FY 2011-12 No. 14
Policy Update
30th November 2011 – 20th January 2012
In this issue
Further Education and Skills .............................................................................................................. 3
New Challenges, New Chances: the government response .................................................................. 3
Building Engagement, Building Futures: the strategy to maximise the participation of 16-24 year olds .. 4
UKCES publishes report on employer ownership of skills ...................................................................... 5
DfE: Young people's education and labour market choices aged 16/17 to 18/19 ................................... 5
John Hayes announces minimum 12 month requirement for 16-18 year old apprentices....................... 6
Business, Innovation and Skills Committee announces new inquiry into Apprenticeships...................... 6
BIS: Review of the matrix standard in response to the Tribal review of 2009: evaluation report ............. 7
HMRC: VAT cost-sharing exemption ..................................................................................................... 7
SFA and NAS chief executives announce their retirement ..................................................................... 8
Economy and Employment .................................................................................................................. 8
Deputy prime minister launches new 'City Deals' ................................................................................... 8
Fourteen cities eligible to be super-connected cities .............................................................................. 9
LEPs: coverage and statistics ................................................................................................................ 9
DWP publishes report on lone parent obligations: work, childcare and the JSA regime ....................... 10
Prime minister announces measures to reduce health and safety ‘red tape’ ........................................ 10
14-19 and Schools ................................................................................................................................ 10
DfE publishes Positive for Youth.......................................................................................................... 10
YPLA 16-19 funding statement for 2012-13 financial year ................................................................... 11
Consultation on the Raising the Participation Age (RPA) regulations................................................... 12
Ofsted publishes details of inspection arrangements ........................................................................... 13
Ofsted report on schools that stay satisfactory .................................................................................... 13
ICT curriculum set to be withdrawn this September ............................................................................. 14
Ofsted: Young people are not being sufficiently challenged in ICT lessons ......................................... 14
End for GCSE modules and spelling, punctuation and grammar marks restored to exams .................. 15
The independent evaluation of the pilot of the linked pair of GCSEs in mathematics ........................... 15
LSIS Policy Update No. 14
30th November 2011 – 20th January 2012
National Curriculum review update ...................................................................................................... 16
Great teachers could become ‘Master Teachers’ ................................................................................. 16
Overhaul of head teachers’ qualification .............................................................................................. 16
Consultation on proposed changes to the school staffing (England) regulations 2009 ......................... 17
Outcomes for looked after children as at 31 March 2011 ..................................................................... 17
DfE publishes Statistical First Release on school capacity 2011.......................................................... 17
DCMS publishes a new youth sport strategy ....................................................................................... 17
Higher Education .................................................................................................................................. 18
David Willetts launches Research Council impact reports ................................................................... 18
David Willetts commits government to easing reporting burdens on universities ................................. 18
Tracking International Graduate Outcomes report ............................................................................... 18
Local Government and Wider Public Sector ................................................................................ 19
£200 million payment by results scheme to help troubled families ....................................................... 19
DWP: final evaluation of City strategy .................................................................................................. 19
What can a mayor do for your city? Government response to the mayoral consultation ...................... 20
Government response to the future of local audit consultation ............................................................. 20
£150 million Big Society Community First endowment launched ......................................................... 20
£3.1 million from dormant bank accounts invested in Big Society projects ........................................... 21
DEFRA announces Rural Growth Network Pilots ................................................................................ 21
UK companies sign up for the Business Compact ............................................................................... 21
DWP: Attitudes to age in Britain 2010-11............................................................................................. 22
DCLG publishes 2009-10 citizenship survey results ............................................................................ 22
Extra money to help people leaving hospital ........................................................................................ 22
Equality and Diversity ......................................................................................................................... 23
Transgender equality plan published ................................................................................................... 23
Voluntary and Community Sector ................................................................................................... 23
Charities Act 2011 ............................................................................................................................... 23
Devolved Administrations.................................................................................................................. 24
Skills announcements and updates for Scotland ................................................................................. 24
Welsh Minister announces new teacher training incentives ................................................................. 24
New Faces and Awards ...................................................................................................................... 24
New Year Honours List 2012 ............................................................................................................... 24
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LSIS Policy Update No. 14
30th November 2011 – 20th January 2012
Further Education and Skills
1st December – New Challenges, New Chances: the government response
BIS has published Further Education and Skills System Reform Plan: building a world class skills
system a paper which sets out what the government will support financially and the programme of work
required to take forward BIS’ reform plans for the FE and skills system for adults aged 19 and over in
England. It takes account of the responses to the New Challenges, New Chances consultation and builds
on the vision and principles set out in Skills for Sustainable Growth in 2010.1The headlines can be
summarised as follows:
government will prioritise available grant funding on learning for young adults, those who need English
and Maths skills, and those seeking work. Alongside this government is introducing a system of Further
Education (FE) loans which shares the features of Higher Education (HE) student finance system;
in April 2012 BIS will launch the National Careers Service, building on Next Step. The Service will have
‘a new focus on specialist careers guidance, built on the principles of independence and professional
standards, and will ensure there is a strong information, advice and guidance offer available for young
people and adults’;
a government commitment to improve the quality and accessibility of Apprenticeships;
BIS will set up an independent commission on adult education and vocational pedagogy, and facilitate
an independent review of professionalism in the further education and skills workforce;
BIS will work with businesses, providers, and awarding bodies to maximise the benefits of the QCF;
BIS will review the ways of ‘protecting the terminology and titles in relation to FE colleges to maintain
the high reputation of the FE sector’;
a ‘three strand approach’ to helping colleges and training providers to run their businesses and better
respond to the needs of learners, employers and communities: streamlining the landscape, simplifying
systems and processes, and deregulation;
a commitment to empower students to make informed choices through better access to information on
quality; and
government is stepping up its efforts to support education as an export, making this an explicit element
of the growth strategy and focussing on emerging economies with significant education export
opportunities.
The overall adult FE and skills investment in 2012-13 will be £3.8 billion. £3.6 billion will be routed through
the SFA, falling to £3.4 billion by 2013-14 and £3.3 billion by 2014-15. This will be supplemented by £129
million and £398 million respectively provided through FE loans for adult learners aged 24 and over on
Level 3 or higher courses;
1
We have published a quick summary and slideshow, available at:
http://www.lsis.org.uk/Services/Policy/Pages/Brief-Guides.aspx
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LSIS Policy Update No. 14
30th November 2011 – 20th January 2012
15th December – Building Engagement, Building Futures: the strategy to maximise
the participation of 16-24 year olds in education, training and work
HM Government has published Building Engagement, Building Futures, a cross-government strategy for
increasing the participation of 16-24 year olds in education, training and work.2 This aim is identified as
‘central’ to the coalition government’s ambitions to improve social mobility and stimulate economic growth.
