Steve Besley's Education Eye: week ending 06 February 2026

What's happened this week?

Important stories across the board:

The ballooning SEND budget and Lords support for a smartphone ban. Youth employment and FE initial teacher training. Graduate tax or not and the super-university taking shape.

Six big education stories not to miss this week.

Let’s start with schools where the week has seen a lot of Westminster-based news. Four stories in particular.

First, the government issued a rapid evidence call on screen time and usage for children in their early years, those aged 0-5.

Chief Medical Officers published advice five years ago but with debate sharpening about the whole nature and relationship between screen time and children’s development and wellbeing, the government is keen to produce clearer guidelines.

Evidence will be considered by an advisory group who will put forward guidance by 1 April.

Second, and still on the subject of smartphones, the final reading of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill takes place on Monday where the Lords amendment about a ban on smartphones during the schools day will be considered.  

Third, MPs debated educational outcomes for disadvantaged boys and young men this week, hearing some disturbing statistics from around the country with the Under-Secretary of State welcoming among other things, the new parliamentary group set up to focus on this area.

And fourth, the House of Commons Library Service published a briefing on teacher recruitment and retention in England to support recent evidence sessions. 

It contains lots of useful data covering 2024/25.

In summary, “there were around 468,000 full-time equivalent teachers in England in November 2024. The number of pupils per teacher has increased in recent years. Between 10% and 15% of newly qualified teachers left the state sector in their first year. Average teacher pay decreased by 10.4% from 2010/11 to 2022/23, and then increased by 5% to 2024/25.”

Elsewhere, the government announced a further roll out of its Free Breakfast Club scheme with more schools lined up for April and others invited to join in from this September.

As the NAHT explained “A good breakfast helps children to focus on their learning and has huge benefits for their health and wellbeing.”

SEND remained in the news this week with a bleak assessment about the costs from local councils and another set of think tank recommendations.

Not long now to the much-anticipated White Paper.

And finally, Ofqual set out its statistical work programme for this year including plans to present GCSE and A level outcomes by county. 

And for anyone still struggling to understand the new Ofsted report card system, the inspectorate has published a simple guide for users.

“In report cards, alongside the grades, you’ll see detailed descriptions of what inspectors found. This will help you understand why we’ve awarded different grades, and what it’s like to be a child or learner at that childminder, nursery, school or further education provider.”

In FE, ahead of the build up to next week’s annual National Apprenticeship Week, youth employment has continued to be a talking point.

The NIESR (National Institute of Social and Economic Research) pointed to challenges facing ‘lower-paid and younger workers’ in its latest big economic outlook for the UK while the TUC highlighted the dubious practice of ‘app’ workers, those hired through a platform with limited protections.

Others, like the Skills Federation, have been setting out their thoughts in response to the Milburn Review into NEETs. The Manufacturers’ Organisation, Make UK, for instance submitted theirs this week calling for stronger apprenticeship support and pausing the decision to lower the National Living Wage threshold to 18.

There’s no shortage of ideas for Milburn to consider but as the Edge Foundation intimated in a blog this week, the issue is to learn from past interventions and reviews and integrate rather than compete with them.

In other news, the Skills Minister confirmed plans for strengthening the quality of FE Initial Teacher Training (ITE) courses as signalled in last year’s Skills White Paper.

“The legislation that we are putting before Parliament marks the first step towards building a clear regulatory framework for FE teacher training.”

And Ofsted’s Chief Inspector outlined the new report card system for inspections in an address to the Sixth Form Colleges Association.

“As leaders of sixth form colleges, report cards are a chance to showcase your strengths. To have your varied and brilliant work recognised and celebrated, not flattened.”

In HE, debate about the student loans system and in particular the impact of repayments under the Plan 2 model, has continued

The Chancellor last week described the student loans system as ‘fair and reasonable’ while Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis called on her to have a rethink.

"I do not think it is a moral thing for you to do to be freezing the repayment threshold in this way," he argued.

The NUS said “surely Reeves should be looking for a solution rather than doubling down on a broken system?” It put forward ten reasons for why the current system was unfair.

There seem to be no easy answers.

In a blog this week, HEPI director Nick Hillman reckoned there were just three options available.

