Steve Besley's Education Eye: week ending 11 July 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:

Children and young people, SEND, teacher numbers, provision for 16-19 year olds, changing times for HE.

Virtually every aspect of education has ended up in the headlines in one shape or form this week.

Let’s start with children and young people where the realities of growing up in a family living in poverty were laid bare in a report this week from the children’s commissioner. It was a report she said that she shouldn’t have had to write in 2025.

“The findings in this work highlight real hardship; an almost-Dickensian level of poverty facing some children in England today.”

The report, aimed at the government’s Child Poverty Unit, carried heartbreaking testimony from children growing up in difficult conditions.

It put forward a number of recommendations around housing, health, transport and education including, significantly, “scrapping the two-child limit, and a commitment to a ‘triple-lock’ for uprating all child-related benefits.”

The government, to be fair, has started to put systems in place for tackling poverty and inequality among families with its extension of free school meals and child care.

And this week it brought much of it together in the shape of a new, longer-term strategy: ‘Best Start in Life.’

Building on the previous Sure Start model and aiming among other things ‘to restore crumbling family services for the next generation,’ its been welcomed by the Association of Directors of Children’s Services among others.

“I will not stand by and watch while the system drifts on and opportunities to lift the life chances of our children are missed,” the Education Secretary declared.

Next schools and SEND, where debate sharpened this week over whether the government was looking to scrap individual pupil Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) in favour of more inclusive school provision as part of planned reforms.

It’s a difficult debate to be having at a difficult time as the NAHT recognised.

“Any reforms in this space,” it said, “will likely provoke strong reactions,” while former Education Secretary David Blunkett called on the government to tread carefully. “It’s absolutely clear that the government will need to do this with incredible sensitivity and with a recognition it’s going to be a bumpy road.”

Leading charities and the Chair of the Education Committee have been among others this week calling on the government not to take such a ‘drastic’ step while the Shadow Education Secretary told MPs that “parental anxiety was going through the roof.”

With the debate rumbling on, the i-newspaper looked at how other countries do it.

In Finland where 9% of students receive some support, SEND pupils stay in mainstream schools with a learning plan. The Netherlands, which has a growing list, expects schools to make provision or offer alternatives. Germany, which also has growing numbers, uses a dual system of mainstream provision and dedicated special schools. France has specialist teams operating alongside mainstream teachers while the highly rated Ontario system has a dedicated funding stream which is ring fenced for schools who then create specialist learning plans for SEND pupils.

On to teacher numbers, a regular topic, with the Public Accounts Committee issuing its report into the matter this week and taking the government to task over its much-publicised pledge to recruit 6,500 more teachers over the course of this parliament.

“The Department could give us no clear explanation of how the pledge was calculated or how it will fill existing teacher gaps – it estimates a need for 8,400 to 12,400 more teachers in colleges alone by 2028–29.”

It reckoned the government should consider working conditions, flexi-working and pay to help boost numbers.

ASCL agreed. “We completely agree with the PAC that the government should examine whether simply improving pay and working conditions would be the best route to solving teacher shortages.”

Will falling pupil numbers in some parts of the country help?

It’s certainly behind some of the slowdown in the recruitment market this year according to a report from Teacher Tapp and School Dash report this week.

Based on data when the ‘transfer market’ closed at the end of May, they reported secondary job adverts down by 36% this year, primary schools looking to merge classes or use senior teachers more, and recruitment of technicians also down.

According to School Dash, “ these trends are caused by a combination of constrained school budgets, the prospect of falling school rolls, loose labour markets elsewhere in the economy, and an 'echo' effect arising from historically low school staff turnover during the pandemic in 2020-22.”

In other school news, this week saw the release of the latest SATs results.

Provisional at this stage with further confirmation to follow in September and December, they showed 62% of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. Up slightly on last year but still below the 65% of the pre-pandemic year of 2019

Cue familiar lines of congratulation but also calls for SATs reform. “These are demanding one-size-fits-all tests, and it would be better to move to a system of personalised assessments using the type of adaptive testing technology which is readily available,” in the words of ASCL.

