Category: Education

  • Robin Walker – 2022 Statement on School Improvements

    Robin Walker – 2022 Statement on School Improvements

    The statement made by Robin Walker, the Minister for School Standards, in the House of Commons on 30 June 2022.

    The 2019 manifesto committed the Government to intervening in schools with entrenched underperformance. We believe that every child has the right to go to a school that is good or outstanding. While we have rightly focused our attention on inadequate schools in recent years, we now need to look at the minority of schools that are not making necessary improvements. We are especially concerned about schools that have received two or more consecutive Ofsted judgements of below good. There are currently around 900 state schools in England (around 4.3% of schools), with around 420,000 pupils, that meet this threshold.

    The above numbers will obviously depend on the outcome of upcoming inspections as schools will fall into and out of scope. Following the pause in Ofsted inspections due to the covid-19 pandemic, Ofsted recommenced inspections in May 2021 and, as the Government announced in the recent White Paper, will inspect all schools against the current inspection framework by the end of the summer term 2025, to provide a quicker assessment of recovery from the pandemic.

    By amending the definition of a school which is “coasting”, this statutory instrument will grant the Secretary of State for Education the discretionary power to intervene in schools that are currently judged as requires improvement by Ofsted and that have met the threshold of two or more consecutive Ofsted judgements below good. This power to intervene will apply equally to maintained schools and academies. It will also apply to maintained special schools, alternative provision academies and pupil referral units which have previously been excluded under the existing power to intervene in coasting schools.

    We want to support pupils in schools that are in areas of the greatest entrenched underperformance. Therefore, initially the Department will prioritise interventions in schools that are in one of the 55 education investment areas (EIAs). The Department will also prioritise schools that are not currently part of a strong family of schools, especially where the Department does not believe the current leadership has the capacity to drive school improvement quickly enough.

    Regional directors will assess each case on an individual basis, taking into account any representations made by the school’s governing body and other interested parties, inspection history (including whether inspection reports demonstrate an upward trajectory), evidence regarding the capacity of leadership and management to secure sustained improvement, performance and other quantitative data and evidence relating to the local context of the school.

    The update to the schools causing concern guidance published alongside the response to the consultation on supporting schools not making necessary improvement sets out the process for intervention in schools that meet the new definition of “coasting”.

  • Jonathan Rockey – 2022 Comments on Male Pupils Wearing Skirts

    Jonathan Rockey – 2022 Comments on Male Pupils Wearing Skirts

    The comments made on 27 June 2022 by Jonathan Rockey, the Headteacher of Wymondham High School Academy in Norfolk, following the confirmation that boys would not be allowed to wear shorts, but could wear skirts.

    We had a huge response to the questions and that was much appreciated. Like any consultation, there will be differing views and the academy and governors always consider these. We take all feedback seriously.

    Many parents were supportive of us considering a ‘summer uniform’, which we will consider for 2023-24. In the short term, we have enabled pupils to remove their blazers during hot weather.

    Changing everything about our uniform in one go, especially with the current financial concerns, would not be sensible so we are able to stage changes over a period of time.

    We will, from September, have a gender neutral dress code across the Academy, which is something we are very proud of.

  • Liz Truss – 2022 Comments on Girls and Education

    Liz Truss – 2022 Comments on Girls and Education

    The comments made by Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary, on 25 June 2022.

    Supporting women and girls is at the heart of UK foreign policy. Investing in girls’ education is vital for a more sustainable, peaceful and prosperous future.

    We are working with our international partners to recover the learning lost during the Covid pandemic, getting 40 million more girls into school and 20 million more girls reading by 2026.

    Every girl deserves an education and at CHOGM we are helping to make this happen.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2022 Comments on Free School Meals

    Sadiq Khan – 2022 Comments on Free School Meals

    The comments made by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, on 19 June 2022.

    Free school meals were something my family relied upon – and every child in London deserves that safety net.

    With the summer holidays on the horizon it is essential that the Government act now to reinstate the meal voucher system to give families dignity and nutritional choice over the summer. This should then be followed by the introduction of universal free school meals for all primary school children from the start of the new school year in September.

    Multiple London councils are already leading the way on this and showing what can be done if we put the health and wellbeing of our young people first in such perilous economic times. It is time for the Government to step up.

