Steve Besley's Education Eye: week ending 18 December 2020

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 this week:

End of term for most, but not as you’d know it, with furious debate raging for much of the week over whether overstretched schools should shift to online learning for the last few days and the government resorting to legal action to ensure schools stay open. ‘Sordid turf wars, a chaotic end of term,’ was how Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) saw it all, ‘disproportionate and insensitive’ was the view from the School Governors Association. Others used fruitier language.

It’s certainly been another fraught week for schools, with plenty of last-minute notices. The government has been determined to stick to its guns and keep schools open and has been supported by MPs on both sides as well as by the Chief inspector and Children’s Commissioner, all mindful of the effect on pupils of lost schooling. But as Laura McInerney wrote in The Guardian, it takes a lot to keep schools open and we should be thanking school leaders for keeping calm and keeping things going.

School attendance rates continue to vary by region as the Education Policy Institute highlighted this week and the hope is that the staggered start and introduction of rapid coronavirus testing from January for secondary schools and colleges, as announced by the government this week, will help ease pressures and enable schools to stay open in future. As the Health Secretary explained: ‘rapid regular testing offers a reliable and effective way to keep schools open and children learning.’ But a bitter taste remains for many following this latest ‘turf war.’

It has been a busy week generally for the Education Secretary. Apart from issuing orders about keeping schools open, helping announce the new coronavirus testing regime, and adding new instructions on remote learning, he also dashed off a letter to the Teachers’ Pay Review Body about next year’s pay. Aside from those on low pay, there’ll be little for teachers to get excited about. The Chancellor’s recent pay public sector freeze has seen to that. Teachers’ Unions have written to complain that ‘it makes a mockery of the review process.’

There have been plenty of other developments in Westminster this week of interest to education and skills, starting with a new Energy White Paper – launched as part of the build-up to the UK’s hosting of next year’s big climate conference, and promising among other things to support 250,000 jobs over the next ten years. Hopefully, no trees were harmed in the creating the Paper’s 170 pages.

The government also confirmed further action on reining in social media platforms with an Online Harms Bill due to be introduced into parliament next year, that would see among its clauses, punitive duty of care requirements on companies to protect children. The Children’s Commissioner for one was pleased, commenting: “the signs are that this regulation will have teeth.” And talking of the Children’s Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, the next Children’s Commissioner for England, faced a number of challenging questions when she appeared before the Education Committee this week to check out her suitability for the role. She’s due to take over from the end of February next year.

And finally for Westminster this week, the Social Mobility Commission announced it was moving to take up a more central role in supporting the government’s levelling up agenda, with the Equalities Minister setting up a new Equality Hub to be based in the North of the country. Elsewhere, MPs discussed the effects of Covid on people with learning difficulties; the Work and Pensions Committee held a session on the new Restart employment scheme; the Education Committee listed a number of ‘exam’ questions that it was hoping the Education Secretary could answer; and the Public Accounts Committee looked into the free school meals voucher system. This, as it was reported that for the first time in its history, UNICEF was preparing food parcels for families in the UK hit by Covid.

To round things off, a few words on three important reports all released this week.

First, admissions to higher education, where this week UCAS published the first of its series of reflections on this year’s cycle, completed of course in the teeth of the pandemic and subsequent exams debacle. This first report looks particularly at access and participation and serves up a number of instant media headlines such as the number of years it would take to close the undergraduate access gap (332 apparently). There’s some excellent analysis of this first report from David Kernohan on the Wonkhe site (‘more normal than predicted’) and from Lee Elliott Major on the HEPI site (‘reform league tables to create social mobility rankings.’). Three points perhaps stand out from the UCAS report. First that UKHE remains a popular destination, with record numbers of UK 18-year-olds entering HE this year, a number that should increase as the cohort size increases. Second, progress on widening participation is proving a hard slog as those headline morsels show. And third, UCAS will be publishing a report on reforming the admissions system ‘early in the new year.’