The document has been published jointly, across the Departments for Business and Innovation, Education,
Work and Pensions, and the Ministry of Justice, in recognition of the need for coherent policy approaches
across education, training, skills and employment. The aim is to ensure that all services align in ‘the best
way possible’ to serve the shared purpose of helping every young person make progress towards adult life
and successful careers. 3
The strategy sets out the range of announcements from recent months, consolidating them in one key
document. These include:
a new Youth Contract worth almost £1 billion over the next three years to help get young people
‘learning or earning’ including
o
160,000 job subsidies worth up to £2,275 for each business taking on an 18-24 year old from
the Work Programme
o
an extra 250,000 work experience places over the next three years
o
a £150 million programme to provide support to some of the most vulnerable 16-17year olds
who are not in education, employment or training from 2012
an assertion that schools have ‘the key role’ in identifying and supporting pupils who are at greatest risk
of disengagement and ‘ensuring that they receive the support and advice they need to move on into a
successful post-16 destination’
the reform of performance tables following the Wolf Review;
raising the participation age to 17 in 2013 and 18 in 2015. Government will shortly consult on the
regulations that underpin the RPA primary legislation;
an expectation that colleges and providers work closely with local partners including Local
Enterprise Partnerships, local authorities and Jobcentre Plus to ‘ensure they are making a strong
contribution to meeting the social and economic needs of communities’;
consulting in early 2012 on the fitness for purpose of National Occupational Standards and on
employers' involvement in developing, specifying and awarding qualifications;
the introduction of the Work Programme to provide intensive personalised support for those people
who are more at risk of long term unemployment. Work Programme providers design support
based on individual and local need and are paid primarily for supporting claimants into employment
and helping them stay there for longer than ever before, with higher payments for supporting the
hardest to help.
a commitment to ‘turn around the lives’ of 120,000 of the post troubled families by the end of
Parliament;
2
http://www.bis.gov.uk/policies/further-education-skills/youth-participation
We have published a quick summary of Building Engagement, Building Futures available at
http://www.lsis.org.uk/Services/Policy/Pages/Brief-Guides.aspx
3
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LSIS Policy Update No. 14
30th November 2011 – 20th January 2012
young people aged 18-24 will receive ‘extra support’ from Jobcentre Plus, including weekly, rather
than fortnightly signing from month five of a Jobseekers’ Allowance claim and extra personal
adviser time from month three; and
piloting new models which embed careers guidance professionals from the National Careers
Service within jobcentres.
13th December – UKCES publishes report on employer ownership of skills
Employer ownership of skills is the UK Commission’s long term vision for skills in England. The central
premise is that employers need the space to step up and take ownership of skills.
In November 2011, the prime minister announced a fund of up to £250 million to test out approaches to
employer ownership that ‘gives employers the power to take control of training so that it best meets the
skills they need’. The UK Commission is now working closely with government to develop the pilots which
will test the principles and proposals outlined in the vision paper Employer ownership of skills: securing
a sustainable partnership for the long term.
UKCES’ five high level principles for reform are:
employers should have the space to own the skills agenda;
there should be a single market for skills development;
skill solutions should be designed by employer-led partnerships to reach more people and businesses;
public contributions for vocational training should move to employer incentives and investments; and
transactions should be transparent.
UKCES is working with government to develop a prospectus for employers which will be launched in early
2012.
22nd December – Department for Education: Young people's education and labour
market choices aged 16/17 to 18/19
DfE has published the Centre for Analysis of Youth Transitions’ research on young people’s education and
labour market choices aged 16/17 to 18/19. The overarching objective was to obtain empirical evidence on
the transitions made by young people to inform policies to improve transitions into the labour market for
young people. Key findings include:
almost half of those who are NEET at age 16/17 are still NEET one year later. Further, almost half of
those who are NEET at age 17/18 are still NEET one year later;
young people who become NEET at age 18/19 are at particular risk, either because they have
characteristics that may cause them to be more likely to be NEET or indeed because an initial spell of
being NEET increases the likelihood of further spells. Earlier research revealed that young people who
are NEET at age 18/19 are 27.5 percentage points more likely to be unemployed five years later and 20
percentage points more likely to be so ten years later, as compared to those who were not initially
NEET at 18/19;
young people at age 17/18 and 18/19 whose parents think it is important to get a job with a ‘trade’ or an
apprenticeship or vocational training are much more likely to take a job with training as compared to
pursuing full-time study or taking a job without training, potentially suggesting an intergenerational
transfer of attitudes towards vocational training;
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at age 18/19, the KS2 and GCSE test scores of those pursuing jobs with or without training or indeed
part-time study with work are fairly comparable;
young people who leave school and enter jobs without training at age 16/17, 17/18 or 18/19 are at no
greater risk of being unemployed five or ten years down the line as compared to either young people
who stay on in full-time education (without work), or indeed young people who move into jobs with
training; and
at age 16/17, and more so at age 17/18, doing some work (whether combined with full-time education
or with training) is associated with a lower risk of becoming NEET in future.
19th December – John Hayes announces minimum 12 month requirement for 16-18
year old apprentices
In a Parliamentary debate, further education minister John Hayes, announced new plans to set a minimum
time requirement of 12 months for apprentices aged 16 to 18
‘I can also announce today additional steps that I am taking to raise the bar of apprenticeship standards
even higher and to root out poor quality where it exists. All apprenticeships should involve a rigorous period
of learning and the practice of new skills. If the standards are sufficiently stretching and the expectations of
competence high, I believe that a course should naturally extend over at least 12 months. That will be the
expectation first for 16 to 18-year-old apprentices from August 2012, as new contracts to training providers
are issued. I have asked the National Apprenticeship Service to assess the implications of extending that to
apprentices of all ages, taking account of the fact that older apprentices typically have greater prior
attainment.
‘Alongside that, I have asked the National Apprenticeship Service to work with the Alliance of Sector Skills
Councils to tighten guidance for those who are developing apprenticeship frameworks to ensure that
expectations on national standards and rigour are met, and to take action where frameworks are
insufficiently stretching. In the current economic times, we must be more vigilant than ever to ensure that
funding delivers value and is properly spent.’
21st December – Business, Innovation and Skills Committee announces new inquiry
into Apprenticeships
The Business, Innovation and Skills Committee has announced its intention to conduct an inquiry into
Apprenticeships.
The key questions for the inquiry are:
How successful has the National Apprenticeship Service been since it was created in April 2009? Has it
helped bridge the gap between the two funding Departments? (BIS and DfE)
Is the extra funding promised by the coalition government necessary for apprenticeships? How can this
funding best be spent?
Are apprenticeships of a high enough quality to benefit apprentices and their employers? Should there
be more Level 3 apprenticeships?
How should Apprenticeship bonuses function? Will they encourage the involvement of more small and
medium sized businesses to take on apprentices? If not what will?
Is the current funding arrangement for training of apprentices of 100% for 16-18 year olds and 50% for
19-24 year olds appropriate?
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Written evidence should be sent to the Committee at biscommem@parliament.uk, by close of business
on Friday 3 February 2012.