The government seized the moment to issue a detailed practical guide on teaching writing to primary school children and to declare 2026 a National Year of Reading.

This follows a recent report from the National Literacy Trust showing that the percentage of children and young people saying that they enjoyed reading had fallen to its lowest level in 20 years.

‘Get off your phone and start reading with your kids’ was the message from the Education Secretary. You’ll enjoy it and the children will learn so much. Sherlock Holmes and Poirot, apparently, were her favourites growing up. Detective novels may help in Westminster.

And finally in a busy week for schools, the NFER gave the Free School programme a general thumbs up.

In research with Manchester Met, they concluded that “their impact has generally been positive over a wide range of pupil outcomes including KS4 attainment, secondary school absence, KS5 participation, and university enrolment.”

The National Governance Association laid out some of the many challenges facing school and trust governors in their latest annual survey. Peppered with words like ‘tension,’ ‘pressure,’ ‘stress.’

And Ofsted announced a series of autumn briefings to help providers prepare for the new inspection regime due in from November. Cart before horse, said NAHT.

On to FE, where with Youth Employment Week in full swing, the theme has been young people and how best to support them.

The Education Policy Institute waded in on the messy state of provision for 16-19 year olds across the UK.

“Policy churn, fragmented pathways, and a lack of sustained focus from policymakers have created confusion for young people, entrenched inequalities, and raised serious concerns among employers,” they argued in a new report.

They called for another big heave on creating a more coherent system of provision for 16-19 year olds with, in particular, an urgent review of apprenticeship participation as well as FE staff pay.

Other think tanks have been adding their thoughts.

The Institute for the Future of Work and EY Foundation examined ways of motivating young people while the IPPR called for a range of measures to help prepare young people for work and life.

It pointed, for instance, to a drop in the number of 18-24 year olds undertaking work experience these days leaving many unprepared for the world of work. Employability skills, apprenticeships and enrichment activities were among the familiar remedies suggested.

Finally, HE which has seen a lot of white coats out this week diagnosing the strengths and future health of the sector and offering their prognosis.

Most of the concerns resolve around finances as PA Consulting reported in its annual survey of vice-chancellors published this week.

Over 70% of the respondents in the survey pointed to ‘the balancing of rising costs with shrinking revenues as their greatest concern.’ This echoes the recent findings from London Economics.

Standard remedies were being adopted, sharing services, developing new market opportunities and so on but the fear of institutional failure remains high.

On a more positive note, Unite Students’ latest survey of this year’s applicants also published this week, pointed to what it called “encouraging signs of recovery” among students at least.

Mental health, wellbeing, a sense of belonging, all on the up, albeit largely driven by a feelgood factor among international students, although loneliness remains an issue for some.

Staying with the upbeat at least, UPP Foundation brought together its recent work on access and participation in a final report this week.

“We must move from a narrow focus on access to a comprehensive approach that supports students through their entire journey and beyond.”

A ‘triple lock’ including “a gap of no more than 10 percentage points between the highest and lowest regional HE participation rates,” upgraded maintenance support and a greater focus on what happens to graduates three-five years after they’ve left were among its recommendations.

And in similar vein, Wonkhe published the latest report from its Post-18 Project, arguing that the current structure for students is out of date and needs a new model.

“Student communities have become more diverse – in background, experience, and need – but our systems haven’t kept pace,” they argued.

They put forward a list of ten entitlements, such as the right to earn while you learn and the right to a liveable minimum income, around which the student experience for f/t students in the UK should be built.

