Tag: Department for Education

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 25 July 2023.

The government has ensured every state school in England has a defibrillator with 20,376 devices delivered to 17,862 schools.

The government has confirmed today (25 July 2023) that all state-funded schools in England now have a life-saving defibrillator, drastically increasing the chances of surviving cardiac arrest for all state school pupils in England.

Following the government’s £19 million rollout, over 20,000 defibrillators have successfully been delivered to almost 18,000 schools since January.

In June, the Department for Education oversaw the successful completion of deliveries of defibrillators to secondary schools. Now, all eligible primary, special and alternative provision schools who did not already have a defibrillator have received deliveries, boosting their numbers in communities across the country.

Today’s milestone marks another step in the government’s commitment to delivering stronger, safer communities across the country.

In July 2022, the government committed to delivering these devices before the end of the 2022 to 2023 academic year to ensure that all state funded schools in England had access to a defibrillator, following the campaigning from Mark King of the Oliver King Foundation to ensure all schools have a defibrillator. Mark tragically lost his son, Oliver, after he suffered sudden cardiac arrest at school during a swimming lesson when he was 12-years-old.

Secretary of State for Education Gillian Keegan said:

Having access to defibrillators in schools drastically increases the chance of pupils, teachers and visitors surviving a cardiac arrest.

Thanks to the tireless campaigning of Mark King, Jamie Carragher and Nicola Carragher we are proud to say that every state-funded school in England now has access to a defibrillator.

Teachers and pupils across the country can now be reassured that they will have access to one on school grounds should tragedy strikes.

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Steve Barclay, said:

We know that quick access to a defibrillator can save someone’s life if they’re having a cardiac arrest.

I’m proud that the government has ensured all state schools have defibrillators, but we want to go even further.

That’s why we’ll be inviting organisations to bid for a share of £1 million of government funding to buy life-saving defibrillators for community spaces, like town halls and parks across England.

Oliver King Foundation founder, Mark King: > We as a family and foundation will continue to strive for change so no other family has to suffer as we are. > > We would like to say a massive thank you to Nadhim Zahawi, Lord Stuart Polak, Jamie Carragher and the DfE for helping us aim for legislation. > > Oliver’s memory will live on and lives will be saved!

Large schools have been provided with 2 or more defibrillators so that they can be strategically placed in areas of the schools where a cardiac arrest is more likely, such as sports halls.

A defibrillator is a machine that is placed externally on the body and is used to give an electric shock when a person is in cardiac arrest i.e. when the heart suddenly stops pumping blood around the body. Prompt defibrillation can help save a person’s life.

The government is also supporting schools in making defibrillators available to the community, with 1,200 external heated defibrillator cabinets being provided to primary and special schools by the end of 2023 in areas of deprivation, where provision is generally lower.

The rollout will build on existing requirements for schools to teach first aid as part of the curriculum, with secondary school pupils being taught life-saving methods such as CPR and the purpose of defibrillators. This rollout will help protect schools and their local communities against cardiac arrest, delivering wider access to these devices.

George Woods, Chief Business Officer for Education and Enterprise at St John Ambulance, said:

It’s fantastic news that our eligible state schools will have this lifesaving technology at their fingertips should it be needed.

Defibrillators are an incredibly important piece of equipment and can often dramatically increase the chances of someone surviving a cardiac arrest.

We are delighted that pupils, staff and visitors to the school can benefit from these devices in the event of a medical emergency until further help arrives.

At St John Ambulance, we know that community first aid saves lives, and this is the perfect example of a whole community coming together to make it a safer place to be.

James Cant, Chief Executive at Resuscitation Council UK said:

It’s great news that 20,000 defibrillators have now been delivered to all state schools across England, it’s now essential that they are regularly checked, registered on the Circuit and always rescue ready.

We need to see more defibrillators placed outside school gates in high-risk areas so they are available to the community, so it’s encouraging to see that 1,200 community facing defibs will be rolled out by the end of the calendar year.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 26 July 2023.

First local areas selected to test initial set of transformational programmes within children’s social care, supporting families through early help.

Dorset, Lincolnshire and Wolverhampton are the first 3 areas to be chosen today (26 July 2023) to deliver the Families First for Children programme. They will test new ways to reform every part of the children’s social care system, helping children to stay with their families in safe and loving homes, whilst protecting vulnerable children where needed.

The programme aims to ensure early help and intervention is available for families with challenges such as addiction, domestic abuse or poor mental health, to help them overcome adversity and stay together where possible, and to identify when to intervene to protect a vulnerable child when needed.

