Steve Besley's Education Eye: week ending 13 February 2026

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:

Among the top headlines this week, the government announced ‘an ambitious 10-year plan for school and college buildings’ and pledged to write off 90% of council SEND deficits for this year. The British Chambers of Commerce listed five reforms ‘to make the apprenticeship system fit for the 21^st c’ while the Chair of the NEETs Review said ‘we’re going to hell in a handcart here’ when it comes to youth unemployment. And in HE, the number of student complaints went up again last year and ministers warned universities about the dangers of foreign interference.

Elsewhere it’s been an important week in the education calendar with National Apprenticeship Week, Children’s Mental Health Week and Safer Internet Day all occurring and generating important reflections.

Here’s a run through of some of the details.

Let’s start with schools, and government plans to get to grips with the long running tales of leaky roofs and crumbly concrete in school and college buildings by launching ‘‘a decade of national renewal for the education estate.”

Complaints about years of under investment in school and college buildings have been running for a long time and it has been one of the priorities for the Education Committee which published the results of its Inquiry this week.

Its main call was for “a whole‑estate, long‑term investment strategy that prioritises the most at‑risk schools and provides clear timelines to parents, pupils, staff and governors.”

Arguably the new Estates Strategy meets that call.

Apparently there are some 2,800 Responsible Bodies that manage school and college estates and this new Strategy is promising a chunk of education capital, £38bn over the next three years, to help improve things.

It’ll start this month with new standards, funding allocations and the creation of better space in schools, and end in 2029 with the promise that “every school and college in England that is not being fully or substantially rebuilt will be RAAC-free, and every school needing to be rebuilt through the School Rebuilding Programme will be in delivery.”

Unions were supportive. As the NAHT said ‘RAAC remediation cannot happen quickly enough.’

Still on the money and to the relief of many, the government also this week pledged to pay 90% of councils’ current accumulated SEND deficits, as part of its Final Local Government Finance Settlement.

“A very welcome and crucial step,” the County Councils Network said, no doubt breathing a sigh of relief as it faced what the Policy Exchange reported this week could have been tabs of over £5bn additional spending.

As outlined in last year’s Budget, SEND costs will be covered under the government’s books from 2028/29. Up till then, the government will ‘take an appropriate and proportionate approach, though it will not be unlimited.’

Another week and more on phone bans but from a different perspective this time.

It seems that dealing with phone bans in schools is taking up a lot of staff time and becoming ‘a huge drain’ on resources.

That was what researchers at Birmingham University found, reckoning that some schools were having to spend over 100 hours a week dealing with it all.

Not only that, it wasn’t clear that bans helped improve student wellbeing.

“The high proportions of teacher time spent managing phone use or phone related behaviours during the school day, is potentially being diverted away from other types of wellbeing promoting activities, such as pastoral support or extra-curricular activities.”

Ofsted may need to read the research given their role now in policing such policies.

And talking of bans and behaviour, new research from the NFER this week looking into teacher retention found that yes, pay helps, but so too does pupil behaviour.

Not everyone who says they’re going to leave does so it seems.

In fact NFER reckoned that 86% who said they would leave didn’t do so in the following year but if you want teachers to stay, pupil behaviour and leadership support go a long way in helping.

“Teachers working in schools with good pupil behaviour and support to deal with disruptive behaviour are more likely to stay,” they reported.

Unions agreed.

“This research,” ASCL wrote, “underlines the fact that even a small increase in challenging behaviour from some pupils can have a big impact on the lives of teachers and school leaders

In FE, the latest National Apprenticeship Week has had to jostle for space among more dramatic headlines but there’s been plenty to report.

The government led the way with two announcements at the start of week.

One on speeding up the approval process and developing short courses to meet employer needs and the other on piloting a ‘a university clearance-style system’ for those who don’t get their first choice and are not sure how to proceed.

“Slashing bureaucracy so we can train people faster in the industries where they’re needed most,” as the Secretary of State confirmed.

A more flexible, more responsive system always has an attractive ring to it and indeed was one the five recommendations listed in its apprenticeship reform paper by the British Chambers of Commerce this week but where as ever, the challenge with such rule changes is not to compromise quality or learner need.

The challenge was spelt out by the Sutton Trust. “These (changes) shouldn’t just come at the cost of filling short term demand; they should also deliver the skills that young people need to benefit their careers in the longer term.”

There’ve been plenty of other useful contributions this week.