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

The top headlines of the week:

‘SEND units in mainstream schools set to replace individual care plans for children’ (Monday)
‘SATs results 2025: slight increases across the board’ (Tuesday)
‘DfE lacks ‘coherent plan’ to boost teacher recruitment’ (Wednesday)
‘School suspensions rise to nearly a million in England’ (Thursday)
‘School budgets slide further into the red’ (Friday)

General:

Fiscal risks. The OBR highlighted some of the risks to the country’s public finances including the burgeoning scale of public borrowing and the growing costs associated with pensions and climate change, as it published its 2025 ‘Fiscal risks and sustainability’ report concluding that the UK’s public finances remained in “a relatively vulnerable position.”
Early Years. The government announced plans to enhance early years services and provision under a new Best Start in Life strategy that over time will see the creation of Family Hubs and digital service across the country along with extended childcare, enhanced early years provision and even a Best Start in Life Champion.
Children’s social care. The Education Committee published its report into children’s social care calling among other things for a National Care Offer with funding, intervention and a workforce strategy involving pay and training.
Child poverty. The children’s commissioner pointed to ‘Dickensian levels’ of poverty as she published new research intended for the government’s upcoming Child Poverty Strategy, highlighting examples of children suffering from cold, hunger and insecurity, calling for auto-enrolment for free school meals, free bus travel for school-age children, and a triple lock on child benefits.

More specifically ...

Schools:

KS2 SATs. The government published provisional results for this year’s KS2 SATs, indicating an increase in the numbers of pupils meeting expected standards across all subjects compared to last year.
Governors View. The National Governance Association published its latest annual survey among school and trust governors, finding a pretty bleak set of views on current issues such as funding, SEND, staff workloads and safeguarding and calling among other things for further investment, urgent SEND reform and an understanding of the extended roles schools now undertake.
SEND. Leading practitioners and campaigners called in an open letter for the government not to scrap education, health and care plans (EHCPs) for SEND pupils, arguing that any such move would deny opportunities to vulnerable children and reflect poorly on society generally.
SEND training. Labour MP Nesil Caliskan presented his Bill calling for dedicated training to be established for those working with special needs in schools with a Second Reading of the Bill set for 12 September.
Teacher numbers. The Public Accounts Committee issued its report into teacher shortages arguing that the government was unlikely to hit its declared target of an extra 6,500 teachers, especially in colleges and appeared unsure how this would be measured, calling for the government to look at pay and flexible working conditions as ways forward.
Teacher recruitment and retention. Teacher Tapp and School Dash published their latest annual report into teacher R and R in England, pointing to demand slowing in some regions for primary teachers as pupil numbers fell, reduced activity this year around secondary teacher recruitment and some concerns remaining around retention.
Inspection briefings. Ofsted announced plans to run a full programme of briefings from September to help providers familiarise themselves with the new inspection regime.
Free schools. The NFER in partnership with Manchester Met University published research on the Free Schools model introduced originally in 2010, concluding that these had had ‘a positive outcome on pupil outcomes at secondary,’ lowering absence and raising attainment generally.
Children’s reading. The government joined forces with the National Literacy Trust to declare 2026 as a National Year of Reading, calling on parents, schools, families, libraries to work together and help develop a love of reading among children, with the government promising additional funds where necessary.
Children’s writing. The government published new non-statutory guidance for primary schools and others to support the teaching of writing through from reception to KS2, bringing together an extensive range of principles, practices and procedures that could help.
EdTech. The Education Endowment Foundation reported on recent research into potential benefits from EdTech use in schools, listing nine features, including integration, access and adaptability, evident in effective interventions.
Absence rates. FFT Education Datalab looked into the relationship between absence in Yr 6 and Yr 7 given this is one of the areas the government is keen to monitor, concluding from latest data that pupils with a high absence rate in Yr 6, especially the more disadvantaged, tend to replicate this in Yr 7.