Keep the balance under wraps, introduce some tweaks to reduce the debt or lower the repayment threshold so more gets paid back quicker.

The problem is, he went on to say, none of those options is pain free.

“The first option seems unwise, the second seems unaffordable and the third seems unpalatable. All three seem unfair.”

Talk of a graduate tax, accordingly, have grown louder all week.

The Times reported on the case for it and Wonkhe’s Jim Dickinson set out the context and options.

“Crucially, a graduate tax could spur interest and involvement from successful graduates in the continuing success of higher education, rather than the current burning resentment prompted by the psychology of debt.”

The Independent thought another U-turn might be on the cards. Either way, with the continuing importance of the cost of living, it’s a story unlikely to go away.

Elsewhere, the Universities of Kent and Greenwich confirmed further details of their proposed merger, constituting what’s already been dubbed the UK’s first ‘super university.’

“A truly significant moment for the sector, which we hope could provide a blueprint for other institutions in the future,” according to the VC at Greenwich.

Key appointments and governors should be in place in the next few months with the new group formally constituted from 1 August this year.

The two universities will continue to operate as distinct academic units within the grouping, probably retaining their own names as such, with students able to apply to either.

Interestingly, as the Times Higher reported this week, there have been calls for the creation of an HE commissioner to support universities considering similar moves.

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

The top headlines of the week:

• ’Disabled children’s legal rights are ‘red lines’ in SEND overhaul, ministers warned’ (Monday)
• ‘Nearly half of British public want some student debt cancelled’ (Tuesday)
• ‘Greenwich and Kent announce merger to become UK’s first super-university’ (Wednesday)
• ‘Graduate tax should replace doomed student loans, says ex-watchdog’ (Thursday)
• ‘Independent group to monitor Ofsted’s impact on heads’ wellbeing’ (Friday)

General:

• Flexible working. The government launched consultation on statutory duties, rights and protections (for both employer and employee) on flexible working,  including a new ‘reasonableness test’ that could be used for all sides.
• First Tech Town. The government announced Barnsley as the trailblazer for the UK’s first Tech Town, with the government set to deploy the full ‘heft’ of AI over the next 18 months to drive better public services, jobs, skills and learning and hopefully provide a blueprint for the use of AI in the future.
• Fostering. The government set out ‘an ambitious action plan’ with an accompanying consultation to tackle the decline in foster carers and help reform the system, through enhanced regional collaboration, stronger support and simpler rules. 
• Economic Outlook. The NIESR outlined the wider economic outlook for the UK for the start of this year, suggesting ‘a more favourable’ set of conditions than previously with growth up and inflation down but with continuing concerns about increased geopolitical tensions and, domestically, about a weak labour market.
• Economic Confidence. The Institute of Directors (IoD) published its latest Economic Confidence Index pointing to what it described as ‘a chunky’ rise in confidence among business leaders in the shape of an improving picture around revenue, recruitment and investment expectations.
• Welfare 2030. The Centre for Social Justice produced a flurry of headline grabbing figures, such as the number of people for whom benefits now exceed wages, as it launched a major new enquiry into welfare reform.

HE:

• Student loans concerns. HEPI director, Nick Hillman, blogged about the issues surrounding the Plan 2 student loan model, putting forward three options for tackling the concerns, including changing the repayment threshold or covering up balance details, before concluding that none would fully satisfy all sides.
• Reasons not to be cheerful. The NUS listed ten reasons as to why the current student loan model is unfair including the fact that the poorest face the greatest debt burden, the parental earnings threshold has been frozen for nearly two decades, and interest rates make it impossible to reduce the debt.
• University merger. The Universities of Kent and Greenwich confirmed the arrangements for their ‘super-university’ merger, announced last autumn and due to be formally established from this August and likely to be known as the London and South East University Group. 
• Research and Innovation. The Chief Exec of UKRI, Ian Chapman, spelt out in an open letter the current situation around UKRI based research funding, acknowledging concerns but equally the need to make savings under the Science and Technologies Council finances but pointing to a rising budget for research and innovation generally over the coming months.
• LLE coming. Rose Stephenson, Director of Policy at HEPI, examined the build up to the onset of the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) due in a year’s time, suggesting that there was still some way to go with levels of awareness remaining low, regulation needing to be confirmed and system navigation established.