Separately, Brighton and Hove, Sunderland, Gateshead, Telford and Wrekin, Staffordshire, Hartlepool and Hammersmith and Fulham have been chosen to deliver Family Network pilots to find transformative ways to involve wider family members in supporting parents so that children can stay at home with their families.

The programmes, which are the cornerstone of the government’s ambitious and wide-ranging children’s social care implementation strategy, Stable Homes, Built on Love, will transform the current system, focusing on more early support for families, reducing the need for crisis response at a later stage. Funded by £45 million collectively, the 2 programmes will help develop the best practice models for the entire children’s social care system that can then be rolled out across the country.

Stable Homes, Built on Love responds to recommendations made in the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care, led by Josh MacAlister, the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel’s review into the tragic deaths of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and Star Hobson, and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) children’s social care market review. The findings revealed the current care system is often fragmented, siloed, and struggling to meet the needs of children and families across England.

The areas will work to deliver support to families based on 3 principles:

1. Delivering family help through local multi-disciplinary teams working with partners to provide welcoming and effective support, tailored to the needs of children and families.
2. Where child protection is necessary, it is carried out by social workers with greater expertise and experience, and time to dedicate to the family and child.
3. Greater use of family networks, involving the wider family in decision-making and with them being the first port of call if the child does have to leave the family home.

Brighton and Hove, Sunderland, Gateshead and Telford and Wrekin will start their Family Network pilots this month (July), and Staffordshire, Hartlepool and Hammersmith and Fulham will start in spring 2024.

Local authorities are also encouraged to apply to set up regional care co-operatives, another element of reform first announced in Stable Homes, Built on Love.

Children, Families and Wellbeing Minister, Claire Coutinho, said:

We committed earlier this year to deliver wide-ranging reforms that put strong relationships at the heart of the children’s social care system, to make sure children in care receive the same love and stability as everyone else.

Today, we take a step closer to achieving just that, thanks to the ambition these areas are showing for the life chances of their most vulnerable children.

The programme they are running will inform future reform across England to give every child the best possible chance to grow up in their family, delivering on the Prime Minister’s ambition to support families across the country.

Regional Care Co-operatives will plan, commission, and deliver children’s social care placements and are part of a broader package of measures to transform the care placement market. Further measures include: responding to the Competition and Markets Authority recommendations to provide national forecasting, procurement and market shaping support; supporting local areas to increase sufficiency of placements; introducing a financial oversight regime; and reforming care standards.

To achieve this long-term vision, the Regional Care Co-operatives pathfinders will enable a test and learn approach to find the most effective way of implementing this reform, doing so in conjunction with local government and the children’s social care sector.

Children who grow up in loving, stable homes tend to have better outcomes, which is why the proposals put relationships at the heart of the care system.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 21 July 2023.

Largest ever expansion of free childcare in England backed by fair funding for all age groups.

Nurseries and childminders are a step closer today to rolling out the government’s largest ever expansion of free childcare, as a fair funding formula is set out for the extension of free childcare to cover all ages from nine months to the start of school.

The new formula reflects extensive data gathering on the costs early years providers face in offering places for different age groups and how those costs vary across the country. It builds on the existing formula for three- and four-year-olds, where eligible working parents already receive 30 hours of free childcare a week and all parents receive 15 hours.

The proposed formula, now out for consultation, provides additional funding for areas of deprivation, helping to support families by making sure all children get the best start in life no matter where they live.

It also extends eligibility for additional disability funding and for the early years pupil premium down to nine months old, so providers will be able to access these funding streams for every eligible child receiving free government childcare hours.

The historic increase in funding announced by the Chancellor at Spring Budget has allowed the expected average rate paid to local authorities for 2024/25 to be set at £8.17 for two-year-olds and £11.06 for under twos. This makes the government rate for under twos almost double the average hourly fee of £5.68 charged to parents.

It comes as radically expanded free childcare offers are being rolled out. On top of the existing offers, from April 2024, eligible working parents will get 15 free hours for two-year-olds, from September 2024, 15 free hours will be available from nine months, and from September 2025, 30 free hours will be available from nine months until the start of school.

The offers will help more parents to increase their hours or return to work, as part of wider government support to families to help with rising prices.

Minister for Children, Families and Wellbeing, Claire Coutinho said:

The Education Secretary, Gillian Keegan, just announced increases to the amount we pay nurseries and childminders to offer free hours to two-year-olds. Today we’re giving providers further confidence that the largest ever expansion of free hours over the coming months and years will be properly and fairly funded.

Working parents can start getting ready for a helping hand with costs from the end of maternity leave right up until the end of primary school, with average savings of £6,500 a year if they use the full 30 free hours for their children.