15th December – BIS: Review of the matrix standard in response to the Tribal review
of 2009: evaluation report
BIS has published a report by emqc and Mary D Associates which evaluates the 2010 review of the matrix
standard, which quality assures the delivery of information, advice and guidance (IAG) services. It covers
the development of the revised matrix standard, trials with pilot organisations and responds to the
recommendations of the Tribal Review.
The report finds that the revised Standard offers ‘a robust replacement’ for the existing Standard and can
be used by a wide range of organisations engaged in offering IAG services. In some cases such as HE and
schools participants have suggested the Standard is more applicable to their sectors than previously.
While currently limited to use in the UK it was recognised that there is an emerging interest internationally
in the current matrix Standard, and consideration was given in the shaping of the criteria to ensure that
whilst meeting the needs IAG services in the UK, they do not constrain the potential use of the Standard in
other countries.
The report recommends that the revised matrix Standard is confirmed as the replacement for the existing
matrix Standard alongside:
review and further development of the current self assessment template;
the development of a practitioner training programme to respond to new training needs emerging from
the increased focus on outcomes and linkages between criteria;
further work on the costing model and development and testing of an online; and
guidance for matrix practitioners is completed and put in place in time to support the adoption of the
revised matrix Standard from 1 August 2012.
6th December – HMRC: VAT cost-sharing exemption
Following consultation over the summer, legislation will be introduced in Finance Bill 2012 implementing
Article 132(1)(f) of the Principal VAT Directive (The VAT Cost Sharing Exemption) into UK law.
This measure allows groups to exempt from VAT, supplies made to their members, provided certain
conditions are satisfied. All businesses and organisations that have exempt and/or non-business activities
for VAT purposes and that want to join with similar businesses and organisations to share costs. Eligible
businesses and organisations include charities, universities, further education colleges, banks, housing
associations, and insurance companies.
This measure supports the government’s objective to create a ‘fair’ tax system by removing the associated
VAT costs that currently ‘inhibit cooperation and collaboration between qualifying businesses and
organisations’. It is anticipated that introducing the exemption could facilitate efficiencies for educational
institutions, charities and housing associations, tentatively estimated at £100 million in cost savings for
businesses (excluding VAT savings).
The measure will have effect following Royal Assent to the Finance Bill 2012.
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LSIS Policy Update No. 14
30th November 2011 – 20th January 2012
17th January – SFA and NAS chief executives announce their retirement
Geoff Russell has announced that he will step down from the position of Chief Executive of the Skills
Funding Agency this summer and return to retirement. Geoff Russell has held the position since its
inception in April 2010 and was previously Chief Executive of the predecessor organisation, the Learning
and Skills Council.
John Hayes, minister of state for further education and lifelong learning, said ‘Geoff has overseen the
creation of the Skills Funding Agency and has shaped it into an organisation that is playing a key role in
promoting and funding FE and giving young people and adults the skills they need to find well paid and
rewarding employment. We look forward to building on Geoff’s work to continue the programme of reform in
which the Skills Funding Agency is a key element.’
Simon Waugh has also announced that he will leave the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) at the end
of March. Simon Waugh has led NAS since its launch in 2009 and has overseen a period of growth and
development in the Apprenticeships programme. Chief operating officer, David Way will lead the NAS until
a successor is appointed.
John Hayes said ‘I would like to pay special tribute to the outstanding work that Simon Waugh has presided
over as Chief Executive for the National Apprenticeship Service’.
Economy and Employment
8th December – Deputy prime minister launches new 'City Deals'
Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg has announced that cities will be ‘set free from the Whitehall leash’
under a ‘dramatic shift in power’. England's largest cities are being offered ‘transformative’ new powers
which the government wants to explore as the basis of a series of bespoke 'City Deals' with the aim of
stimulating growth.
The first wave of deals will be with the eight largest cities4 and their surrounding Local Enterprise
Partnerships. ‘In return for new powers and funding’ cities will, for example, be asked to guarantee that they
can provide ‘strong and accountable leadership, improve efficiency and outcomes, and be innovative in
their approach’. The government will look to roll this process out to other cities in due course.
The deputy prime minister is also asking cities to bid for a share of a £100 million capital investment fund
for broadband infrastructure plans (further details are given in the item below). In addition to the four
national capitals, this fund will support up to six cities. The government will encourage cities to bid for
allocations of the £1 billion boost to the Regional Growth Fund to create jobs and help clusters of
businesses in their area.
New ways for cities to boost jobs and apprenticeships will include:
setting up City Apprenticeship Hubs. These hubs will complete all the administration and paperwork
needed for apprenticeships on behalf of employers. Apprentices will be placed with employers by the
hub;
4
The Core Cities are: Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle, Nottingham, Manchester and Sheffield. The
eight core cities are the largest and most economically important English cities outside of London.
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improving the way services work together to make it easier for people to get back in to work by
providing the relevant services under one roof where it makes sense to do so; and
greater control over regeneration funding and responsibilities taking on functions and spending currently
held by the Homes and Communities Agency.
20th December – Fourteen cities eligible to be super-connected cities
Culture Secretary, Jeremy Hunt has announced fourteen cities across the UK that will have the opportunity
to become ‘super-connected cities’.
In the Autumn Statement, the Chancellor George Osborne announced up to 10 cities would share £100m
and become super-connected with 80-100Mbps broadband access.5 The four capitals – London,
Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast – will benefit while the others will be chosen through a competition. The
competition is open to the eight core cities and the UK cities that have more than 150,000 dwellings. They
are Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle, Nottingham, Manchester and
Sheffield. Guidance for bidders has also been published.
As part of their proposal to the urban broadband fund, the bidding cities will have to show how they will use
‘super-connected status’ to drive growth with a particular focus on SMEs and strategic employment zones.
Proposals will also need to include plans for city-wide high-speed mobile connectivity and bidding cities will
be expected to contribute to the cost by providing additional investment or using public assets.
Proposals should be submitted by 13th February 13 2012, and the successful cities will be announced in the
Budget in March. The government will then work with the successful cities to produce plans and the funding
allocated to each city will be announced in July.
11th January – LEPs: coverage and statistics
BIS has published a webpage which shows the boundaries of the 39 approved LEP which includes a list of
the local authority areas covered by each LEP as well as a map and Excel file which will be updated as and
when new LEPs are announced or if an existing LEP changes its coverage.
In addition, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has produced statistical profiles for LEPs. The
indicators that ONS currently6 publishes include:
skills: NVQ levels;
employment: employment rate by gender and occupation, percentage of adults who are self employed,
ILO unemployment rate, and inactivity rate;
inclusion: DWP benefit claimants; and
enterprise: business stock by size (local units); enterprise births/deaths levels (and as a % of stock);
and employment by broad industry group.
5
This is the same funding mentioned in the article above.
6
ONS may include additional indicators over time.
