Skills featured prominently in the Prime Minister’s speech on his levelling up agenda. Key to this will be adult provisions, such as Kickstart, that are now being consulted on. We also saw the announcement of successful bids for the new Skills Accelerators. The much anticipated DfE response to the Level 3 review received a lukewarm response from many in the sector, including the AoC, as questions over the pace of change and the impact on students remain unanswered.

On the stakeholder front, the OfS published their insights briefing for the latest NSS results, EPI reported on professional development for the teaching workforce, and the NFER examined the impact of the pandemic on education settings and what they’ll need to help recover.

Education discussions have also been packing the committee room of Parliament this week, with Schools Minister Nick Gibb giving evidence to the Youth Unemployment Committee, Sir Kevan Collins chatting to the Public Services Committee, and other sessions elsewhere on secure training centres and school funding.

Read the full Policy Watch Briefing in PDF format