The increased rates will help childcare providers invest in training and development opportunities for their staff, building on the up to £180 million package of learning and qualifications the government is providing to the sector to support the development of the youngest and most disadvantaged children.

As part of the consultation, illustrative local authority hourly funding rates for 2-year-olds and under twos have been set out so that local authorities and childcare providers can see what the proposals will mean for them.

Final 2024-25 hourly funding rates for local authorities for all age groups will be confirmed in the autumn.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 20 July 2023.

The Education Secretary has selected Sir Martyn Oliver due to his successful track record and experience on the front line of education.

The Secretary of State for Education, Gillian Keegan, has announced that she is recommending Sir Martyn Oliver for the post of His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills at Ofsted.

Sir Martyn has been selected as the preferred candidate because he is an accomplished school and trust leader with a track record of driving up standards in areas with high levels of disadvantage. He is currently the Chief Executive of Outwood Grange Academies Trust (OGAT), a large multi-academy trust (MAT) which has grown under Sir Martyn’s leadership from 17 academies to 41 primary, junior, secondary and alternative provision academies in the North of England.

He was knighted in 2022 in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for improving the education of thousands of children.

While supported by OGAT, 35 schools have been inspected – 28 have improved their Ofsted rating (including eight which were Inadequate or Requires Improvement when they started working with OGAT and are now rated Outstanding) and six have stayed the same (including two remaining as Good, and one remaining Outstanding). There are 10 schools rated Outstanding in the trust.

He is also a Trustee of the Education Endowment Foundation, the National Institute of Teaching, and the Office for Students and was a founding trustee of the Confederation of School Trusts.

Secretary of State for Education Gillian Keegan said:

Sir Martyn Oliver has demonstrated exemplary leadership and an unwavering commitment to driving up standards in areas of disadvantage in his time as a school and trust leader.

I want to sincerely thank Amanda Spielman for successfully steering Ofsted over the last seven years, introducing key reforms including hugely important new education and social care inspection frameworks.

I am confident the breadth of Martyn’s experience will enable him to build on this vital work as Ofsted moves into the future.

Under Amanda Spielman’s leadership, Ofsted has evolved, most notably with the introduction of its Education Inspection Framework for schools, early years, and further education in 2019. This has brought a new focus to the importance of a rich, knowledge-based curriculum.

Ofsted has also put a greater emphasis on the quality of the Initial Teacher Education curriculum by introducing a new framework to help build great teachers. Furthermore, it has introduced new inspection frameworks including inspecting Local Authority Children’s Services in 2018, and a new framework for Area SEND inspections with the Care Quality Commission to make sure that education, health and care services for children with SEND are effective, and that all children in care receive what they need, no matter where they live.

More recently in June, Ofsted announced changes to improve the inspection arrangements and reduce pressures on teachers and school leaders following the tragic death of Ruth Perry.

Ofsted has a vital role in maintaining a focus on quality and standards in the context of critical reforms to the education system – including the roll out of T levels, reforms in children’s social care, reforms to Initial Teacher Training and the priority given to evidence-based teacher professional development and the increasing importance of school trusts.

Sir Martyn has the right experience to provide strong direction during this time across the range of Ofsted’s functions, from schools and colleges to childcare providers and children’s services.

Sir Martyn Oliver, Chief Executive Officer of Outwood Grange Academies Trust, said:

I am deeply honoured and hugely privileged to have been recommended for this role. Subject to the pre-appointment hearing, I can promise that I will work extremely hard and very closely with the whole sector so that we can together build on what has been done to date to create the best system in all areas of education, children’s services and skills for the benefit of children and young people.

Working with others, prioritising inclusion, and aiming for the highest standards in all areas have been key principles for Outwood Grange Academies Trust under my leadership and these would remain the case if I am appointed to the Ofsted role.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 17 July 2023.

Schools in England to receive highest ever funding rates in 2024-25.

Schools in England are set to receive their highest ever funding in real terms, totalling almost £60 billion for 2024-25 as the government today announces the extra funding they will receive through the National Funding Formula (NFF).

Mainstream schools in England will receive an average of around £6,000 for each pupil from next year through the NFF, with additional funding for teacher pay coming on top of that. More money than ever before is being invested in schools, ensuring every child gets a world class education.

Overall, funding will be at its highest ever level in real terms per pupil in 2024-25, as measured by the independent Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) – underlining the government’s commitment to education.

This money can be spent on staff salaries, school trips and classroom equipment which will help raise school standards and education outcomes. These increases form part of the additional £9.8 billion being invested in the schools core budget by 2024-25, compared to 2021-22.