Second, Ofsted published a final set of sector reflections on its latest interim visits conducted this term, which while contentious for many, have provided useful updates on how learners and providers have been coping during a very challenging period. The big issue remains about the long-term impact on children and young people – particularly those from more disadvantaged backgrounds – and how this is manifesting itself among different groups. The Chief Inspector for example, in her summary, noted that ‘many schoolchildren are thought to be at least 6 months behind where they should be.’ Four other points stand out from the various reports. First, there are concerns about ‘a regression’ in children’s social skills. Second, remote learning is helpful, but ‘no substitute.’ Third, there is a worrying number of children being kept away from school. And fourth, and perhaps most frustrating for teachers, the constant chopping and changing of guidance – often last minute. It’s happened again this week.

And third, a report from Ofqual on where we are with onscreen assessment. The report is part literary review and part evidence gathering from how others are doing – in this case, New Zealand, Finland and Israel. This year’s lockdowns have pushed the case for online assessment generally, but the report lists five barriers currently including planning, security, staff skills, variable resources and local network capabilities. None is insurmountable, but it requires vision, investment, system testing and clarity over assessment purposes. Ofqual is keen to hear views.

Finally, this is the last Education Eye of the year so thanks so much for following and reading them over the year. They’re all stored on the EdCentral website here. We’ll be back on January 8th, hopefully to report on a better year.

The top headlines of the week:

‘DfE orders Council to back down and keep schools open.’ (Monday)
‘Huge expansion of school Covid tests in January.’ (Tuesday)
‘Huge gaps in classroom time for pupils across England, figures show.’ (Wed)
‘Staggered return in January for England’s secondary schools.’ (Thursday)
‘GCSEs: Warning fairer exams will widen attainment gap.’ (Friday)

General:

Extended furlough. The Chancellor announced that the furlough scheme would be extended to the end of April 2021 and the business loan scheme to the end of March 2021 with the Budget set to take place on 3 March 2021.
Autumn labour market. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) published the latest labour market figures for the three months to October 2020 showing the unemployment rate up 0.7 percentage points to 4.9%, redundancies at a record quarterly high but vacancies and average total pay up slightly.
Labour market analysis. The Institute for Employment Studies summarised the latest labour market figures highlighting the fact that 16-24-year-olds and 50-65-year-olds were facing the biggest falls in employment but pointing to signs that redundancies are near their peak although the number of people working reduced hours remains high.
A changing labour market? The Resolution Foundation looked into how the UK labour market might change following the exit from the EU and introduction of new immigration rules, noting that large sectors of the economy have been dependent on migrant labour and skills and looking at ways, such as improved pay and conditions, in which this could continue.
Emerging lessons. The Nuffield Foundation reported on some of the early lessons to be drawn from its various commissioned projects looking into the effect of the pandemic from various angles where the importance of social cohesion, the double burden of disadvantage, the pattern of generational inequality and the impact of lost schooling have all emerged as strong themes.
Energy White Paper. The government set out plans for cleaner energy, affordable bills and a big increase in green jobs and skills as part of a new 10-year Energy White Paper that builds on the Prime Minister’s recent 10-point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution.
Social media protections. The government confirmed that it intended to introduce a new duty of care on social media sites, apps and other user-generated services as part of its Online Harms Bill, due to be set before Parliament next year with Ofcom being given regulatory powers to fine companies that fail to protect children.
Moving Social Mobility. The Social Mobility Commission announced that while retaining its independent role, it was moving to work more closely with the Cabinet Office, Equalities Minister and equality agencies to help shape social mobility responses as the country moves beyond the pandemic and Brexit.
Time for a new deal. The House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee called for a new plan for recovery, in a report examining the impact of the pandemic on employment’ proposing a mix of investment (in key sectors,) job creation and training guarantees, and expansion of the Kickstart and Restart schemes.
Workers and Technology. The Fabian Society and Community Union’s Commission on Workers and Technology, which over the last couple of years has been examining the impact of automation on the future of work, issued its final report, calling for training, guarantees, job support and investment for workers in the face of a growing shift towards automation particularly in low-skilled jobs.
Grooming Gangs. The Home Office reported on its work in trying to get a better understanding of grooming gangs, acknowledging that it’s a difficult area, often under-reported and one in which group dynamics can play a part with the government looking to work closer with local authorities and develop its own Child Sexual Abuse Strategy.
Single parent poverty. The Gingerbread organisation with support from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Learning and Work Institute highlighted the difficulties facing single parents many of whom have lost hours, income and jobs as a result of the pandemic, calling as a result for better childcare and income support along with skills training and employment flexibility.
Health Inequality. The Institute of Health Equity published the outcomes from its Marmot review into health inequality in the context of the pandemic, indicating that Covid has amplified existing inequalities, calling for greater social justice in health care and making a number of specific recommendations particularly around early years deprivation.
Teenage obesity. Researchers at the Institute of Education reported on their recent research into teenage obesity with data showing that roughly 20% of teenagers were classified as obese by age 17 with much of this related to household with low incomes.
Annual Report. The Migration Advisory Committee published a new Annual Report highlighting its work over the year in helping develop the new points-based system as well as identifying lessons from the Windrush Review.
The Future of Towns. The Demos think tank published a new repot on the Future of Towns in light of the pandemic, indicating a mixed picture with some people welcoming new businesses, jobs and residents, others less so, suggesting a lot more communication and research is needed to develop local strategies.
City opening. The FT reported that just over a year on from the first lockdown, the City of London was planning a special big reopening week of the Square Mile and associated businesses sometime in April next year.
60 years young. The OECD marked its 60^thbirthday as one of the leading bodies of the post-war world with a reminder of its achievements over the years including for education, the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) and TALIS (Teaching and Learning International Survey) programmes and the regular annual Education at a Glance stocktake.