The manufacturers’ organisation, Make UK, called on the government ‘to commit to a Skills Investment Pledge,’ making sure in effect that money raised through the Growth and Skills Levy as well as the Immigration Skills Charge was ringfenced on developing UK workforce needs.

“Ringfencing levy funds for skills would reallocate over £1bn per year (0.1% of GDP) towards workforce development and training by 2029-30,” wrote their Exec Director Rob Halfon. As the former Skills Minister, he should know.

The Gatsby Foundation pointed to its three recent reports on apprenticeships to reflect on how the system was shaping up.

“While recent reforms have strengthened quality and employer confidence, particularly through occupational standards and independent end-point assessment, completion rates remain below their previous peak, and participation patterns increasingly reflect system incentives rather than labour market need.”

And the Association of Apprentices published the results of its ‘Big’ Survey, finding ‘apprenticeships working and apprentices valuing them’ but as ever welcoming more support, time and investment.

Elsewhere, evidence gathering around NEETs and youth employment continues to build up.

The call by the cross-party Work and Pensions Committee for evidence for its Inquiry closed this week.

The Milburn Review too is busy gathering details as it prepares to issue its interim findings in a month or so.

The Centre for Young Lives published its response this week arguing that “support is fragmented, reactive, and unflexible, meaning many young people, particularly those who are economically inactive or ‘hidden NEETs’, receive little or no help.”

Many may feel that the issues are pretty well known.

Either way, Alan Milburn’s claim this week that his Review Report will not make easy reading suggests wider exposure of the issues can only help.

In HE, debate about student loans, or more particularly the interest rate on the Plan 2 loans, has continued this week with The Sunday Times leading the charge for a new campaign to end what it called ‘The Graduate Rip-Off.’

As one VC put it this week, “it is not often that the UK government is compared to loan shark, least of all in the pages of the Financial Times, but it goes to the heart of the sense of unfairness of the current student loan system.”

Many will find it helpful to read Nick Hillman’s blog this week examining the three major reviews of student funding in recent years and setting it all in context. As he explained, they offer a reminder “that some sort of major review of student finance, were one to happen, would not be guaranteed to deliver what today’s campaigners want.”

As Wonkhe Associate Editor Jim Dickinson wrote, “the walls are closing in on our doomed student loan system.”

Another talking point this week has been security, with ministers and leading figures hosting a major event for VCs and others on the dangers of foreign interference to researchers and universities generally.

“Our universities’ world-class reputation makes them a prime target for foreign states and hostile actors, who seek to erode that reputation by shaping or censoring research and teaching,” the Minister said.

The government issued initial guidance and is promising funds for a new Academic Interference Reporting Route as part of a package of measures.

National Apprenticeship Week has not gone unnoticed in HE this week, with Universities UK announcing plans to have ‘a national conversation’ with employers about how it could work with them to meet changing skill needs.

“Over the months ahead, universities across the country will be engaging to listen, to learn, and to go further in supporting businesses with the skills and innovation they need to grow and, crucially, ensure more graduates are able to access high quality jobs.”

Its aiming to come up with a ‘Future Jobs Roadmap’ which it will launch this summer.

Importantly it suggests that the HE sector as a whole is keen to demonstrate the role it can play in the skills agenda in the future.

In other news, the OIA reported another big rise in student complaints as it published its Operating Report for last year.

Half were considered not justifiable but it suggests, as the OIA explained, a sector battling to deliver against ‘financial constraints, rising student needs and heightened expectations.’

More details are likely in its Annual Report in a couple of months.

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

The top headlines of the week:

’Universities told to report foreign interference on campus to MI5’ (Monday)
‘£5bn council SEND debts to be paid off by government’ (Tuesday)
‘School phone policies in England ‘a huge drain’ on staff resources -study’ (Wednesday)
‘Study reveals the secrets to keeping teachers teaching’ (Thursday)
‘Modernise Clearing before rethinking degree applications - UCAS’ (Friday)

General:

Council funding. The government announced that councils will have 90% of their historic SEND-related deficits up to 2025/26 written off, subject to approval of a SEND local reform plan, with further details expected in the forthcoming White Paper as it published ‘a record breaking’ Finance Settlement for the next three years.
Parental guidance. The government responded to concerns that parents often find it difficult to talk to their children about harmful content online by launching a new campaign, with guidance materials and a consultation on children’s digital wellbeing, to help parents support children navigate the social media age.
Living Standards 2026. The Resolution Foundation published its latest Living Standards Outlook arguing that while this year may see a short-term boost to family incomes with the uprating of some benefits, the future remains weak with ‘sluggish wage growth, frozen tax thresholds and rising costs,’ calling for a renewed focus on growth, productivity and the cost of living.