This follows news last week that teachers in England have been given the highest pay award for 30 years of 6.5%, following government accepting in full the recommendations set out by the independent pay review body. In doing so, the Government will be delivering on its manifesto commitment to raise the minimum starting salary for teachers to £30,000 from September. This deal will allow teachers and school leaders to call off strike action.

This will support the Prime Minister’s plans to build a better future, where children are given the highest standard of education no matter where they grow up and have the skills they need for the future.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said:

Providing children with the best education sets them up for a better future, which is why we are funding our schools at record levels and have awarded our fantastic teachers with the highest pay award in 30 years.

This investment means every pupil in England will receive a world class education and our brilliant teachers will have the resources they need to continue to inspire the next generation.

Nationally, funding for mainstream schools through the schools NFF will increase by 2.7% per pupil in 2024-25 (compared to this year), as schools continue to benefit from the additional funding announced in the Autumn Statement.

For 2024-25, every mainstream school will attract at least £4,655 per pupil for primary schools and at least £6,050 per pupil in secondary schools through the NFF.

The schools NFF funding sits on top of the additional funding for teachers’ pay announced in July 2023. The Teachers Pay Additional Grant (TPAG) provides £482.5 million in 2023-24, and £827.5 million in 2024-25 for mainstream schools, special schools and alternative provision schools.

Today’s funding announcement confirms how the vast majority of school funding will be allocated next year, supporting headteachers to meet their day-to-day costs. Schools can use an online tool to see their notional allocations through the NFF, to help with their budget planning.

Funding allocations announced today are key to this government’s plans to raise school standards across the country and as of December 2022 88% of schools were rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’, compared to just 68% in 2010.

The Department for Education has also published local authorities’ provisional high needs NFF allocations for 2024-25. This funding, to support children and young people with complex special educational needs and disabilities, is increasing by a further £440 million, or 4.3%, in 2024-25 compared to this year. This brings the total high needs budget to £10.54 billion in 2024-25 – an increase of over 60% in just five years. The additional funding for teachers’ pay in special schools and alternative provision schools is on top of this.

The high needs NFF will ensure that every local authority receives at least a 3% increase per head of their 2-18 population, with the majority of authorities seeing gains of more than 3%.

The latest data by the OECD shows that the UK invested more than any other G7 nation in schools and colleges as a share of GDP between 2010-11 and 2019-20, showing Government’s continued commitment to prioritise funding the education system.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 17 July 2023.

University courses that fail to deliver good outcomes, with high drop-out rates and poor employment prospects will be subject to strict controls.

Students and taxpayers will be better protected against rip-off degree courses that have high drop-out rates, don’t lead to good jobs and leave young people with poor pay and high debts, the Prime Minister and Education Secretary have announced.

Under the plans, the Office for Students (OfS) will be asked to limit the number of students universities can recruit onto courses that are failing to deliver good outcomes for students.

The UK has some of the world’s leading universities, but a minority of the courses on offer leave students saddled with debt, low earnings and faced with poor job prospects. The government wants to make the system fairer for them, but also for taxpayers – who make a huge investment in higher education and are liable for billions of pounds in unrecovered tuition fees if graduate earnings are low.

Figures from the Office for Students show that nearly three in ten graduates do not progress into highly skilled jobs or further study 15 months after graduating. The Institute for Fiscal Studies also estimates that one in five graduates would be better off financially if they hadn’t gone to university.

The government wants to make sure that universities and colleges are offering the same standard of high-quality provision expected in our schools, and that young people are encouraged to choose the path that is right for them – whether it’s a university degree, a higher technical qualification, or an apprenticeship.

As part of today’s announcements, the government will also reduce the maximum fee that universities can charge for classroom-based foundation year courses to £5,760 – down from £9,250 currently.

These are an additional year of study designed to help prepare students for degrees with specific entry requirements or knowledge, such as in medicine and veterinary sciences. However, research shows that too many people are encouraged to take a foundation year in some subjects like business where it is not necessary.

The Office for Students will also continue work to make it easier for students to assess the quality of each university course, including its earnings potential, so that they can make the most informed decision about where and what to study. We are asking the Office for Students to ensure that courses which fail to deliver good earnings are subject to stricter controls.

Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, said:

The UK is home to some of the best universities in the world and studying for a degree can be immensely rewarding.

But too many young people are being sold a false dream and end up doing a poor-quality course at the taxpayers’ expense that doesn’t offer the prospect of a decent job at the end of it.

That is why we are taking action to crack down on rip-off university courses, while boosting skills training and apprenticeships provision.