More specifically ...

Schools:

No early closing. The government issued formal instructions to the London Borough of Greenwich to withdraw its notices about closing schools early, setting out a Continuity Direction to ensure that schools remain open until the official end of term.
Staggered start. The government announced last-minute arrangements for the start of next term which will see exam group students and specialist groups return on 4 January but others having remote teaching for a week before returning to face-to-face teaching from 11 January.
Testing rollout. NHS Test and Trace outlined procedures for the rollout of voluntary routine testing of staff and pupils from the start of next term starting with the offer of potential serial testing for secondary pupils and weekly testing for staff with testing for primary pupils to follow in due course but with schools having to put in place the capacity and staffing to deliver the tests.
2021/22 funding. The government confirmed funding for next year through local authorities as part of the 3-year promised increased funding pledge, along with continued pupil premium funding and support for children with special needs.
2020 Exams. Ofqual released data on appeals and access arrangements for this summer’s exams, all slightly different given the changed nature of exams this year but showing, for example, a big increase in appeals for both GCSEs and A’ levels, mostly to do with centre errors, with 75% leading to changed grades.
Dear Secretary of State. The Chair of the Education Committee wrote to the Education Secretary with a few follow up questions following a recent Committee session on exams, asking in particular for his thoughts on any likely return to grading norms, contingency plans for students who’ve missed more schooling than most, the nature of the Expert Group and future attendance data.
Workforce Fund. The government published the arrangements and eligibility for schools wishing to claim funding support to cover high levels of teacher absence during the last six weeks of term arising from the pandemic.
Coronavirus guidance. The government updated its pandemic guidance to ensure schools provide details of their remote learning offering on their website by January 25 2021, suggesting a possible template that could be used for this.
Pay and rations. The government issued its annual remit letter on teachers’ pay to the School Teachers’ Review Body with little room for manoeuvre this year given the Chancellor’s public sector pay freeze but asking for thoughts on how to uplift pay for those earning below £24,000 as well as on attracting future talent.
School attendance. The Education Policy Institute reported on the latest school attendance figures for England and how attendance rates had shaped up generally this term with some pupils, typically the disadvantaged, having lost more school time than others and secondary rates generally worse than primary but with an important move forward from January when rates by local authority start to be published as well.
November visits. Ofsted reported on its latest round of interim visits of schools, both primary and secondary, carried out last month with concerns that many pupils are finding it hard to catch-up and get back in the groove, not helped by frequent changes to guidance and Covid related absences, with the inspectorate raising concerns about the numbers of children being kept away from school.
Online assessment. Ofqual reported on its research into online and on-screen assessment launched before the pandemic, highlighting a number of barriers to wide-scale adoption including planning, security, staff skills, variable resources and local network capabilities, and pointing to some ways in which these might be overcome including a funded major national initiative.
SATs and more. The Standards and Testing Agency published a calendar of key dates for national curriculum assessments over the coming year.
Early language skills. The government announced further details about the programme designed to boost language skills among reception age children many of whom may have fallen behind during the pandemic, confirming that over a third of primary schools in England have now signed up to the Nuffield Early Language Intervention scheme.
School improvement. The government published the outcomes from its commissioned report into the effectiveness of its School Improvement offer using National Leaders of Education (NLE). to support schools judged by Ofsted as requiring support, concluding that the process worked reasonably well despite initial glitches but full buy-in required more time.
Defying disadvantage. Teach First reported on its recent symposium looking into how some schools manage to defy the odds and achieve success acknowledging that while there’s no blueprint a sustained focus on a school’s culture, values and continuous improvement can all help.
Holiday support. The government published arrangements for its 2021 Holiday Activities and Food Programme which will cover Easter, summer and Christmas holidays in 2021 and for which the government has committed £220m to support local authorities.
Tackling food poverty. Rob Halfon MP, Chair of the Education Committee raised hopes in a new comment piece that 2020 was the year when real progress was made in tackling food poverty, praising the Rashford campaign and calling for further investment through the sugar levy and digitalisation of Healthy Start vouchers to help maintain progress.

