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

What's happened this week?

Important stories across the board:

Ofqual issued resources to help schools and colleges manage the assessment of AI-generated coursework. The government made a batch of announcements on post-16 education including an update on V levels. The Treasury Committee announced an Inquiry into student loans. And the government published a Social Cohesion Action Plan, described by the PM as “a quiet act of defiance against the forces of division.”

Some details below starting with schools.

First up the Lords amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill for a ban on social media use for under-16-year-olds, which was rejected by 134 in a vote by MPs this week.

Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Olivia Bailey, speaking for the government argued that their recent consultation potentially gives them new powers and covers most angles. “Crucially, the consultation goes beyond the Lords amendments and seeks a view on a range of other issues,” she said.

Ahead of the vote, the Centre for Young Lives had issued a strongly worded report calling for the burden of proof of safety to be placed at the feet of social media companies rather than researchers.

“For too long, the burden of proof has been put on researchers to show that social media is harmful, even though the strongest and most up-to-date evidence is held by the companies themselves. That is the wrong way round. Just as we expect with toys, cars or any other consumer product, platforms should have to demonstrate that their products are safe before children are exposed to them.”

It did however favour an age restriction of 16 on harmful platforms.

In other news and following up its missive last week about concerns around AI, Ofqual issued resource materials this week for teachers and school leaders to use in ensuring the correct use of AI in assessed coursework.

“Open with an acknowledgement that AI tools are part of students’ everyday lives. Set a tone that is firm but fair. This is about helping students, not catching them out.” The opening words of the resource pack for use with students.

It goes on to talk about what’s acceptable use and consequences of misuse.

Elsewhere more details emerged from the responses to Ofqual’s consultation on regulating on-screen GCSE and A level exams which closed last week.

The Education Endowment Foundation called for more research into any likely impact on disadvantaged pupils while OCR argued that rather than limiting the number of subjects to be developed to two per exam board, the regulator should be more expansive and be driven by subject suitability.

"We’d like to see a more directed and subject-led approach: agreeing which subjects are most suited to on-screen assessment, with prioritisations according to the benefits to students and teachers," OCR chief Myles McGinley explained.

And the TES published its latest Teacher Wellness Report, finding a committed workforce but one facing increasing challenges over SEND, workloads and pupil behaviour and keen to see greater opportunities for flexible working and support, to avoid burnout.

In FE, just over ten years on from the final report from Alison Wolf on vocational education, the current government this week published the latest iteration of a reformed post-16 qualification system.

Many of the arguments are the same – the need for clarity of routes, mix and match equity and economically aligned options – but arguably the context now is more demanding with shifting skill demands, global growth challenges and rising youth unemployment.

It would have been good, for instance, to have launched alongside the Milburn NEETs Review, let alone projected apprenticeship reforms and potential changes to student loans but it’s difficult to get all systems lined up.

Either way, the projected structure which will start to be rolled out from next year will see the government “setting an ambition that in steady state, every student entering post-16 education will have a clear choice of high-quality pathways. At level 2, this means one of two level 2 pathways; and at level 3, between A Levels, V Levels and T Levels.”

The two L2 pathways comprise a one-year Foundation Certificate and a two-year Occupational pathway, both supportive programmes for those that need more help and likely to be awarding body branded.

The three L3 qualifications include A levels as before, 2-year ‘broad applied and vocational or V level qualifications’ intended to roll out from next year and replace existing applied and vocational qualifications, and the more focused but still developing T levels.

Four immediate questions.

First, will T levels survive? Skills expert Tom Bewick is not so sure, “I would anticipate that after V levels are successfully introduced by the end of this decade, T levels will eventually fall by the wayside.”

Second, what will happen to qualifications such as BTECs? Funding has been promised for at least another year and has been welcomed by the Sixth Form Colleges Association but it all depends on how the transition to the new system goes.

Third, will the L2 options be able to gain credibility? Always the hardest bit in such reforms. The government’s accompanying equalities impact report argues that “clearer pathways, with some flexibility, should lead to positive outcomes for all students aged 16 to 19 taking level 2 pathways.” Here’s hoping.

Fourth, is more qualification upheaval and such a tight timescale manageable? David Hughes at the AoC hoped so. “I am very optimistic that by working together and through co-design with college experts, we can make this work.” ASCL said, “the transition period will inevitably be complex for schools and colleges, and the timeline set out by the government will be crucial in enabling providers to plan their future offer.”

Other developments of note in a busy week for the post-16/FE sector include latest data on T level numbers and funding, an update on qualifications due to have funding removed from August 2027, the launch of another consultation, this time on L1 English and maths, and further info on 16-19 funding.

The latter looks like provoking the most debate in the coming weeks. ASCL described the 0.5% increase in the learner rate as “paltry” and likely to lead to real terms cuts. The AoC said colleges will be disappointed.