This will help more young people to choose the path that is right to help them reach their potential and grow our economy.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said:

Students and taxpayers rightly expect value for money and a good return on the significant financial investment they make in higher education.

These new measures will crack down on higher education providers that continue to offer poor quality courses and send a clear signal that we will not allow students to be sold a false promise. Wherever they choose to study, it is vital students can gain the skills needed to get great jobs and succeed – supporting the Prime Minister’s priority to grow our economy.

Philip Augar, chair of the independent Review of Post-18 Education and Funding, said:

This is another strong signal for universities to control such recruitment as is not in students’ best interests and I hope the sector responds constructively.

Edward Peck, Vice-Chancellor and President Nottingham Trent University and panel member of the independent Review of Post-18 Education and Funding, said:

Following careful consideration and extensive consultation, the reform agenda for higher education being pursued by Government is consistent with the approach articulated in the Augar Review.

The alignment of the fee for Foundation Years with that of Access to HE for lower cost subjects is in the interests of students as is the proposition that the future refinement of the quality framework deployed by the Office for Students, including potential selective student number controls, should make subject appropriate use of graduate salaries.

Baroness Alison Wolf, panel member of the independent Review of Post-18 Education and Funding, said:

I am delighted that the government has introduced reforms for foundation year courses, whose current meteoric growth is hard to justify educationally or in cost terms.

Aligning their fees explicitly with college-based access courses should also promote the greater alignment of further and higher education to which the government is, rightly, committed.

The government has already taken decisive steps to make sure young people and adults can access more high-quality training opportunities. This includes rolling out new T Levels, Higher Technical Qualifications, establishing a network of 21 Institutes of Technologyand working with employers of all sizes to create more apprenticeships in a wider range of exciting roles. Plans to expand UCAS to allow students to apply for apprenticeships alongside traditional degree have also been announced so thousands more young people can benefit from a wider choice of high-quality options.

Alongside the measures announced today to boost the quality of higher education, the government is going further still to support people and employers to take advantage of the wide range of free training options available to them, helping to fill skills gaps, get people into work and support the Prime Minister’s priority of growing the economy.

This includes launching a new digital platform from the autumn where people and employers can search for everything from apprenticeships and T Levels to Skills Bootcamps and essential skills courses – all in one place. The government is also making it easier for employers to take on apprentices. This includes by cutting the steps needed to register to take on an apprentice by a third and updating 100 apprenticeships in sectors such as construction and healthcare so they reflect the latest technological advancements and so they work better for employers and apprentices.

Anthony Impey, Chief Executive of Be The Business, said:

Small businesses are run by some of the country’s most impressive and resilient people, but they are time poor and lack the resources of their peers in much larger companies. So these changes will make a real difference in opening up apprenticeships at a time when small businesses are looking for all the help they can get to boost their productivity.

FD Works, Top 50 SME apprentice employer and accountancy firm based in Bristol said:

At FD Works, we believe that the power of apprentices is unmatched. The passion and perspective they bring have been a huge part of our ongoing success, but as a small business, our time is incredibly valuable. The investment far outweighs the cost already, but the Department for Education is continuously improving the system with us in mind, which is clear in this latest update.

As an innovative company, we’re really excited to see changes happening that will help us move quicker, share more opportunities, and empower even more apprentices to find a career they love.

Jane Gratton, Head of People Policy, British Chambers of Commerce said:

Apprenticeships are key to boosting technical skills in the workforce and helping firms tackle skills shortages. However, many firms with great apprenticeship opportunities have found the process difficult.  So it’s good to see Government taking steps in the right direction to reduce the complexity and excess bureaucracy in the apprenticeship system.

We also need more candidates to choose the apprenticeship route to employment and so we welcome initiatives that raise awareness and help match people to the great jobs and training available in local business communities throughout the country.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 15 July 2023.

Over 40,000 people across the UK will get the transformational opportunity to study or work abroad in over 160 destinations across the world.

Disadvantaged students are set to take up the two-thirds of the international study and work opportunities available from September, as part of to the government’s flagship Turing Scheme.

Over 40,000 people across the UK will get the transformational opportunity to study or work abroad in the next academic year.

Building on the success of the previous 2 years, nearly two-thirds of these placements are for people from disadvantaged and underrepresented backgrounds, up from 51% last year, helping to drive social mobility in parts of the UK where historically there have been fewer opportunities to work and study abroad. In further education the allocation for disadvantaged students is even higher this year, making up 71% of placements in the sector.

The Turing Scheme widens access to international opportunities in education and training, with more than 22,800 higher education placements, over 6,700 school placements, and more than 10,500 further education and vocational education and training placements.