More specifically ...

Schools:

Improving the Estate. The government promised ‘a decade of renewal’ as it published plans to renew, improve and upgrade school and college buildings through better estate management, focusing on maintenance and renewal, and rebuilding where necessary, with £38bn funding promised for the next 3 years.
Education Committee Report. The Education Committee equally called for an estate strategy as it published the results of its Inquiry into school buildings, welcoming the government’s work on remediating RAAC from schools in England but arguing that years of under investment have left many buildings in need of repair and hence in need of a strategy.
Gender guidance. The government confirmed plans to issue guidance for schools on issues of gender in the form of ‘a statutory safeguarding framework’ that would see children’s safety at the heart of any decisions, parents involved unless there was a safeguarding concern and single sex spaces protected.
RISE report. The government published emerging evidence from the first cohort of schools and advisers involved in the RISE targeted intervention programme, reporting considerable optimism from those involved in it all so far, albeit with some unease about pairing arrangements, short timelines and the lack of clarity around key roles.
Teacher R and R. The NFER published further evidence on teacher recruitment and retention suggesting that while pay is often an important factor in both recruitment and retention, time spent on dealing with behavioural issues and lesson planning also play a part.
SEND costs. The Policy Exchange think tank highlighted in a new report the growing costs to councils and local authorities of SEND support, noting that much of the rise surprisingly was in more affluent areas of the country, calling as a result for the government ‘not to delay’ in bringing forward reform proposals.
Phone policy costs. Researchers from Birmingham University reported on their recent survey showing that teachers in secondary schools in England were typically spending just over 100 hours a week managing policies to do with restricting devices during the school day.
Mobile phones. The NASUWT called for statutory restrictions and a ‘properly funded pilot’ to test out the impact of devices being locked away during the school day, arguing that the current non-statutory guidance left schools exposed and open to challenges and inconsistencies.

FE/Skills:

Apprenticeship Week announcement (1.) The government confirmed plans to speed up the approval process for apprenticeships and develop short courses to meet employer needs while helping more young people into apprenticeship programmes and able to respond to employer needs.
Apprenticeship announcement (2.) The government announced plans to pilot a new ‘university clearance-style system’ that working with employers and mayors would help direct near-miss applicants to similar opportunities nearby.
Apprenticeship reform. The British Chambers of Commerce argued that a number of reforms were needed to make apprenticeships ‘fit for the 21^st c,’ listing five in particular including reforming the Levy to allow for shorter, modular provision, seeing training investment as a benefit rather than a cost, and aligning provision more closely to Local Skills Improvement Plans.
Apprenticeship Survey. The Association of Apprentices published the findings from its ‘Big Survey’ gathered last autumn showing how highly many apprentices value their experience but equally the challenges around assessment, financial strain and time that remain for many, listing a number of priorities such as mentoring, financial support and L6/7 funding that could help improve things.
NEETs Review. The Chair of the government’s NEETs Review, Alan Milburn, called for a major review of the education and employment support systems and in particular the relationship between mental health and youth unemployment as he reported on progress towards his interim report in an interview with The Daily Telegraph.
Response to NEETs Review. The Centre for Young Lives published its response to the Milburn NEETs Review, pointing to an alarming rise in numbers and lack of coordinated support and calling as a result for earlier risk identification and intervention, targeted support at key transition points for young people and cross government support.

HE:

Foreign interference. The government highlighted the dangers of foreign interference in UKHE as it hosted a major conference and spelt out in a new briefing some of the challenges involved in such protection, the danger signs to look out for and the guidance and support was available.
I have a complaint. The Office of the Independent Adjudicator for HE published its Operating Report for 2025 showing a further rise in complaints brought by students, up by 17% on the previous year but with 50% considered not justifiable, and 20% finding in favour of the complainant.
Admissions views. UCAS launched consultation on possible change to the undergraduate application system, calling for thoughts about the number of initial choices a student can make, the firm and insurance choice, and the October and January deadlines.
Future skills. Universities UK launched a new ‘nationwide conversation’ as part of its response to this week’s National Apprenticeship Week, aiming to talk with employers and others about how universities could respond more pertinently to changing skill needs and the steps needed to meet these.
Student loans. HEPI Director Nick Hillman reflected on the three major reports in recent years that have helped set the student loans system in place, noting that they had different perspectives on interest levels and concluding that yet another formal review may well not change anything.
No more student loans. The FT examined the current student loans model in light of the current debate about inequities in the system, highlighting the extent of political tinkering that’s happened in recent years and calling ultimately for the loans system to be scrapped in favour a graduate tax.
How much? Advance HE reported on recent sector research into the potential costs to the individual, the environment, future jobs and to knowledge sources generally of generative AI, suggesting that this needs to be properly balanced and assessed before things develop much further.