Links and synopsis below but all helpfully covered by FE Week, FE News and elsewhere.

Elsewhere, Make UK, the manufacturer’s organisation, called on the government to prioritise skills and training, as it issued a major report highlighting ‘a pivot’ towards AI and digital transformation over the coming years.

“Skills shortages remain the biggest brake on growth, digital and AI adoption has become the primary investment priority, Net Zero is seen as broadly beneficial but costly, and firms continue to face high energy prices, trade frictions and regulatory complexity,” the report concluded.

In HE, with global tensions rising, the government outlined further measures to protect staff and students from campus extremism.

Stronger Prevent guidance from this September, a new student-based Cohesion Charter and new guidance on managing external speakers with a whistleblowing facility through the OfS were all included in a Social Cohesion Action Plan issued by the government this week.

“We will work closely with universities to ensure students and staff feel safe and supported, while protecting the open debate and academic freedom that are central to university life,” the Education Secretary said.

Elsewhere a new report on HE global student wellbeing by Studiosity highlighted a growing paradox around AI.

It may bring benefits but it also can raise anxieties and concerns. 

For example 75% of students in a global survey for the report conducted by YouGov reported stress about being wrongly flagged for cheating and 41% feared an over-reliance on AI could lessen their critical thinking skills.

Similar concerns were raised in HEPI/Kortext’s latest report this week into student AI use.

As it noted, “in just three years, generative AI has moved from novelty to near universality among undergraduates. The question is no longer whether students use AI, but how well they use it – and how effectively institutions are supporting them to develop the skills to do so responsibly.”

The report called for structured AI induction and transition support for all students, along with assessment-specific guidance on AI use.  

Elsewhere the OfS set out new arrangements around subcontracting for English HE providers.

Basically building in tighter requirements on fee use, potential risks and oversight as part of registration conditions from the end of this month.

“Today, we are taking action to protect students and taxpayers by ensuring all registered universities engaged in these partnerships have appropriate control over their delivery partners.”

And finally student loans has remained a hot topic this week.

Among the headlines, the FT highlighted how much those on the Plan 2 typically owe, another leading academic offered his thoughts on a way forward, Sir Nick Clegg told the BBC that it was all a ‘mess,’ the NUS headed to Westminster to make their views known and Westminster’s Treasury Committee announced an Inquiry.

It led to an emerging narrative as follows.

Figures revealed in an FOI request by the FT showed that the debt owed by those on Plan 2 was £40,000+, four times that for those on Plan 1 apparently.

The leading academic offering his thoughts this week was the president of City St George’s, London, Anthony Finkelsten.

He argued in a blog reported in the Times Higher that the current undergraduate model was now out of date and could be made shorter and more efficient using edtech among other means.

He called for 2-plus-2 model; two-year undergraduate provision with a further two years on a masters for those that wished to carry on.

Sir Nick Clegg’s comments came in an interview with the BBC. His view was that the repayment threshold needed looking at again.

While the ‘influential’ Treasury Committee rounded off the week by announcing an Inquiry.

“This inquiry is about fairness,” the Chair of the Committee said. “Fundamentally, what we’re asking is, have the goalposts been moved in a way which is unfair to graduates? 

It’s calling on anyone over the age of 16 to offer thoughts.

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

The top headlines of the week:

• ’Labour to set up new extremism whistleblowing service for university staff’ (Monday)
• ‘First three V-level subjects to be offered from 2027 revealed’ (Tuesday)
• ‘Sixth forms face real-terms funding cut next year, leaders warn’ (Wednesday)
• ‘Student loans inquiry to look at whether system is 'unfair to graduates' (Thursday)
• ‘Short tempers and legal threats: UK teachers report rise in problem parents’ (Friday)

General:

• Social cohesion. The government published its Social Cohesion Strategy describing it as a ‘Call to Action to protect what matters in society’ through the four pillars of confident communities, cohesive communities, resilient communities and the creation of a Social Cohesion Taskforce.
• National digital ID. The government set out its proposals for a national ID system that could be stored on phones or tablets and could help people access services such as tax returns and childcare, calling for views in another consultation and promising a ‘People’s Panel’ to help with any subsequent implementation.
• Women in Tech. The government announced a package of measures to boost female participation in tech at all stages, with a new TechFirst Girls Competition, paid internships, returnship jobs pilots and the recently launched Women in Tech Taskforce launching a call for evidence.
• Economic Forecast. The British Chambers of Commerce published its latest economic forecast, reflecting the current challenging global context and pointing accordingly to growth slowing to 1%, inflation peaking at 2.7% and unemployment rising to 5.5%.
• Jobs survey. The Recruitment and Employment Confederation with KPMG published their latest report on jobs, suggesting that ‘the worst of the hiring slowdown may have passed’ with permanent placements falling only slightly last month and candidate availability rising.
• Online safety. Ofcom called on tech firms to do more to keep children safe online listing four ‘clear demands for further action,’ including clear minimum-age policies, failsafe grooming protections, safer feeds for children and an end to product testing on children.

