Education Policy Update: Papers released this term
September
- The Statistics Regulator wrote to the DfE expressing concern about its publication and use of statistics and calling on the Department to revise procedure
- Ofsted reported back on its summer consultation short inspections, confirming an improved conversion process and launching consultation on three further proposals…
- The Education Secretary outlined the Government’s response to the long-running consultation on school funding in a Statement in Parliament, confirming a minimum cash increase for schools, additional funding for high needs and minimum per pupil funding as part of the transition
- She also outlined some important changes to primary assessment as part of its response to earlier consultation including notably an end to statutory tests at KS1 from 2023 and the introduction of a baseline assessment within the first six weeks of reception from 2020, along with multiplication table tests at the end of Year 4 from 2019/20 and the removal of the statutory requirement to report teacher assessment in English/maths at KS2 from 2018/19
October
- The Government announced that from next April the DfE will take over teacher recruitment functions from the NCTL (National College for Teaching and Leadership), which in turn will be absorbed into the DfE, leaving a new styled agency, the Teaching Regulation Agency, to be responsible for misconduct hearings.
- Lord Agnew, the new Academies Minister addressed the North Academies Conference where he called on smaller academy trusts to join up with larger ones, suggesting that anything between 12 and 20 schools was the perfect size for a MAT.
- Amanda Spielman, the Chief inspector, admitted that she had received mixed views on whether the ‘outstanding’ grade used in inspections was helpful or not and also that she was still keen for Ofsted to inspect multi-academy trusts when she appeared before the Education Committee
- The government published its first combined academy sector annual report and accounts with a mass of information and data showing a system that continues to grow, had an operating surplus in the last year of £534m, received most of its income from government but where a number of trusts (167) had cumulative deficits.
- The DfE published the results of a commissioned report into teachers’ pay reforms looking at how schools had implemented them and what teachers thought of them, concluding that most schools had now adopted some form of performance related pay, most teachers had accepted the idea but that it all amounted to more work with seemingly little impact on recruitment and outcomes.
- The government published a Green Paper on internet safety as part of its emerging Digital Strategy with a number of implications for schools and families and proposing among other things a new social media code, an annual transparency report and a potential industry levy
- The Education Secretary welcomed the implementation plans from the first six Opportunity Areas, first announced a year ago to help improve opportunities and standards in identified social mobility ‘cold spots,’ and announced a new Essential Life Skills package to help disadvantaged young people develop employability skills
- Ofsted Chief Inspector Amanda Spielman reported on the initial findings from Ofsted’s current research into the school curriculum highlighting growing pressures on the curriculum and pinpointing three issues in particular: narrowing of the primary curriculum, restricting the KS3 curriculum and weaknesses in alternative curricula
- The Education Secretary included a number of announcements in her Conservative Party Conference speech, covering literacy, numeracy, alternative provision, teacher recruitment and retention, technical education and providing further bursaries and retention payments for teachers in key subject areas.
November
- The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced funding for maths, computer science and professional development as part of his Autumn Budget Statement.
December
- The Education Secretary launched the government’s plan for improving social mobility through education with a series of actions and some funding built around four key education life-stages through from early years to lifelong learning. It heralded a shift away from the presumption of leadership change for coasting schools.
- Mental Health Green Paper. (PDF) The government published its Mental Health Green (discussion) Paper with proposals to improve support for young people built around three ‘pillars’ incorporating Designated Leaders in schools and colleges, Mental Health Support Teams and reduced waiting times
- The long-awaited Careers Strategy was finally published. The Strategy set out a new requirement for schools to work towards the eight careers benchmarks developed by the Gatsby Foundation and have a dedicated careers leader.
- Government published a consultation on changes to the teaching of sex and relationship education and PSHE.
- The Government invited views on its proposals for free school meals eligibility and early years pupil premium eligibility under Universal Credit.
- Ofsted published its annual report on the performance of schools, colleges, early years and social care providers inspected up to August 2017. It revealed a fairly familiar picture of some strong performance in schools and some ‘signs of improvement’ in FE but particular concerns about persistent areas of underperformance.
- The DfE heralded the 2017 primary performance tables by publishing its latest guide to how primary accountability measures are worked out including what the minimum or floor standard for 2017 is, how a coasting school is defined and how a school’s progress score is calculated
- The DfE reported on what was needed to close the attainment gap at GCSE in different regions in England and the impact this could have both on individuals and communities
- Ofsted reported back on its earlier consultation on short inspections of good schools confirming that it will take forward each of its three proposals from January 2018