  • Robin Walker – 2022 Statement on Qualified Teacher Status for Foreign Teachers

    Robin Walker – 2022 Statement on Qualified Teacher Status for Foreign Teachers

    The statement made by Robin Walker, the Minister for School Standards, in the House of Commons on 13 June 2022.

    In early 2023, the Department for Education will change the way teachers who qualified overseas can have their teaching qualifications recognised. The new Apply for Qualified Teacher Status in England service will mean that those with high-quality teaching qualifications can come to work in England, wherever they are from. This will include teachers from Ukraine.

    Current legislation means that teachers from some countries can get qualified teacher status (QTS) through a simple process, but for others it is more difficult, even if they are equally well qualified. We are committed to ensuring that the best teachers from around the world can come to teach in England and that there is consistency and fairness for all suitable applicants, regardless of where they are from. Apply for Qualified Teacher Status in England will award teachers QTS based on an assessment of their qualifications and experience against set criteria.

    Further details of our proposed criteria and the new service can be found at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/awarding-qualified-teacher-status-to-overseas-teachers/a-fairer-approach-to-awarding-qts-to-overseas-teachers.

    We are continuing our engagement with the sector so that it has time to understand and prepare for these changes ahead of their introduction in 2023. We will lay the necessary regulations in the autumn.

  • Michelle Donelan – 2022 Statement on Student Loan Interest Rate Reductions

    Michelle Donelan – 2022 Statement on Student Loan Interest Rate Reductions

    The statement made by Michelle Donelan, the Minister for Higher and Further Education, in the House of Commons on 13 June 2022.

    I am announcing today a temporary reduction in student loan interest rates to come into effect on 1 September 2022. This unprecedented action brings student loan interest rates in line with the forecast prevailing market rates for comparable unsecured personal loans.

    In accordance with the Teaching and Higher Education Act 1998, when the Government consider that the student loan interest rate is higher than the prevailing market rate for comparable unsecured loans, we will take steps to bring student loan interest rates in line with the prevailing market rate.

    The Government regularly monitor the interest rates set on student loans against the interest rates prevailing on the market for comparable loans.

    Student loans are set with reference to the RPI for the month of March prior to the start of the academic year, as published by the Office for National Statistics. Following a significant increase in RPI in March 2022, I am announcing today—13 June 2022—a cap on the post-2012 undergraduate income-contingent repayment and postgraduate income-contingent repayment student loan interest rates in line with the forecast prevailing market rate for the 2022-23 academic year. Subject to the will of Parliament, the cap will come into effect from 1 September 2022 and last for a period of 12 months.

    The post-2012 undergraduate income-contingent repayment student loan interest rate and the postgraduate income-contingent repayment student loan interest rate will be 7.3% between 1 September 2022 and 31 August 2023.

    This intervention by Ministers means that in September 2022 post-2012 undergraduate student loan borrowers and postgraduate student loan borrowers face a maximum interest rate of 7.3% rather than 12%. This is the largest reduction of its kind on record.

    No borrower will be paying more per month as a result of this change. Monthly student loan repayments are calculated as a fixed percentage of earnings above the relevant repayment threshold and do not change based on interest rates or the amount borrowed.

    Subject to continued monitoring of the prevailing market rate, from 1 September 2023, the post-2012 undergraduate income-contingent repayment student loan interest rates will revert to variable rates of standard rate to standard rate plus 3% and postgraduate income-contingent repayment student loan interest rates will revert to the standard rate plus 3%.

    Should the confirmed prevailing market rate turn out lower than forecast, a further cap will be implemented to reduce the plan 2 and the postgraduate loan interest rates accordingly.

    Further caps may be put in place should the prevailing market rate continue to be below student loan interest rates.

  • Michelle Donelan – 2022 Comments on Capping Interest on Student Loans

    Michelle Donelan – 2022 Comments on Capping Interest on Student Loans

    The comments made by Michelle Donelan, the Higher and Further Education Minister, on 11 June 2022.

    The government has always been clear that where it can help with rising prices we will, and I will always strive for a fair deal for students, which is why we have reduced the interest rate on student loans down from an expected 12%.