Universities, colleges and schools across the country will be awarded a share of almost £105 million to offer placements to their students, with more applications having been successful this year than ever before and a significantly higher interest in the scheme from colleges and schools, including a nearly 50% increase in the number of successful applications in the FE sector.

Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education Robert Halfon said:

Once again, this transformational scheme is extending the ladder of opportunity for more young people to experience other cultures and learn vital skills for life and work, regardless of their background.

With nearly a 50% increase in the number of successful applications and around 1,800 additional learners from disadvantaged backgrounds in the FE sector compared to last year, I am delighted that this scheme is driving social mobility.

Young people taking part will benefit from inspirational placements around the world that will build the confidence they need for their future, whilst bolstering the government’s ambition for a Global Britain.

The scheme is open to education providers and other eligible organisations across the UK to provide international opportunities for their students. It forms part of the government’s ambition to create a truly Global Britain. Canada, Japan and the United States are among over 160 international destinations where UK students will be funded to take up work and study placements – alongside popular European destinations like Spain and France.

A group of year 10 pupils from a school in Blackburn were offered the valuable opportunity to spend 2 weeks in Eswatini or Morocco in May 2022. Pupils from the Hyndburn Academy spent time in lessons with their counterparts as well as undertaking work in the local community, working with the charity All Out Africa to install drainage pipework at a care centre for local pre-school children.

Teacher Rebecca Barker-Rourke said of the experience:

The experience has developed confidence in many of the students and will give them loads of rich examples to discuss in future applications for college, university, apprenticeships and employment.

We are in an area that is economically deprived, and the Turing Scheme funding means we can offer this opportunity to students that would otherwise never get the chance for a trip like this.

Leeds Beckett University is one of the successful providers this year and expects students to travel to destinations such as Canada, Australia and Uganda.

Global Engagement and Relationship Manager Tom Kyle said:

We have seen growing demand for students wanting to gain some form of global experience during their studies, and it makes a big difference to be able to offer funding for this, particularly to those students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

There is good evidence that students who spend some time abroad during their studies benefit in terms of graduate outcomes and employability, as well as having a fantastic time overseas. We look forward to building on our student mobility activity and seeing more students benefit from the opportunities this brings.

The full list of successful organisations including higher education providers, schools, and further education, vocational education and training providers awarded funding is available on the Turing Scheme website: Turing Scheme funding results 2022 to 2023 .

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 11 July 2023.

Key Stage 2 results show an improvement in the majority of subjects as pupils continue to catch up from the pandemic.

Key Stage 2 results published today show that more pupils have met the expected standard in this year’s mathematics and writing SATs assessments compared to last year.

Due to the pandemic, it was expected that there would be lower levels of attainment compared to 2019, while children caught up on lost learning. Today’s results showed that 73% of pupils met the expected standard in maths – up from 71% in 2022, moving one step closer to the Government’s vision to ensure more young people have the necessary skills in maths to succeed.

Overall, 59% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined – the same as the result in 2022 but a decrease from 2019 which was 65%. Grammar, punctuation and spelling results also remain unchanged from 2022.

There was a 2% point increase in attainment in writing which is now at 71% and whilst those meeting the expected standard in reading is down from 2022 from 75% to 73%, it remains higher compared to 2016 (66%) and is in line with pre-pandemic standards (73% met the expected standard in reading in 2019). Additionally, science teacher assessments showed 80% of pupils met the expected standard, up from 79% last year.

Minister for School Standards Nick Gibb said:

We know that pupils have had their education disrupted due to the pandemic which is why following on from our success in the Progress International Reading Literacy Study, it is encouraging to see attainment levels improving in some key subjects.

Our National Tutoring Programme has been crucial in helping those pupils most in need of support and our reforms – including the focus on phonics  – are helping to ensure more children leave primary school with a secure grasp of reading and writing.

Literacy and numeracy are the cornerstones of a world-class education and that is why we have invested £60m in our English Hubs programme and £100m in our Maths Hubs programme to build children’s literacy, speaking and numeracy skills.

These results help teachers and parents understand how pupils are doing in English, maths and science, allowing them to pinpoint where extra help might be needed. The test results also help inform a pupil’s transition to secondary school by ensuring that they receive the right support once they start.

This is the second year of Key Stage 2 attainment data since the beginning of the pandemic, as there were no SATs tests taken in 2020 and 2021. In order to help pupils catch up on learning, extra help was provided to schools through multi-year recovery programmes such as the National Tutoring Programme, which will benefit pupils’ learning for years to come.

Earlier this year, it was announced that England came fourth of the 43 countries that tested children of the same age in the 2021 Progress in International Literacy Study (PIRLS). This success in PIRLS follows the Department’s long-term commitment to providing every pupil with high-quality phonics teaching.