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15th December – DWP publishes report on lone parent obligations: work, childcare
and the JSA regime
DWP has published a report on the evaluation of Lone Parent Obligations (LPO). Findings from the report
include:
the work readiness of lone parents depended on whether they had a ‘strong work attachment’, a ‘high
parenting orientation’ or had experienced a ‘critical life event’. Some in this latter group were the least
work ready;
across the different groups of lone parents on JSA there was a strong dislike of claiming JSA. Negative
attitudes to claiming JSA meant that JSA often gave lone parents a ‘push’ towards work. JSA seemed
to have the greatest effect on attitudes to work for those with a high parenting orientation; and
for lone parents who had a strong work attachment, their often recent work experience and high work
orientation meant that they generally felt that being on JSA had no effect on their attitude to work.
Those lone parents who had experienced a critical life event were more varied in their opinions of
whether JSA had affected their attitudes to work.
5th January – Prime minister announces measures to reduce health and safety ‘red
tape’
The prime minister, David Cameron has announced a number of measures to ‘tackle the compensation
culture and free small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from health and safety red tape’. The measures
include:
changing the health and safety law on strict liability for civil claims so that businesses are no longer
automatically at fault if something goes wrong; and
investigating the demands made by insurance companies on businesses to ensure that ‘levels of
compliance do not force businesses to go beyond their legal requirements to secure their insurance
cover’.
14-19 and Schools
19th December – DfE publishes Positive for Youth
As announced in Building Engagement, Building Futures, DfE published Positive for Youth the crossgovernment policy approach for young people aged 13-19 in England.
The paper brings together all of the government’s policies for this age group, presenting a single vision
across the interests of at least nine departments7. The paper also sets out a shared vision for how all parts
of society can work together in partnership to support families and improve outcomes for young people,
particularly those who are most disadvantaged or vulnerable.
Details of government commitments include:
7
Department for Education, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, Department for Work and Pensions,
Department of Health, Ministry of Justice, Department for Communities and Local Government, Ministry of Defence
and Cabinet Office.
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supporting local authority commissioners to improve local services for young people by providing
funding of £780,000 in 2011-13 to the Local Government Association. This will include a small number
of ‘youth innovation zones’ to test new system-wide approaches to involving all local partners in
supporting young people. The first four are Hammersmith and Fulham, Haringey, Knowsley, and a
consortium led by Devon;
empowering young people by enabling them to inspect and report on local youth services and setting
up a national scrutiny group for them to help ‘youth proof’ government policy as part of funding of
£850,000 to the British Youth Council in 2011-2013;
funding improved business brokerage with projects for young people through funding of £320,000 to
April 2013 to a consortium led by Business in the Community;
providing capital investment to complete 63 Myplace centres by March 2013, and developing a national
approach to exploiting their potential to be hubs led by communities and businesses for transforming
local services;
expanding National Citizen Service to offer 30,000 places to young people in 2012, 60,000 in 2013, and
90,000 in 2014;
encouraging volunteering for all age groups including young people, including through funding of £4
million over 2011-15 to v; over £40 million over 2011-13 through the Social Action Fund, Innovation in
Giving Fund, Challenge Prizes, and Local Infrastructure Fund; and over £1 million over 2011-13 to
YouthNet;
funding 18 ‘innovative’ voluntary organisations with £31.4m over the two years 2011-13 to pioneer and
evaluate innovative approaches to early help;
promoting work to prevent and tackle youth homelessness including through strengthening the
Homelessness Safety Net to include young people under the age of 21 who are vulnerable as a result
of leaving care and 16 and 17 year olds who find themselves homeless;
establishing an Ending Gang and Youth Violence Team to provide practical advice and support to up to
30 local areas with a gang or serious youth violence problem;
clarifying its expectations on local authorities through revised statutory guidance to be published shortly
for consultation on their duty to secure activities and services for young people;
funding a strategic partner for the voluntary youth sector to ‘give them a voice’ in government policy,
promote access to social finance, and support workforce development;
helping services for young people to demonstrate their impact by funding the Centre for the Analysis of
Youth Transitions to develop standards for evidence, and Catalyst to develop an outcomes framework;
committing to a ‘one year on’ audit at the end of 2012 to take stock of progress in achieving the Positive
for Youth vision; and
publishing annually a positive set of national measures to demonstrate progress in improving outcomes
for young people.
13th December – YPLA 16-19 funding statement for 2012-13 financial year
The YPLA has published its funding statement which confirms the government’s plans for funding 16-19
education and training, and for those up to the age of 25 with a learning difficulty and /or disability (LDD) for
the financial year 2012-13.
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LSIS Policy Update No. 14
The main elements of the funding approach are:
protection of the size of core programmes plus thirty guided learning hours of other activity;
increasing the funding for core programmes for more disadvantaged young people so they are able to
participate fully;
protecting funding to support provision for those with LDD;
retaining the increased investment of £150 million to support provision for disadvantaged learners made
in 2011/12 through increased funding for disadvantage uplift and Additional Learning Support (ALS);
equalizing funding between schools and colleges at the funding rate applied to colleges and the staged
removal of Teachers’ Pay Grant;
matching the efficiencies to be made in schools and colleges by reducing the national funding rate for
Apprenticeships by 2% per year and;
managing carefully the move to fair funding carefully and in stages.
Specific priorities for the academic year are outlined as working collaboratively to:
continue the emphasis on reducing the number of young people not in education, employment and
training;
encourage retention at age 17, and
improve participation and progression from Foundation Learning.
Revenue funding for 2012-14 will be:
(£ millions)
2012-11
2011-12
2012-13
Actual Spend
Planned Spend
Planned Spend
7,407
7,458
7,528
Colleges and other providers
3,957
3,962
4,009
School Sixth Forms (incl. Academies &
Special Schools)
2,410
2,430
2,372
Apprenticeships20
780
779
833
208
227
261
53
59
53
Total Teaching and Learning18
Of which:
Specialist provision for learners with LDD
16-24
FE provision for learners with LDD 19-24
20th January – Consultation on the Raising the Participation Age (RPA) regulations
From summer 2013 all young people will be required to participate in education or training until the end of
the academic year in which they turn 17, and from summer 2015 onwards until their 18th birthday. DfE has
launched a consultation which seeks views on the policies that will form the secondary legislation and
elements of how RPA will work in practice. The consultation covers aspects such as the definition of
residency; the definition of full-time education; any wider ways of working that (when combined with part-
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time study) could be considered as participating, and the amount and use of any fines. Young people will
be able to participate in three ways:
full-time education - whether at a school, college or otherwise;
an Apprenticeship; or
working full-time (for 20 hours or over per week and for at least eight weeks) and undertaking part-time
study alongside (for the equivalent of a day a week).
The consultation will close on 13th April 2012.