FE/Skills:

Post-16 provision. The Education Policy Institute and SKOPE rounded off their work on post-16 provision across the UK, conjuring up a pretty messy picture of varying pathways, often difficult to navigate and leading to variable outcomes notably in Wales, calling as a result for urgent reviews of apprenticeship systems, data collection and FE pay.
Youth opportunities. The IPPR think tank called for an expanded youth guarantee, apprenticeship targets for young people and a national youth strategy as it highlighted, in a new report, the plight of young people, particularly those from poorer areas, finding it harder than ever to access jobs and opportunities.
Work and young people. The Institute for the Future of Work and the EY Foundation looked in the first of two planned reports at the challenges facing young people, especially those from low-income backgrounds, as they contend with changing modes of study, work and life, highlighting the importance of targeted support and motivation to avoid being left behind.
Digital sector jobs. The government published its latest estimated picture of employment in the digital sector last year, showing an overall fall in filled jobs following a period of growth, with the largest decreases evident in computer programming and consultancy, publishing and telecoms.
Business innovation. The AoC published a new report on how colleges are working with employers on business innovation, finding most acknowledging the importance of such work but still largely limited by funding and reach, calling among other things for multi-year funding cycles and enhanced innovation hubs.
Personalised learning. City and Guilds announced a new partnership with the digital cognitive and assessment body, Cognassist, with the aim of supporting more accessible and personalised learning pathways.
Annual report and accounts. The ECITB issued its report and accounts for 2024, running through the key highlights and progress made across its three strategic pillars of strengthening its foundations, growing a skilled workforce, and supporting industry in transition, but facing a likely deficit as it drafts its next 3-year strategy for 2025 on.

HE:

The view from here. PA Consulting published its latest annual survey of vice-chancellors and how they see things, with the majority of the 40 respondents suggesting they’re facing ‘an unprecedented range of threats’ from falling student demand to rising costs, resulting in leaders having to adopt changed practices in areas like recruitment, institutional strengths and market opportunities.
2025 students. Unite Students and HEPI published their Index of how this year’s applicants feel across a range of issues, reporting a more positive picture than in recent years with optimism, wellbeing and financial confidence all on the up but loneliness remaining a concern for many.
Widening participation. The UPP Foundation set out a new mission for widening participation as it published the final report from its extensive Inquiry into access and participation, highlighting continuing inequalities in places and calling among other things for a 50% progression floor for 18/19 yr olds across all regions.
Student survey. The OfS published the outcomes from its latest National Student Survey (NSS,) incorporating a wide range of data ranging from provider type to student characteristics but pointing to an increasingly more upbeat picture.
Student experience. Wonkhe argued for a new model to enshrine the student experience as it published the latest report from its Post-18 Project, listing ten entitlements including flexible working, affordable housing and a liveable income, that could form a new, more balanced framework for students.

Tweets and posts of note:

“Schools ban children from playing outside during heatwaves. Oh for goodness sake!! How on earth did we ever survive the 70s 80s & 90s? Not to mention the centuries before… this direction of travel is ruining the resilience of our kids. Hats & water” -@sharrond62.
“I’m not posting percentages as I don’t think the world needs to know but our children have SMASHED it out of the park with their SATs. Lots of individual wins! So proud of them” -@missrogers1793.
“Another tiny point from the new writing framework: they have wrongly defined an 'adverbial'. The point is that (according to grammarians) yes it can be a single word or phrase but it's also a clause, as with 'when I go out, I wear a hat.' ('when I go out') Nul points guys” -@MichaelRosenYes.
“At the age of 12, my handwriting got me into so much trouble at school that I started again, and since then, I have basically just printed” -@dylanwiliam.
“There’s no tired quite like two-weeks-to-go tired, is there? Just holding on until the finish line -@Headteacherchat.
“The curriculum and assessment review is dealing with 'dilemmas' over the volume of GCSE assessment and concerns over 'overburdening', its chair has told MPs” -@SchoolsWeek.
“Special needs situation is lose, lose, lose, says Keir Starmer | The Times” -@schoolsontap.
“My flight from Glasgow to Gibraltar has been cancelled. Now I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place” -@robertwlk.
“My wife and I are going to quit our jobs and travel until we run out of money. I estimate we'll be home around 9 pm tonight” -@wadelentz.

