no end of piecemeal policies but the overriding factors remain unresolved – pay levels are not competitive enough and workload and stress is driving teachers out of the profession” – ASCL responds to the NAO report on the teacher workforce.
“The proposed new system will continue to drive excessive pressure, ill-health and stress for the profession, with the very real risk of causing further, preventable deaths” – leading figures call on the government to delay proposed new Ofsted reforms.
“Ofqual will ensure that where on-screen assessment is introduced, it is in a way that is fair, proportionate and manageable, allowing space for innovation and growth while also maintaining public confidence in qualifications” – Ofqual includes digital assessment in its new corporate strategy.
"My daughter's school is really strict on the uniform. You can't get black trousers, it's got to be grey, or pleated skirts. For their shoes alone I'm looking at £60 a year, and there's three of them. That's not including blazers, PE kits or anything else” – one parent welcomes government proposals to tackle the cost of school uniform.

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

0.8%. The growth prediction for the UK this year, down from 1% previously according to the EY ITEM Club.
2.6%. Food price inflation for the year to April, an 11-month high according to the British Retail Consortium.
3,613. The number of complaints received by the Office of the Independent Adjudicator, 15% up on last year according to its latest annual report.
8,400 – 12,400. The number of additional teachers needed in FE by 2028/29, according to predictions from the NAO.
255. The number of awarding organisations regulated by Ofqual, according to its latest corporate strategy.
£260m. The funding proposed for a new training entitlement for teachers that could help raise standards, according to IPPR and the Ambition Institute.
£442. The average cost of school uniform for a secondary child, £343 for primary, according to the DfE.
£78,000. The legal costs facing the NASUWT following a high court judgement against its original general secretary appointment according to The Guardian.
20%. The number of teenage children reporting being the victims of violence last year, according to the Youth Endowment Fund.

What to look out for next week

NAHT Annual Conference 2025 (Friday 2 – Saturday 3 May)
Education Committee evidence session on the Curriculum and Assessment Review (Tuesday 6 May)
Westminster Hall Debate on the Dedicated School Grant (Tuesday 6 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.