16th December – Ofsted publishes details of inspection arrangements
Ofsted has published a suite of documents which cover detail on the new arrangements for school
inspection, due to commence in January 2012. Key changes include:
in judging the quality of the school, inspectors will make four key judgements: achievement, the quality
of teaching, behaviour and safety, and leadership and management;
in judging the school’s overall effectiveness, inspectors will take account of the four key judgements and
how well the school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development;
there is a greater focus on: narrowing gaps in performance for groups of pupils; quality of teaching and
its impact on learning and progress; reading and literacy; and behaviour and safety;
there are no graded ‘sub-judgements’ or ‘contributory’ judgements;
there will be no separate graded judgments for the Early Years Foundation Stage or the sixth form;
inspectors will continue to evaluate these areas as part of the overall school provision;
value-added (VA) measures are used rather than contextual value-added (CVA) as a measure of
progress in previous years;
inspectors will expect to use a summary of a school’s self-evaluation in a form chosen by the school;
and
legislation under the Education Act legislation will allow schools judged as outstanding in their previous
inspection to be exempt from routine inspection.
Ofsted’s new Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, has also announced plans to introduce no-notice
inspections for all regular school inspections from September 2012. Ofsted already undertakes
unannounced inspections in a number of circumstances, including where concerns are raised about a
school and for some satisfactory schools that do not show enough capacity to improve. Details of how the
changes will work will form part of a wider consultation on the future of inspection that will be announced in
coming weeks.
12th December – Ofsted report on schools that stay satisfactory
Ofsted has published, Schools that stay satisfactory, an analysis of secondary schools that have stayed
satisfactory for more than one inspection and the reasons for this. Key findings include:
the proportion of secondary schools judged satisfactory in each academic year decreased between
2005/06 and 2008/09 from 38% to 31%. As a new framework was introduced and inspection became
more focused on weaker schools, it rose to 41% in 2009/10 and was 40% between 1 September 2010
and 8 April 2011;
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schools serving more deprived families improve from satisfactory more slowly than schools serving
affluent families;
the size of the school does not influence the likelihood that it improves from satisfactory;
improved learning and progress are key to schools becoming good or better. The learning and progress
judgement in secondary schools found to be satisfactory at their latest and previous inspections was
satisfactory in the very large majority of schools inspected; whereas the very large majority of those that
improved from satisfactory were found to have good learning and progress (94%); and
the local authorities with the highest proportion of secondary schools judged satisfactory at their most
recent inspection are almost all smaller, urban authorities, with few ‘shire’ counties or London boroughs.
11th January – ICT curriculum set to be withdrawn this September
Education secretary Michael Gove has announced that he will withdraw the existing ICT curriculum. In its
place, the education secretary will introduce new courses of study in Computer Science. It is anticipated
that the move, 'which is being supported by industry experts' would give schools 'the freedom to create their
own ICT and Computer Science curricula that equip pupils with the skills employers want'.
A consultation has been launched seeking views on the proposal that the existing ICT Programmes of
Study and associated Attainment Targets should be discontinued at all four key stages, along with the
statutory assessment arrangements at Key Stage 3, from September 2012 until September 2012. ICT will
remain a compulsory subject at all key stages, pending the outcome of the current review of the National
Curriculum in England. The consultation will close on 11 April 2012.
Naace8 has also published The importance of technology: a collaborative white paper for schools
which argues that there is both a need to instil a knowledge and understanding of technology in young
people whilst engaging them to participate in producing and disseminating knowledge.
Companies such as Microsoft and Google and Cambridge University are, reportedly, already working with
technology education organisations, such as the British Computer Society, to produce free materials for
schools. The education secretary also said he is keen for high-quality qualifications in Computer Science to
be developed.
14th December – Ofsted: Young people are not being sufficiently challenged in ICT
lessons
Ofsted has published a report which found that achievement in information, communication and technology
(ICT) was ‘inadequate in almost a fifth of the secondary schools visited’. Inspectors found that how well
pupils did in secondary schools was adversely affected by ‘a lack of challenge for more able students and
poor coverage of key aspects of the ICT curriculum’.
The report, ICT in schools 2008-11, found that although ICT was good or outstanding in over two thirds of
primary schools visited, the position was less positive for secondary schools with just over a third of the
secondary schools in the survey judged good or outstanding.
8
Naace is a professional association ‘concerned with advancing education through the appropriate use of information
and communications technology’.
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14th December – End for GCSE modules and spelling, punctuation and grammar
marks restored to exams
The independent exams watchdog Ofqual has confirmed short-term reforms to current GCSEs from
September 2012.
This follows plans outlined in the education White Paper to return exams to the end of each course. In
addition, students will once again be marked on the accuracy of their spelling, punctuation and use of
grammar in GCSEs in key subjects. The reforms effectively end modular GCSEs. They were introduced
widely from 2009 but coalition ministers believe they have encouraged ‘teaching to the test’ and ‘prevented
young people achieving a full understanding of the whole subject’.
The government is planning to make longer-term changes to GCSE syllabuses and exam requirements to
reflect the new National Curriculum. Under the proposals:
students starting two-year GCSE courses starting in September 2012 will have to sit their exams at the
end of the course in summer 2014;
pupils will no longer be able to re-sit individual unit exams in order to boost their marks. They may,
however, retake the whole GCSE exam. Students will, however, be given an early opportunity to re-sit
maths, English and English Language GCSEs every November; and
students will be marked on the accuracy of spelling, punctuation and grammar and their use of
specialist terms. In the first instance, these will be those subjects that involve extended writing - English
Literature, geography, history and religious studies. The changes will affect externally assessed units
from September 2012.
22nd December – The independent evaluation of the pilot of the linked pair of
GCSEs in mathematics: first interim report
DfE has published the second of seven formative evaluation reports on the pilot of the linked pair of
GCSEs in mathematics. The linked pair of GCSEs in mathematics qualifications are ‘methods in
mathematics’ and ‘applications of mathematics’. The two qualifications together cover the entire Key Stage
(KS) 4 programme of study (PoS) for mathematics and contain some additional content. Neither
qualification by itself covers the full KS4 PoS. A new single GCSE in mathematics was also developed for
first teaching in September 2010 – the single qualification is ‘nested’ in the pair. A final, summative
evaluation report will be presented in December 2013. Key findings include:
centres report a range of reasons for participating in the pilot, including opportunity to stretch higherattaining students, content, and flexibility to tailor the curriculum;
some centre types are under-represented in the pilot and others over-represented. The extent of underand over-representation of different school types is not enough to be of major concern at present;
indeed, in the case of schools with sixth forms, over-representation may even help to clarify the impact
on progression to level 3 learning later in the pilot; and
for the most part, centres were entering either whole-year cohorts or higher-attainers/gifted and talented
students in the pilot, although more middle attainers (C/D borderline) were entered in Year 11. There is
strong evidence to suggest that Year 11 students are being entered for the linked pair of GCSEs
assessments.
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19th December – National Curriculum review update
DfE has published a suite of documents setting out the evidence gathered to date by the National
Curriculum review. These are:
the report of the review’s Expert Panel - setting out their recommendations in relation to the framework
for the new National Curriculum and recommending that these are debated further before decisions are
made. This includes suggested key principles and recommendations;
a summary of the evidence gathered about curricula for English, mathematics and science in highperforming jurisdictions;
a research report looking at subject breadth in the curricula used in other education jurisdictions; and
a summary report of the responses to the review’s call for evidence.