Tweets and posts of note:

“Ofsted day 1 7:30am - burnt my tongue on my cup of tea 8:30pm - dropped my phone into my ketchup How’s your day been?” -@DeputyGrocott.
“A major problem with the teaching profession is that there are very few incentives to be good at your job. A teacher who is great and a teacher who is terrible will be paid the same, and the great teacher is at more risk of negative attention of they hold students accountable” -@JamesAFurey.
“Inclusion has become perhaps the most used word in education today. But what’s interesting is how many children aren’t actually ‘included’ in the conversations about inclusion - the quiet, hard working, under the radar, polite, always respectful children who just get on with it” - @RogersHistory.
“I honestly wonder sometimes whether schools should do away with reports (beyond plain results) altogether. They take up such an inordinate amount of teachers’ time and give parents next to zero useful information. P/T nights yes, they are useful. Reports no” -@mikesalter74.
“Instead of being 'pro' or 'anti', we should think of phones like cars - useful, but dangerous - and social media like alcohol - fun, but addictive” -@IGMansfield.

A selection of quotes that merit attention:

“Apprenticeships offer young people the opportunity to earn and learn and are a proven route into good jobs, but too many young people don’t know enough about them” – the Work and Pensions Secretary helps launch this year’s National Apprenticeship Week.
“Its proposed reforms do not go far enough and lack clarity” – the British Chambers of Commerce calls for further reform of the apprenticeship system.
“If something doesn’t feel right, report it to your provider’s security function” – the government offers ‘see it, say it’ advice to UKHE over the dangers of foreign interference.
“I am confident he will provide the strong leadership needed to deliver a modern, efficient service for students across the UK, as the organisation undertakes an important transformation project” – the Education Secretary welcomes Gary Page as the new Chair of the Student Loans Co.
“Writing off a million young people before their working lives have begun is an incalculable act of economic self-harm” – Alan Milburn confronts the issues as he draws up his interim report for government on NEETs.
“No child is going to be asked to leave the school that they’re in. So I just want to give that reassurance” - Education Minister Georgia Gould on SEND reform plans.
“The scale of the challenge is significant, but we will not shy away from it” – the government launches a new Education Estate Strategy.
“Wherever a child goes to school in the UK, the rules should be the same,” – the NASUWT call UK wide legislation on banning devices during the school day.
“Time implementing and enforcing policies was equivalent to 3.1 FTE staff in restrictive and 3.3 FTE staff in permissive schools” – Birmingham University researchers examine the costs involved in implementing a ban on devices during the school day.
“I actually had the basic idea for the story a long time ago, but couldn’t think how to develop it” – children’s author Julia Donaldson confirmed the launch of the latest Gruffalo book, ‘Gruffalo Granny’ due to be launched on Sept 10.

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

0.1%. The growth figure for the UK for the final quarter of last year, suggesting ‘subdued growth’ according to the ONS.
4,234. The of student complaints received last year by the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for HE, up 17% on the previous year according to the OIA.
£5.6bn. The funding promised for local council services for the next three years, according to the government’s latest Local Funding Settlement.
6.6%. The number of UK workers paid at or just above the statutory wage, higher in sectors like beauty and hospitality, according to the latest report from the Low Pay Commission.
500. The number of new apprenticeships being created by Centrica this year, according to a government press release.
102 hours a week. The amount of time a school with restrictive policies spent on average policing students’ smartphone use, according to researchers from Birmingham University.
38%. The number of secondary school buildings at high risk from surface water flooding, according to the government’s Education Estates Strategy.
18. The potential new minimum age for train drivers, according to latest government proposals.

Everything else you need to know ...

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

Westminster February recess (Thursday 12 – Monday 23 February)

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.