HE:

• Loans Inquiry. The Treasury Committee announced a new Inquiry into the whole issue of student loans and associated taxation and interest rates, including the contentious Plan 2 scheme, with a call for evidence by 14 April 2026.
• Whistleblowing body. The government set out a range of measures under its social cohesion strategy to keep staff and students safe amid growing global tensions, including enabling the OfS as a whistleblowing body, strengthening Prevent duties and developing a Campus Cohesion Charter.
• Subcontracting. The OfS published new regulations around subcontracting following consultation, which will require lead providers with a 100 or more subcontracted students to identify likely risks and publish clear information on fee allocations.
• AI survey. HEPI/Kortext published a new report on AI usage among students pointing to a mixed picture with AI now being widely used but not always supported by institutions and with concerns about it diminishing rather than improving learning in some cases.
• AI paradox. Studiosity published its latest global report into HE student wellbeing with research by YouGov from across a number of countries suggesting paradoxically that increased use of AI was leading to greater anxiety about its agreed use and lower learning confidence.
• International students. The British Council pointed to an apprehensive picture on international student recruitment as part of its latest report into key trends, indicating options for increased recruitment from US students and those from S.E. Asia but equally a growing trend of students opting to study in their own regions.
• More on student loans. The FT examined the current debate around student loans, revealing that those on the contentious Plan 2 scheme each owe over £40,000 on average compared to the £10,000+ owed by those on the Plan 1 scheme, as the government considers possible options to ease the burden.
• Pay. HE unions set out their claim for improved pay and working conditions for 2026/27, calling among other things for a pay uplift of ‘at least RPI+3% or £3,000 whichever is the greater,’ a review of the pay spine and joint working on workload and progression.
• Shorter degrees. Anthony Finkelstein, president of City St George’s London, added his voice to the current debate about student courses and funding, calling for a 2+ model, with two years for an undergraduate course followed by two years of master’s study for those wishing to continue.
• Top ranking. The FT published its latest Best Employers ranking with the University of Cambridge coming out on top, Oxford coming in at 7^th and the University of Glasgow next in the listing at position 22.

Tweets and posts of note:

• “Today our EYFS lead was super poorly and couldn’t come in bless her. As it it is child mental health week, today was themed ‘come as you are.’ I came in bedclothes. As our lead was poorly, I stepped in to help with interviews. In my pjs. This sort of thing ONLY happens to me” -@Teacherglitter.
• “Wish I could’ve bottled the moment my middle (Y7) one opened a little handwritten praise card that had been sent through the post by her science teacher. Complete surprise, total joy, and so proud of herself. Never underestimate how much things like that can land” -@Emma_Turner75.
• “The boy has come home absolutely FURIOUS at coming 2nd in his Maths test. He was defeated by his nemesis by one mark. He has stalked off to his room to plot his revenge” -@NABurkinshaw.
• “Our 7yo is practicing his reading by reading out loud to his 4yo brother. They’re camped out on a pile of stuffed animals with Little Bear stories. It’s so precious” -@HeatherACofer.
• “There should be a "not interested because this is AI" button so the algorithm can see how much humans don't want that stuff” -@Joseph_Fasano_.

A selection of quotes that merit attention:

• “The blunt truth is that in the coming decades geopolitics will test the strength of our communities like never before” – the PM invokes a new Social Cohesion Action Plan.
• “I think graduates quite rightly feel very sore, because they're sort of running to stand still" – Nick Clegg offers a perspective on the student loans debate.
• “It’s critical that the model for financing university education is sustainable but there are questions over whether decisions such as freezing the threshold for repayments is placing the burden unfairly on younger people” – the government announces an Inquiry into the student loan system.
• “Our bold reforms will end the snobbery in post-16 education, supporting young people with real choice and real opportunity to build secure, future‑proof careers” – the Education Secretary introduces reforms to post-16 qualifications.
• “We urge the government to phase in the introduction of V-Levels to avoid a cliff‑edge for the many young people currently studying existing level 3 qualifications including BTECs” – the NEU offers its thoughts on the government’s qualification reforms.
• “The correct question to ask is how to make policy on what we characterise as a ‘burning platform’” – the Centre for Young Lives challenges social media platforms.
• “As set out, Ofqual's proposals are too cautious," – exam board OCR issues its response to Ofqual’s consultation on regulating on-screen assessments.

Everything else you need to know ...

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