12th December – Great teachers could become ‘Master Teachers’
The independent Review of Teachers’ Standards, chaired by Sally Coates, was launched by the Secretary
of State in March 2011, with a remit to review the existing framework of professional standards for
teachers.
The second phase of the Review’s work has been to consider the existing Post-Threshold, Excellent
Teacher and Advanced Skills Teacher standards. The Review has concluded that the current higher-level
standards are broadly unfit for purpose, and is recommending that they be discontinued as standards. The
report recommends that:
the existing Post-Threshold, Excellent Teacher, and Advanced Skills Teacher standards should be
discontinued as standards;
there should be a new higher-level standard introduced which builds on the new Teachers’ Standards.
This should be called the ‘Master Teacher Standard’; the proposed standard is presented with this
report;
the ‘Master Teacher Standard’ should be established in the form of a narrative statement, setting out
the characteristics of excellent teachers;
assessment of the ‘Master Teacher Standard’ should incorporate an external element to ensure
transparency and equity;
there should be no expectation of a minimum length of service before an individual can be assessed
against the ‘Master Teacher Standard’; and
there should be no further standards for personal and professional conduct beyond those established in
Part 2 of the Teachers’ Standards (published in July 2011).
6th December – Overhaul of head teachers’ qualification
The current National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) is to be ‘overhauled’ with changes
including:
the qualification becoming optional with effect from early 2012 , subject to the Parliamentary process,
and developed for all prospective heads in both the maintained and the non-maintained sector such as
academies and independent schools;
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the bar for entry and assessment for the qualification being raised; and
the introduction of a core curriculum focusing on the key skills of headship including leadership of
teaching and learning, and with a greater emphasis on behaviour.
The revised qualification will be launched in spring 2012 with the first participants starting in September
2012.
13th January – Consultation on proposed changes to the school staffing (England)
regulations 2009
DfE has launched a consultation to explore views on proposed changes to the School Staffing (England)
Regulations 2009 to introduce new requirements on governing bodies in maintained schools to share
information about whether a teacher or head teacher at their school has been in capability procedures,
when asked to do so by a prospective school employer. The consultation will close on 24th February 2012.
14th January – Outcomes for looked after children as at 31 March 2011
DfE has published information on the outcomes for looked after children as at 31 March 2011. Key
findings include:
of the children looked after continuously for 6 months during the year ending 31 March 2011, at Key
Stage 4, 13.2 per cent achieved the 5+ A*-C at GCSE or equivalent including English and mathematics
compared with 12.0 per cent in 2010; and
of the children looked after continuously for 12 months at 31 March 2011:
o
7.3 per cent of those aged between 10 and 17 years had been convicted or subject to a final warning
or reprimand during the year,
o
4.3 per cent were identified as having a substance misuse problem during the year, and
o
70.5 per cent of children who completed National Curriculum year 11 during the 2009/10 school year
were in full time education at 30 September 2010 and 17.5 per cent were unemployed.
10th January – DfE publishes Statistical First Release on school capacity 2011
DfE has published a Statistical First Release for May 2011 to show the numbers school places, unfilled
school places and pupils in excess of school capacity, together with pupil number forecasts. Data are
provided at national and local authority level (LA). The key points from the latest release are:
Of the 3,300 state-funded secondary schools:
25.4 per cent were full or had pupils in excess of school capacity (28.1 per cent in 2010). There were
1.1 per cent in excess of school capacity (1.6 per cent in 2010);
74.6 per cent had one or more unfilled places (71.9 per cent in 2010). There were 11.0 per cent unfilled
places (10.0 per cent in 2010);
at secondary level (11-19), LAs forecast that the overall number of secondary pupils attending statefunded secondary schools will increase nationally by 44,210 by 2017/18.
10th January – DCMS publishes a new youth sport strategy
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has published Creating a sporting habit for life, a new
youth strategy which aims to ‘increase consistently the number of young people developing sport as a habit
for life’. Over the next five years, Sport England will invest at least £1 billion of Lottery and Exchequer
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funding to help to ensure that young people are regularly playing sport and to ‘break down’ any barriers that
prevent young people from continuing their interest in sport into their adult life.
Higher Education
4th January – David Willetts launches Research Council impact reports
Universities and science minister David Willetts has released a series of reports on the impact of research
council funding. This includes a report from Research Councils UK and individual reports from the seven
individual Research Councils.
The reports detail how research has created wealth, improved society, increased the number of skilled
individuals and promoted health and wellbeing. Examples range from the development of a new form of
broccoli to informing defence policy in Afghanistan.
Other announcements in David Willett’s speech included:
an invitation for proposals for a new type of university with a focus on science and technology and on
postgraduates. There will be no additional government funding;
an ambition for universities funding from external sources to grow by 10% over the next three years and
an aim to get more universities into the top 100 in the world; and
setting up Leadership Councils in E-Infrastructure and in Synthetic Biology bringing together key
players to drive forward private investment and innovation.
19th January – David Willetts commits government to easing reporting burdens on
universities
Universities and science minister David Willetts has delivered a speech announcing a review of
philanthropy in the higher education sector. Led by HEFCE, the review will explore voluntary giving to
universities and colleges and suggest ways for universities to make fundraising ‘a mainstay of their
institutional culture’. The minister also announced the Information Landscape project was launched in
December to explore how data collection could be eased in the HE sector. The project will explore, what
information is already collected, what is information is needed and why, with the aim of reconciling the two,
and publishing a ‘road map’ for implementing a simpler model.
19th January – Tracking International Graduate Outcomes report
BIS has published Tracking International Graduate Outcomes 2011, a report which explores the
circumstances and destinations of non-EU international graduates after they leave UK higher education
and the reflections of international graduates regarding their UK study. Key findings include:
88% of 2010 graduates and 91% of 2008 graduates are satisfied with the learning experience;
82% of graduates are satisfied, from both 2010 and 2008, with the support provided by their university
overall;
three years after graduating, 83% felt that their UK degree was worth the financial investment as do
80% of those who graduated 6 months ago; and
career progression was the major factor in course selection for all cohorts.
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Local Government and Wider Public Sector
3rd January – £200 million payment by results scheme to help troubled families
The government has announced a new £200 million outreach service to help England's most troubled
families. Run in conjunction with local authorities and the organisations delivering the Work Programme,
the new service will help families with multiple problems overcome barriers to employment.
The programme has been designed to reinforce the work already being done by local authorities and the
Department for Communities and Local Government, and represents the government's second major move
into payment by results9 for the delivery of public services. Using funding allocated to the UK from the
European Social Fund, employment minister, Chris Grayling has appointed eight welfare to work providers
to work with local authorities and over 200 local organisations to identify and deliver the services and
support needed. Over 50% of the organisations are from the voluntary and social sectors. Local councils
will decide which families are referred to the support, as long as one member of the household is on
benefits.