FE/Skills:

Staggered start. The government announced last-minute arrangements for the start of next term which will see exam group students and specialist groups return on 4 January but others having remote teaching for a week before returning to face-to-face teaching from 11 January.
Testing rollout. NHS Test and Trace outlined procedures for the rollout of voluntary routine testing of staff and students in colleges from the start of next term with serial or regular testing of students where necessary and weekly testing of staff as required with backup guidance and support available but placing considerable demands on colleges to be able to deliver.
Autumn series. The Joint Council for Qualifications published the results for the AS/A’ level autumn series of exams showing that nearly half improved their A’ level grade from the summer.
Voc Qual assessments. Ofqual wrote to the FE sector to update them on developments around vocational and technical qualifications confirming that these were included as part of the deliberations by the government’s expert group, that the January exam series is expected to go ahead as normal and that Ofqual and Awarding Organisations are working hard to adopt permitted flexibilities in assessment under the (extraordinary) regulated framework.
Learning expectations. The government updated its guidance for FE providers to include the reduction in the isolation period from 14 to 10 days, clarification on the use of remote learning and ensuring that details of any remote learning offer are on provider websites by Jan 18.
Workforce Fund. The government outlined the processes and eligibility for colleges wishing to claim funding support to help cover the costs of high levels of teacher absences during the last six weeks of term arising from the pandemic.
Hiring a new apprentice. The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) confirmed that the financial incentive payments for taking on a new apprentice were being extended to those hired up to 31 March 2021.
November visits. Ofsted reported on its latest round of visits to FE providers carried out in November, finding providers continuing to have to adjust learning to accommodate different practical arrangements, remote learning, or other forms of assessment and concerned in some cases about the effect on learners.
EQA report. The Institute for Apprenticeships reported on its monitoring of end-point and external quality assurance (EQA) for apprenticeships, much of which has had to be modified this year to accommodate Covid, citing the importance of compliance and consistency but acknowledging the high standard of much of the assessment reviewed.
Scottish Colleges. The Commission on the Colleges of the Future published its report and recommendations for colleges in Scotland calling among other things for a funding system that offers access to all, closer links with employers through Skills Hubs and better alignment across the skills system.
Qualification withdrawals. The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) set out the processes for Awarding Organisations that want to make a case for retaining funding for qualifications with few or no takers due to be withdrawn from August 2022.
Revival Fund Grants. The Edge Foundation announced the recipients of funds from its Revival Grants scheme intended to help education and not-for-profit organisations respond to skill-related challenges arising out of the pandemic.
New Chair. The Collab Group of Colleges announced John Thornhill, Chief Executive of the LTE Group, as its new Chair, taking over from Shelagh Legrave.