The increased attainment in maths and writing from last year, coupled with standards in reading reflecting pre-pandemic levels, indicate the progress that has been made in recovering from the pandemic.

Since 2018, the Department has invested £60 million in the English Hubs programme, designed to develop expertise in teaching reading in primary schools. Analysis published this year shows that partner schools supported by the English Hubs Programme outperformed other schools by around 7 percentage points in their Phonics Screening Checks.

The Department’s national network of 40 Maths Hubs continues to help every school in the country improve the quality of their teaching based on best practice from East Asia.

The tests are developed by the Standards and Testing Agency (STA) over three years. The STA uses a range of rigorous and established processes to ensure the tests are appropriate and fair, including expert reviews by teachers, curriculum and inclusion specialists and other education professionals. All questions in this year’s papers were trialled with around 1,000 pupils.

Given the interest in this year’s reading test, the Minister asked the STA for their assessment of the relative difficulty of the test. Based on evidence gathered throughout the test development process, STA confirmed that the content of this year’s test was at the appropriate level of difficulty. The standards maintenance process demonstrated the test was within the range of difficulty of the reading tests since 2016.

In recognition of the educational importance of reading for students, the Department for Education will also be launching a new and updated Reading Framework. This is an update to existing guidance published July 2021, which previously only related to the teaching of reading in Reception and Year 1.

This updated guidance has been expanded from reception and Key Stage 1 to cover Key Stage 2 and 3 to help schools improve reading for all pupils so they leave primary able to engage confidently and passionately with reading in all subjects at secondary school.  It provides guidance to teachers in Key Stage 2 and secondary schools on how to support those pupils who still need help with reading.  It also outlines how vitally important talk is to reading and how teachers can support all pupils to express their ideas confidently.

In addition to this framework, the Government will also be launching a review of good practice in the teaching of writing to look at how best to improve attainment in writing. This will be a valuable resource for schools to support best practice in teaching writing and will inform further research and guidance.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 7 July 2023.

Nurseries are set to receive a £204 million cash boost as part of the Government’s promise to deliver the largest ever investment in childcare.

The plans, which were announced in the Spring Budget, are designed to remove significant barriers to support parents to return to work and help to grow the economy by making childcare more accessible.

Every area across the country is getting a share of the government funding which childcare providers can use to ease cost pressures such as staffing costs, training and bills. Funding rates per child paid from September will increase from an average of £5.29 to £5.62 for three and four-year-olds, and from an average of £6.00 to £7.95 for two-year-olds.

The increase in funding will support the early years sector to deliver the biggest investment in childcare ever.

From April 2024, eligible working parents of two-year-olds will get a new offer of 15 free hours per week of free childcare. From September 2024, eligible parents will get 15 free hours from nine months until their children start school, and from September 2025, they will get 30 free hours from nine months until the start of school.

Separately, the government has today confirmed plans to deliver its ambition for all parents of primary school aged children to access childcare in their local area between 8am and 6pm.

16 local authorities from Barnsley to Wiltshire have been selected to work with the government to develop plans for this universal provision, with some of these areas expected to be the first to rollout the wraparound care as early as summer 2024.

All local authorities will start to receive their share of £289 million in funding from January 2024 to support their delivery of the programme, with parents expected to see an expansion in the availability of wraparound care from September 2024.

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt said:

I know the cost of childcare can be a real struggle for parents and can become a barrier to work.

That’s why we announced the largest ever expansion of free childcare at Spring Budget, and today we’re increasing hourly funding rates to make sure the system is ready to deliver, including uplifting rates for a two-year-old by a third.

These reforms will be transformative, and ensure that we build a childcare system comparable to the best.

Education Secretary, Gillian Keegan said:

Today is a great step forward as we deliver on the largest ever expansion of childcare which will be transformational for working families and will help grow our economy.

I want childcare to be truly affordable and available when and where parents need it.

This initial investment of over £200 million will go a long way in supporting the fantastic early years sector to prepare for the expansion of free childcare hours available to parents next year.

There will be further funding increases in the amounts paid to local authorities to pass to providers for delivering the government’s free childcare places moving forward, with an additional investment of £288 million already announced at the Spring Budget for 2024-25.

The Department will shortly launch a consultation on how the funding for the new entitlements in 2024-25 will be distributed, to make sure it remains fair in light of the radically expanded free childcare offers.

A further £12 million is also being given to local authorities this financial year to support them to effectively roll out the new offer.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 15 June 2023.

New GCSE will be the first of its kind and will teach students how to communicate through sign language.