The support offered will include:
skills to help people find work such as CV writing, job preparation, timekeeping, problem solving and
identifying suitable employment opportunities and helping people get into work;
debt management, money management, how to look for work; and
helping to move people into the Work Programme.
19th December – DWP: final evaluation of City strategy
The City Strategy (CS) initiative was designed at a time of national economic growth to combat enduring
pockets of entrenched worklessness and poverty in urban areas by empowering local institutions to come
together in partnerships to develop locally sensitive solutions. DWP has published a paper which reviews
and assesses the policy. Key findings include:
there is little evidence of macro-level effects of CS and it would have been ‘unrealistic and
unreasonable’ to expect otherwise given the scale, focus, timescale and context within which the CS
initiative operated;
CS pathfinder area (CSPs) and Deprived Areas Fund (DAF) partnerships provided a focal point for
activities to address worklessness, ‘so helping to concentrate efforts in a streamlined way’. They sought
to create and establish coherent and accessible pathways to education, training and employment
opportunities. In so doing they helped raise the self-esteem and aspiration of some workless residents;
better partnership working was central to positive process and micro level outcomes. The evaluation
also points to worklessness becoming more prominent in the policy agenda in CSPs and DAF
partnership areas and a growing appreciation of the value of working across policy domains; and
the experience of local and sub-regional partnership working in CS and DAF partnerships has wider
relevance for the decentralisation agenda, localisation and the Big Society in highlighting some
examples of good practice in local approaches to tackling worklessness.
9
The Work Programme is also based on a payment by results model.
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16th January – What can a mayor do for your city? Government response to the
mayoral consultation
On 1 November 2011 the government launched a consultation seeking views from 12 major English cities
on its proposed approach for giving powers to any mayors elected in those cities. DCLG has now
published a paper which summarises the responses received and sets out the government's response
also.
The report concludes that where any mayors are elected in the 12 cities, government will continue the
‘bespoke approach’ to devolving powers that it is already pursuing in the context of city deals, but with the
mayors themselves having an ‘important’ role in the process of decentralising powers. At this stage, other
than as part of a city deal negotiation ‘the government does not intend to reach any view about specific
powers that might be devolved, or about a council’s scrutiny and accountability arrangements’.
4th January – Government response to the future of local audit consultation
In August 2010 the secretary of state for Communities and Local Government announced plans to disband
the Audit Commission. The aim is to replace the current, centralised audit system managed by the Audit
Commission, with a new decentralised regime, which will ‘support local democratic accountability, and cut
bureaucracy and costs’, while ensuring that there continues to be ‘robust local public audit’.
The government consulted on its proposals for the new audit framework and the government's response
has now been published. Key details include:
government proposes further work with the sector to explore and build consensus around options for
smaller bodies on the local auditor appointment models;
government will hold further discussions with local authorities and other local public bodies, as well as
audit firms, to set out the detail of the framework, and how it might be implemented;
government will bring forward legislation to close down the Audit Commission and to put in place a new
framework ‘as soon as Parliamentary time allows’. Government will aim to publish a draft Bill for prelegislative scrutiny in Spring 2012; and
the Audit Commission is in the process of outsourcing all the audit work of its in-house practice. The
outsource contracts that the Commission will put in place will start from 2012-13 and are expected to
run for three or five years. Once the audits have been outsourced the Commission become a small
residuary body responsible for overseeing the contracts and making any necessary changes to the
individual audit appointments during the life of the contracts.
9th January – £150 million Big Society Community First endowment launched
Nick Hurd, minister for civil society has launched the new Community First endowment, which aims to
raise £150 million to be invested to secure the future of local community projects in England.
The government will pay in up to £50 million, giving 50p for every £1 raised from individual, corporate and
philanthropic donors. With Gift Aid tax relief, this could create a fund worth over £150 million. The money
will be invested and the return, expected to be up to £12 million per year, will be used to provide grants to
local community and social action projects from 2015 onwards.
This year, the Community First fund will also pay out £30 million in small grants to community groups and
local social action projects in the 600 communities in England which need the support most, through the
Neighbourhood Match Fund. People in these communities are being asked to form local panels to distribute
the funds themselves. ASDA has pledged its backing through in-store promotions, by allowing communities
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to use its stores as meeting places for community panels and through its existing community investment
strategy.
28th December – £3.1 million from dormant bank accounts invested in Big Society
projects
The Big Society Investment Fund10 was set up to make early investments prior to the establishment of Big
Society Capital (previously known as the Big Society Bank). Nick Hurd, minister for civil society has
announced in principle agreement to invest £3.1 million in the following four projects:
FranchisingWorks will receive a £1 million investment, which will help long-term unemployed people to
set up their own franchise business;
Triodos Bank will set up a new payment by results initiative using its £500,000 investment to improve
educational, training and work outcomes for vulnerable young people in Merseyside;
Community Generation Fund run by Finance South East will receive £750,000 to set up an initiative to
create community owned social enterprises within deprived communities which offer affordable, green
energy and reinvest profits in the neighbourhood; and
The Social Stock Exchange will use its £850,000 investment to set up the world’s first stock exchange
for social enterprises, to be located in London and improve access to capital for social entrepreneurs.
This announcement follows the first ‘in-principle’ investment, announced in July 2011, of up to £1m in a
social investment fund run by the Private Equity Foundation to help disadvantaged young people into
employment, education or training. The Big Society Investment Fund will consider more proposals in
February. Big Society Capital is on target to be fully operational by the end of the first quarter of 2012
when it will take over the duties of the Big Society Investment Fund. It is expected to handle funds totaling
about £600m over five years, with £400m coming from dormant bank accounts and £200m from four highstreet banks.
29th December – DEFRA announces Rural Growth Network Pilots
DEFRA has launched a competition to identify pilot Rural Growth Networks, as announced in the rural
strand of the Growth Review. Local Authorities and/or Local Enterprise Partnerships are invited to apply to
become a pilot Rural Growth Network. Around six pilot Rural Growth Networks will be identified to develop
and test different models designed to stimulate sustainable economic growth in rural areas.
The government is investing around £15 million in the pilots, including up to £2.3 million to support rural
enterprises led by women. In addition, businesses in Rural Growth Networks will enjoy ‘preferential status’
when applying for grants from Defra’s Rural Development Programme for England to help make
themselves more competitive.
The closing date for applications is 31 January 2012. Defra will announce the six successful schemes that
will each deliver a Rural Growth Network in March 2012.
12th January – UK companies sign up for the Business Compact
Nick Clegg, deputy prime minister has announced that more than 100 British businesses have signed the
government’s Business Compact.
10
Set up under the Dormant Accounts Act.