HE:

Restructuring support. The government spelled out the details of its restructuring support scheme for registered HE providers facing financial difficulties as a result of Covid, outlining the application process and the terms of any loan that may follow.
2020 admissions cycle. UCAS published the first of its series of reports on this year’s university admissions cycle, focusing on the theme of access and participation and reflecting the extraordinary events arising out of this summer’s exams but showing record numbers of UK 18yr olds accepted into HE with increasing numbers from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Consultation rush. The Office for Students launched three new consultations covering the approach to imposing fines on providers who breach their conditions, how best to publish information about registered providers and how best to report defined provider issues such as the closure of a particular dept.
Fee levels. The Office for Students published details of provider fee caps and fee charges for new students starting courses with registered providers this year.
Monitoring and intervention. The Office for Students published details of risk indicators to be used when monitoring and/or intervening over issues with registered providers with for example significant changes to student numbers or finances as risk indicators for the former and regulatory breaches and provider behaviour examples of risk factors for the latter.
Protecting the value of degrees. Universities UK reported on the progress being made in stemming any degree inflation and securing the value of UK degrees following a commitment made last year, pointing to further work to be done especially in the light of Covid but showing most providers intending to apply the new guidance and descriptors.
Freedom of Speech. The Civitas thinktank published details from its 3-year research into the nature of freedom of speech across UK university campuses indicating some 68% of universities experienced some form of controversy, over half experienced a cancel culture and 89% operated policies that curbed free speech, calling as a result for greater protections for free speech and/or government action.
End of term report card. Nick Hillman, director of the HE Policy Institute (HEPI) offered an end of year reflection for university leaders on the education year, the good and the bad, suggesting the summer exams debacle as an example of the ‘bad’ and the response from HE and the work done to keep universities open, as an example of the ‘good’.
And what about next year? Andrew Burn, partner at KPMG, offered some thoughts about university financial stability in a blog on the Wonkhe website, implying that things may not be as bad as originally feared with universities carefully assessing what they do and how they do it but not necessarily seeking bailouts.
Working together. The National Centre for Universities and Business published its latest annual review (2017/18) into how universities and businesses have worked together over the year based on a number of metrics and showing a 10%+ increase in collaboration including notably among SMEs but inevitably with questions remaining about the impact during this pandemic year.

Stand-out tweets

Memorable tweets and posts this week:

“So according to @GavinWilliamson, we will be administering 3000 medical procedures. Starting in 1 working day’s time? With no training? And it being in nobody’s job description or terms and conditions? Cool.”| @danielstuke
“The tiniest of things, that I never expected to even come through, and is having a huge impact on me, is students emailing me to wish me Happy Christmas. I have held it together all term and to find these gems as I work though my inbox is sending me over” | @ExePresident
“I might have to re-train and become a PE Teacher. I am not sure I'd be able to wear anything other than sweatpants for work at this point” | @_aaronhussey
“So many people having a go at unconscious bias training. I don't think they even realise they're doing it” | @tompeck
“Owning a pony when you're ten is linked to higher achievement in later life. More ponies for disadvantaged children!” | @ShenaLewington
“The pump that works the shower has gone wrong. Water is dripping into the kitchen below. But I am relaxed. Why? I am a Headteacher v2.0.2.0 and I can turn my hand to anything!” | @craigbmorrison
“Quite tired of my house, and my desk, and my screen, and my keyboard, and myself” | @hugorifkind
“My boyfriend got his covid vaccine yesterday and I can tell you the most prominent side effect is the inability to shut up about getting the covid vaccine” | @Emaperidol

