Highlights of week ending 2 July 2021
Ministers are looking to burst school bubbles as early as 19 July, as recent attendance figures show over 375,000 are missing out on classroom time due to Covid-related absences. Labour’s Kate Green tabled an urgent question on the matter in the House, where the Education Secretary indicated he was keen to see the restriction lifted soon.
The Education Committee saw former catch-up tsar Sir Kevan Collins appear as a witness this week, where he explained he had no choice but to resign after the Government’s “feeble” funding package was announced. He also outlined where his plan differed and what he thought was still required for education recovery.
The new quality mark for Higher Technical Qualifications was launched this week by DfE and IFATE. This new mark follows the review of Higher Technical Education and is based on employer standards. The Pearson BTEC Higher National in Computing was one of the first qualifications to be approved.
The Government announced a consultation on school behaviour this week, where they are seeking views from school leaders on their behaviour management strategies, as well as on in-school units and managed moves. Williamson himself is also keen to hear view on the banning of mobiles phones.
Read the full Policy Watch Briefing in PDF format (PDF | 291 KB)