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The Business Compact forms a key part of the Deputy Prime Minister’s Social Mobility Strategy, launched
in April 2011, which sets out the government’s determination to ensure every individual is free to achieve,
regardless of the circumstances of their birth. Businesses and organisations which sign up to the Compact
must agree to:
‘support communities and schools to raise aspirations’ through, for example, reading and mentoring
schemes or encouraging their staff to go out to schools and inspire pupils about their careers;
‘open opportunities to all young people’ by advertising their work experience places through schools,
online and in other public forums, rather than just giving places to informal contacts;
‘make access to internships open and transparent, with financial support’ such as providing expenses
or accommodation, or by treating the internship as a job that can be paid under National Minimum
Wage law; and
‘recruit fairly and without discrimination, using application forms that don’t allow candidates to be
screened out because they went to the wrong school or come from a different ethnic group’ (including
through using name-blank and school-blank applications where appropriate).
12th January – DWP: Attitudes to age in Britain 2010-11
DWP has published a report which re-examines the evidence on attitudes to ageing in Britain in 2010-11
and looks at which socio-demographic variables are associated with attitudes to ageing.
The report concludes that age-related discrimination and stereotypes are ‘rooted’ in British society and that
it is a problem for young and old alike. For example, on average, both those aged in their 20s and those
over 70 were viewed as ‘neutral’ in terms of their contribution to society by respondents. The report argues
that tackling age discrimination will, therefore, require strategies that address individual’s assumptions and
attitudes about age, both about themselves and others, and about a person’s ability, health or rights to
services. The report also recommends that the impact of societal changes, such as extended working lives,
employer’s attitudes to older workers, levels of unemployment and inequality or other factors associated
with age discrimination should be monitored.
21st December – DCLG publishes 2009-10 citizenship survey results
DCLG has published a series of annual reports from the 2009-10 Citizenship Survey. They cover:
community spirit; community action; and race, religion and culture. Key findings include:
trend data showed that overall levels of satisfaction with a local area as a place to live remained high
and have increased marginally since 2008-09. Furthermore, a sizeable majority stated that they
definitely enjoyed living in their neighbourhood and these findings have been stable since 2001;
levels of civic engagement (civic activism, civic participation and civic consultation) have fallen since
2008-09. The decline was driven by a fall in civic participation – the most common form of civic
engagement, whereas levels of civic activism and civic consultation remained unchanged; and
a consistent pattern of positive longer-term change in perceptions of overall racial and religious
prejudice. There are still, however, some areas of concern, such as that just under half of people felt
that both racial and religious prejudice had increased over the previous five years.
3rd January – Extra money to help people leaving hospital
Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley has announced the Department of Health will make an extra £150
million available to local authorities to provide social care to help people leave hospital more quickly and
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receive care at home. In addition, the department is providing an extra £20 million for the Disabled Facilities
Grant, which can help people live independently at home. The extra funding will be provided to the
Department for Communities and Local Government, which will distribute the funding to councils.
15th December – Public Bodies Bill receives Royal Assent
The Public Bodies Bill has received Royal Assent. The government will now immediately take forward its
reform programme which includes plans to ‘simplify’ the quango landscape. It is estimated the suite of
reforms along with simultaneous reductions in spending, will save £2.6 billion in administrative costs alone
by 2014/15.
Equality and Diversity
8th December – Transgender equality plan published
Government has published the first transgender equality plan. Detailed actions include:
supporting schools with updated, clear and concise guidance on the implementation of the public sector
Equality Duty, which includes gender reassignment as one of the protected characteristics;
considering, as part of DfE’s internal review of personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education,
the teaching of equality and diversity, including transgender equality. The review will analyse the
material on transgender issues provided to them;
working with relevant education and skills sector organisations and learners to develop a specific
project to raise awareness of the challenges transgender people may face;
updating and disseminating guidance for further education and skills providers and learners on the LSIS
online resource on staff’s legal obligations towards transgender people under the Equality Act 2010 and
information to transgender learners; and
ensuring that National Citizen Service (NCS) for 16 year olds is an inclusive and safe environment for
all participants, including transgender people, by encouraging NCS providers to build equality issues
into their information and training for staff,
providing prospective employers with updated guidance and targeted support on employing
transgender people via the Job Centre Plus transgender employer support tool.
Voluntary and Community Sector
14th December – Charities Act 2011
The Charities Bill received has received Royal Assent, becoming the Charities Act 2011. It consolidates
existing charities legislation into a single Act of Parliament.
The Charities Act 2011 brings together provisions of the Recreational Charities Act 1958, the Charities Act
1993 and much of the Charities Act 2006, all since amended by other legislation. The Act updates the text
and simplifies the structure of the existing legislation, but it does not change the existing law or introduce
new policy. The Act will come into force in March 2012.
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Devolved Administrations
11th January – Skills announcements and updates for Scotland
Recent learning and skills announcements include:
the announcement of a £15 million fund to help drive reform in the college sector. The college
transformation fund will support regional mergers of colleges, in line with the Scottish government's
post-16 reform agenda. Further discussions with colleges will determine the exact scope of the support,
but it will include help with one off costs associated with mergers such as voluntary redundancy
schemes;
a dedicated minister for youth employment will be appointed; and
education secretary, Michael Russell delivered a speech highlighting the reform of post-16 education,
tackling youth unemployment and the ongoing implementation of the new curriculum as the key
priorities for education in 2012.
22nd December – Welsh Minister announces new teacher training incentives
Education minister Leighton Andrews has announced Welsh government incentive grants for postgraduate
initial teacher training (ITT) courses for the 2012/13 academic year.
Support is being focused on targeting priority subjects and the recruitment of ‘high calibre’ candidates:priority incentives will be available for new eligible students starting postgraduate ITT courses in the
2012/13 academic year in mathematics, physics, chemistry, modern foreign languages and Welsh; and
these incentives will be variable depending on degree qualifications. Eligible postgraduate students with
a first class degree will receive the highest funding levels, with progressively lower amounts for those a
2.1 or 2.2. Funding will not be available for those without at least a 2.2.
New Faces and Awards
31st December – New Year Honours List 2012
The New Years Honours List for 2012 has been published. About 11 per cent of the honours are for work
in education recognising ‘outstanding achievement and service’ across the United Kingdom. Many of these
individuals have been recognised for their commitment to further education and training. The awards
acknowledge their outstanding achievement and impressive commitment to education and skills. In total 15
head teachers, and 14 school and college principals are recommended for honours, as well as seven
school governors, and three school crossing wardens who receive MBEs.
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Contact the LSIS policy team
This policy update has been prepared by Angela Nartey, policy research officer, LSIS. Your comments are
welcome – please contact Angela by email on angela.nartey@LSIS.org.uk.
Jenny Williams, Head of Strategy, Policy, Research and Knowledge
Jenny.Williams@LSIS.org.uk
Telephone: 020 7420 5164
Angela Nartey, Policy Research Officer
Angela.Nartey@LSIS.org.uk
Telephone: 020 7420 5162
Anyone wishing to arrange a free subscription to these Policy Updates, or the associated Brief Guides,
should subscribe at www.lsis.org.uk/policyupdates.
© LSIS January 2012
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