Stand-out quotes

A selection of quotes that merit attention:

“When complying with this direction the Royal London Borough of Greenwich must have regard to any guidance given by the Secretary of State regarding the full opening of schools during the coronavirus outbreak” -the government instructs the Borough of Greenwich to keep schools open.
“I don’t understand why Gavin Williamson has just gone to war with the teachers, the equivalent of getting the gunboats out” – the Evening Standard’s Ayesha Hazarika on the government’s legal action against Greenwich.
“While today’s figures could have been worse, they are unlikely to get better any time soon” -the Institute for Employment Studies comments on the latest unemployment figures.
“The Government should continue to search for ways of supporting the businesses and jobs that are most affected by closure but they should also begin to shift spending away from wage subsidies towards policies that are more tightly focused on creating job opportunities that reflect the longer-term context” – The Lords Economic Affairs Committee reports on a plan for growth.
“We are seeking a new chair with the same exemplary leadership skills and passion for apprenticeships and technical education” – the government begins the search for a new Chair of the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education with Anthony Jenkins due to step down next summer.
“We are keen to know your current thinking on how the 2020 grade inflation can be washed out of the system once you deem it is appropriate to do so” – the Chair of the Education Committee asks the Education Secretary for his thoughts on future exam grading.
“After what has been a very difficult summer, I am leaving the organisation in good shape and in good hands” – Roger Taylor announces he’s stepping down as Chair of Ofqual at the end of the year.
“Despite the potential benefits to be realised, little progress has yet been made in England for high stakes, sessional qualifications” - Ofqual examines the issue of online assessment.
“Don’t let anyone tell me I’m safe because I’m not and I’d just like this to be recognised” – teachers reflect in The Guardian on how it is in schools.
“We are writing to Gavin Williamson today with a series of urgent questions about today’s announcement” – the National Education Union announces its writing to the Education Secretary about the last-minute announcement on Covid testing.
“Whilst we will not be seeking a recommendation from STRE for pay uplifts in 2021/22 for the majority of teachers, we would welcome your views on uplifts for those earning the full-time equivalent of basic earnings of less than £24,000” – the government issues its remit letter to the Teachers’ Pay Review Body.
“Removing school staff from the classroom and retraining them to administer clinical tests is a deeply flawed proposal” – the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) responds to the government’s plans for mass testing in secondary schools.
“We are concerned that Dame Rachel faces a steep learning curve in taking on this complex role that serves all children in England" -the Education Committee expresses guarded support for Dame Rachel de Souza as the next Children’s Commissioner for England.

Stand-out numbers

The important numbers of the week:

4.9%. The UK unemployment rate for October, up slightly on the previous quarter but with a growing number of redundancies over the quarter, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
0.3%. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate for the last month, down 0.4% from the previous month largely due to price falls for clothing and food according to the ONS.
61%. The percentage of jobs furloughed earlier this year and said to be in sectors in high risk of automation and thus not secure in the future, according to a report from the Commission on Workers and Technology.
116.The current number of government special advisers, the highest for some time according to latest government figures.
332. The number of years under the current trajectory it will take for the undergraduate access gap into higher education in England to close, according to latest figures from UCAS.
322,500. The number of apprenticeships starts for 2019/20, down 18% albeit provisional at this stage, according to latest government data.
84.6%. The attendance figures for English state schools at the latest census point last week, down 1% on the previous week according to the latest official figures.
£7,100. How much the average household has accumulated in savings this year by not being able to go out and spend, according to the Centre for Economics and Business Research.
42%. The number of people surveyed who reckon they’ve now bought all their Christmas presents for this year compared to 6% who said none of them, according to a poll from YouGov (early in the week).

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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.