A selection of quotes that merit attention:

“I’m pretty much in tears after nearly 15 years trying to introduce some rationality into the fiscal debate” – a frustrated Paul Johnson as he departs his role at the IfS.
“Government borrowing costs have risen across the world and are now higher in the UK than in any other major advanced economy” – the OBR publishes what some headlines describe as an ‘apocalyptic’ Fiscal Risks report for 2025.
“Universities face greater threats than ever before, with vice-chancellors suggesting that the scope of threats and uncertainties are unprecedented” -PA Consulting reports on its latest survey of vice-chancellors.
“I am concerned that the government’s ‘build it and they will come’ approach will not generate sufficient demand for this new model” – University Alliance responds to the government’s updates on the Lifelong Learning Entitlement.
“For me, we’ve probably reached the end of the line for the straightforward research essay and in my future courses I’ll be looking to introduce more in-class work and more alternative assessments, rather than asking questions that can simply be fed into the AI machine” – lecturers reflect in the Times Higher about the impact of AI.
“Our report makes clear that government should be exploring conditions and pay as value for money measures alongside the other recruitment and retention initiatives it is carrying out” – The Public Accounts Committee reports on teacher numbers.
“Ofsted is increasingly looking like a ship ploughing ahead into a storm, ignoring all the weather warnings and cracked hull reports from below deck” – the NAHT responds to plans by Ofsted to run awareness sessions this autumn on its new inspection regime.
“This can’t be just a government mission. It needs to be a national one. So, it’s time for all of us to play our part, put our phones down and pick up a book” – the Education Secretary declares 2026 a National Year of Reading.
“It gives simple, practical advice for teachers and leaders about how to plan and teach writing to pupils in primary schools, from the reception year through to key stage 2” – the Education Secretary launches a new writing framework.
“This report should not have to exist. Shining a light on children’s experiences of poverty in 2025, in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, should not be necessary” – the children’s commissioner publishes a report on child poverty.

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

95% of GDP. The level of public debt, the highest since the early 1960’s and likely to rise further according to the OBR.
40%. The number of vice-chancellors surveyed concerned about the risks of multiple institutional failures and contagion effects, according to a survey from PA Consulting.
89%. The number of this year’s university applicants expecting to work alongside their studies during term-time, according to Unite Students Applicant Index.
40%. The number of 18-24 yr olds never having the opportunity to complete work experience, according to a report from IPPR.
68. The number of Big Listen actions completed so far out of 132, according to Ofsted’s latest update.
62%. The number of pupils who met the expected standard in all of reading, writing and maths in this year’s KS2 SATs, up 1.5% on last year according to latest government figures.
60%. The number of teachers expecting to stay in the profession for at least three more years, according to the latest report from Teacher Tapp and School Dash.
£2.61. The meal rate paid by the government for free school meals from this September, up 3p according to government figures.
21%. The increase on the previous year in the number of pupil suspensions in schools in England last year, according to latest government statistics.
18.3%. The persistent absence rate across schools in England this year, according to latest government statistics.
72%. The percentage of families who rated the quality of childcare as good, according to latest government research into childcare.
10,515. The number of people, including school children, who participated in an open cookery lesson across multiple sites last week on the theme of pasta, hosted by Jamie Oliver and becoming a world cookery record according to Guinness World Records.

Everything else you need to know ...

What to look out for in the next couple of weeks:

Chancellor’s Mansion House speech (Tuesday 15 July)
Institute for the Future of Work publishes its 2025 ‘Good Work Monitor’ (Tuesday 15 July)
Westminster Hall debate on government support for FE institutions (Wednesday 16 July)
Meeting of APPG on FE and Lifelong Learning (Wednesday 16 July)

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.