    I want to provide reassurance that this does not change the monthly repayment amount for borrowers, and we have brought forward this announcement to provide greater clarity and peace of mind for graduates at this time.

    For those starting higher education in September 2023 and any students considering that next step at the moment, we have cut future interest rates so that no new graduate will ever again have to pay back more than they have borrowed in real terms.

  • Robin Walker – 2022 Statement on the National Tutoring Programme

    Robin Walker – 2022 Statement on the National Tutoring Programme

    The statement made by Robin Walker, the Minister for School Standards, in the House of Commons on 26 May 2022.

    This update presents the latest performance data for the national tutoring programme that the Government have published today.

    On 31 March, I announced that almost 1.2 million courses had been started by pupils through the programme since its inception in November 2020. I am now pleased to advise the House that our latest estimates show that, up to 8 May, 1.5 million courses have now started. This represents solid progress towards the Government’s ambitious target of delivering up to 6 million courses by the end of the academic year 2023-24. 900,000 of the 1.2 million courses started this year are being delivered through the school-led option by schools using grant funding directly allocated to them.

    On 31 March, we also announced that from the next academic year we would allocate all funding for tutoring directly to schools. Procurement is currently under way for three new contracts to support schools to engage well-trained, high-quality tutors. The delivery partner(s) who will be selected through three open, competitive exercises will be responsible for quality assurance, offering training and recruiting, and deploying academic mentors. The procurement closed on 23 May. We will communicate full details of next year’s programme to schools in June and we will announce the successful applicant(s) in mid-July, so that delivery can commence at speed from the start of September. I will update the House on the successful applications in a future written ministerial statement.

  • Alex Burghart – 2022 Comments on Reforming Apprenticeships

    Alex Burghart – 2022 Comments on Reforming Apprenticeships

    The comments made by Alex Burghart, the Minister for Skills, on 27 May 2022.

    We have transformed apprenticeships so they offer a high-quality route into professions as diverse as engineering, healthcare, and digital for young people starting their careers, or adults hoping to retrain and upskill.

    We now want to focus on making the system as simple and user-friendly as possible, reducing bureaucratic burdens on employers and providers and giving apprentices the best possible experience.

  • Michelle Donelan – 2022 Statement on Reducing Bureaucracy in Higher Education

    Michelle Donelan – 2022 Statement on Reducing Bureaucracy in Higher Education

    The statement made by Michelle Donelan, the Minister for Higher and Further Education, in the House of Commons on 23 May 2022.

    Today I am providing an update on my commitment in September 2020 to reduce regulatory burden in higher education.

    Bureaucracy has a direct impact on how well providers can do their jobs: every pound spent on unnecessary bureaucracy is a pound that is not being spent on teaching and research.

    I am therefore pleased to confirm that the Office for Students has already:

    reduced its enhanced monitoring by over 75%, removing 376 individual information or reporting requirements;

    removed its requirement for detailed monitoring returns on Access and Participation Plans in 2022

    streamlined its communications with HE providers and provided a direct contact for every registered provider.

    In addition, I recently set up the HE data reduction taskforce, to bring together attendees from providers, arm’s-length bodies and other data experts across the HE sector to identify where we are putting overlapping data requirements on providers and where they could be reduced. The taskforce provides a real opportunity for all parties involved in data in the HE sector to discuss challenges and opportunities and, most importantly, to agree tangible actions.

    Institutional bureaucracy

    There is, however, more that providers themselves could do to remove internal bureaucracy which is not needed to comply with regulatory requirements.

    I therefore want to use this statement to encourage HE providers strongly to look at ways that they could reduce this gold-plating. This should include:

    Reviewing their own schemes of delegation to ensure that they are fit for purpose, and that regulatory decisions and activity are clearly delegated to the right level in the provider. Not every decision needs to go to the Board of Governors, or through multiple layers of governance.

    Ensuring that they remain focused on the content of the decisions they are making and the reasons for the decision, rather than ensuring that it goes to multiple committees.

    Carefully considering which processes, committees, activities and external subscriptions genuinely add value for students and which could be dispensed with, to free up academic time for teaching and research.

    Unnecessary bureaucracy can take up time that could be spent focusing on the academic experience or quality of teaching which a student receives. This Government and the OfS will continue to focus on this, but providers also need to look internally to do the same.