Tweets and posts of note:

• “It is increasingly clear that the careless mass introduction of 1:1 devices (on each kid's desk) in the 2010s was, at best, a waste of billions that could have been spent on teachers. At worst: a major cause of declining ed outcomes” -@JonHaidt.
• “Shout out to the one teacher at every school who is the sole reason why the ‘managing difficult conversations’ INSET for middle leaders exists” -@UnofficialOA.
• “Speaking of teaching: It is bad enough to reinvent the wheel. What really hurts is when they reinvent the flat tire. (Lee Shulman)” -@New_Old_Paul.
• “A student emailed me yesterday to say that had to miss a test because a stomach bug was causing her to spew stuff from "both north and south" and apologized in case it was "TMI." I'd just like it to be known to all students out there that that is indeed TMI” -@PAHoyeck.
• “Just found a chocolate orange, left over from christmas, that I'd forgotten about. This has improved my monday by around 100%” -@The Jemma Zone.

A selection of quotes that merit attention:

• “The UK economy begins 2026 in a state closer to normal than at any other point this decade, despite heightened geopolitical stress” the opening line from the NIESR’s latest economic outlook.
• “Once a lynchpin of British manufacturing in the last Industrial Revolution, Barnsley is now stepping forward to lead the next one” – the Tech Secretary declares Barnsley as the UK’s first Tech Town.
• “We are introducing a ‘reasonableness test’ which means employers must accept statutory flexible working requests that are reasonable and feasible. It will come in to force in 2027” – the government launches consultation on improving access to flexible working.
• “It is terrible practice of all governments, to fail to be upfront about what Student Loan terms are seen as ‘fixed’ and what are ‘variable” – Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis tackles the current debate around student loans.
• “We went to university, signed a complex contractual agreement with the Student Loans Company, and now that loan is a political football impacting our bank balances each month” – the NUS add their voice to the debate about student loans
• “Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance” – the five stages of grief involved in integrating AI into university teaching and assessment according to the THES’s Campus briefing.
• “Today marks the moment when we start to turn things around for the next generation” – leading organisations call on MPs to back the Second Reading of the Bill to scrap the two-child limit. 
• “They are the future, which is why we must halt these damaging and nonsensical plans” – David Cameron urges fellow peers to vote against proposed reforms to Academies and Free Schools in the Schools Bill.
• “The expected standard is what we think every childcare provider, school and college should be doing. We expect a lot for this grade, as it is what every child should be getting” – Ofsted publishes a guide to its new grading system.
• “Platforms will be required to implement effective age verification systems — not just check boxes, but real barriers that work,” – the Spanish Prime Minister sets out plans to ban under 16s from social media.

Everything else you need to know ...

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

• National Apprenticeship Week (Monday 9 – Sunday 15 February)
• Westminster Hall debate on the Impact of screen time on young children (Tuesday 10 February)
• Education Committee evidence session on Early Years (Tuesday 10 February)
• AoC English and maths Conference (Wednesday 11 February)
• Social Market Foundation event on ‘Fixing the SEND system’ (Wednesday 11 February)

Other stories

• Flexi working: who can, who can’t? Flexible working is hugely important to many people these days but it isn’t available to everyone. As a new consultation from government on the matter explains, “a bus driver cannot work from home, and a bar worker can’t expect to work when the bar is closed.” But what if flexible working is possible in your workplace but not just for you? In its new consultation out this week, the government is proposing a ‘reasonableness test.’ In effect this is built around the eight criteria that can be used by an employer to reject a request or an employee to argue for one. So what are these eight criteria? They include: extra costs that will damage the business; work that can’t be reorganised around other staff; it could have a detrimental impact on quality and on performance. A link to the full list can be found at the start of the consultation here.
  
  
• Pulling a Sickie. Apparently Monday this week was National Sickie Day, the day statistically when most workers are likely to call in sick. According to National Today, which marks different days in the year -yesterday for instance was National Shower with a Friend Day – the first Monday in February is when many workers feel down, if not downright ill. Either way, Mondays remain the most popular day for ringing in sick and the site goes on to point out ‘5 of the worst sickie excuses used,’ in case anybody needs to avoid them. It can all be found here.

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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.