Students are one step closer to the British Sign Language (BSL) GCSE being taught in schools, as the government launches a 12-week consultation on the content of the new qualification.

The qualification will include students being taught to communicate effectively with other signers for use in work, social and academic settings, providing them with valuable life skills welcomed by employers.

The Department for Education (DfE) has been working closely with subject experts, stakeholders and schools to develop proposed content to ensure that this new GCSE is internationally recognised and accepted in school and college performance tables. In line all qualifications, the GCSE will be knowledge-rich, diverse and as challenging as any other GCSE.

Views on the new qualification, including the language skills to be studied and the role of history, are being sought from teachers, employers and the deaf and hearing communities. The government aims to introduce this for first teaching from September 2025.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said:

It is fantastic that British Sign Language will soon be taught in schools up and down the country.

Good communication is essential both inside and outside the workplace and this historic GCSE will give students a vital life skill valued by employers.

This new qualification will break down barriers, advance equality of opportunity, and celebrate the history and rich culture of British Sign Language.

Ofqual Chief Regulator Dr Jo Saxton said:

At their best, qualifications increase opportunities and break down barriers. This GCSE in British Sign Language will do that by encouraging more people to study the language, so I’m delighted to be launching our consultation on how students should be assessed in this exciting new GCSE.

The proposals reflect our judgements about how the Department for Education’s subject content should be assessed to best allow students to demonstrate their performance in this subject. We want anyone with an interest in this new GCSE subject to tell us what they think about our proposals and whether these allow students the best opportunity to show how well they understand and can use British Sign Language.

Susan Daniels OBE, Chief Executive of the National Deaf Children’s Society, said:

We’re delighted that a GCSE in British Sign Language (BSL) is now a step closer.

BSL is a native British language used by tens of thousands of people, so it’s only fair and right that BSL users should have the opportunity to achieve a GCSE in their own, legally recognised language. This qualification will help to breakdown communication barriers between deaf and hearing people and educate more people about the deaf community and culture.

We know there are incredibly high levels of support for a BSL GCSE among both deaf and hearing students, as well as from their parents. Our recent survey also found teachers overwhelmingly believe sign language would be a useful skill for both deaf and hearing students to learn.

Tasha Ghouri, influencer and activist for the deaf community said:

As lots of you will know, being deaf is my ‘superpower’. But as someone who has had a cochlear implant since 5 years old and relies on lip-reading – going to school had its challenges.

Being included and made to feel equal means everything to me and I’ve been on a personal mission to raise awareness of the challenges facing deaf children.

That’s why I’m absolutely delighted that today, the government has announced it will soon be launching a brand new GCSE in British Sign Language which will be available to all pupils.

Ian Morgan, Chief Executive, Eduqas, said:

As one of England’s largest exam boards, Eduqas is committed to supporting the development of a new GCSE in British Sign Language (BSL); this builds on exciting work already underway in Wales to design a new GCSE BSL for WJEC students by September 2026.

Equality and inclusion matter to us, and we’re confident that this pioneering new GCSE will boost the profile of the language and play an important role in increasing the number of speakers from all communities.

We look forward to working closely with teachers, learners and subject experts to create a qualification that is engaging, relevant, and fit for the future.

Lindsay Foster, Executive Director at Signature said:

It’s great to get the public consultation out there, so that the public can see what a GCSE in BSL could look like.

We have been working towards a BSL GCSE for over 12 years now, so this feels like a milestone moment. What is important now is that people have their say on subject content and we look forward to seeing the outcome of that.

From the secondary schools we have spoken with, around 60% have told us that they would like to offer this as part of their curriculum. We really hope that over the years to come we see this in as many schools as possible.

Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work, Tom Pursglove MP, said:

The British Sign Language (BSL) Act is helping make our society more accessible, opening doors to better communication for more Deaf people.

A BSL GCSE is a fantastic step in the right direction, encouraging more students to learn BSL to help increase the number of BSL users that Deaf people can speak with, making the UK an even more inclusive society.

The recently published special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and alternative provision (AP) improvement plan set out how all children and young people, including those who are deaf or have a hearing impairment, will get the support they need to succeed in their education.

British Sign Language was recognised in law as a language of Great Britain in the BSL Act (2022) and the new GCSE will be key to advancing inclusivity within education.

The study of BSL will enable students to develop ways of expressing and negotiating meaning through visual spatial language, communication and visual memory skills that will be an advantage to them for the rest of their lives.

As well as learning how to sign effectively, the GCSE will also give students an understanding of the history of sign language in the UK. This will provide a solid foundation for students’ understanding of how the language has reached its current form.