LSIS Policy Update
17th December 2010 – 13th January 2011
Further Education, Skills and the Economy
14th December – Skills Funding Agency publishes Guidance Note.
The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) has published Guidance Note 6, a document which covers 2011/12
changes to funding policy arising from the publication of the Skills for Sustainable Growth: Strategy
Document and Further Education – New Horizon, Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth. Key
detail includes:
•
the SFA is allocating £2.4bn through the Adult Skills Budget for 2011/12. Colleges and training
organisations will receive an Adult Skills Budget, based on their 2010/11 allocation (covering
former Adult Learner Responsive, Train to Gain and Apprenticeships), adjusted to reflect the
funding available in 2011/12, and actual delivery in 2009/10 and 2010/11. At a national level, the
funding available equates to a 1% reduction overall in the Adult Skills Budget in the 2011/12
academic year, although at college and training organisation level this will vary;
•
post-19 funding rates will reduce by 4.3% in 2011/12 compared with the 2010/11 funding year. In
2011/12, the national base rate of funding per Standard Learner Number (SLN) for post-19 adult
skills provision will be £2,615. For 25+ Apprenticeships this will be £2,092;
•
2.5% of providers’ indicative allocation will be used for Job Outcome Incentive Payments. The
SFA will consult with sector representatives on the details of how colleges and training
organisations can earn this funding, by the end of January, with a view to setting out the process
and measures by the end of March 2011;
•
There is an expectation that the sector will increase the level of income secured from individuals
and employers during 2011/12. If it appears that levels of fee income are not increasing, then the
SFA may intervene. This could entail reflecting non-collection of fees in future allocations. The
SFA will consult with the sector in January 2011 to determine ‘how best to apply this’;
•
the Minimum Contract Level (MCL) threshold for 2011/12 has been set at £500,000. Any decision
to increase the threshold in future years will be subject to an impact assessment of the
introduction of MCL in 2011/12. General FE colleges, specialist colleges (e.g. of Art and Design),
large employers contracted to the National Employer Service, sixth form colleges and higher
education institutions are exempt from this;
•
Minimum Levels of Performance will continue to be calculated and applied at an aggregate level
across all ages, for each provider. Some of the thresholds have been increased reflecting
‘Ministers’ desire to continue to drive out poor provision and reflect the increases in success
rates’ 1 ;
•
SFA allocations to sixth form colleges will include funding to cover the costs of 16-18 year olds
turning 19, as well as all 19+ provision. The SFA is working with the YPLA to agree that this
funding is transferred to them so that Sixth Form Colleges have a single relationship for all their
funding;
1
MLP thresholds have not increased for the last 2 years
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•
Funding for Adult Safeguarded Learning, Additional Learner Support linked to the former Adult
Learner Responsive budget, and Formal First Steps will be allocated in January; and
•
The SFA and YPLA are working together to review arrangements for funding LDD learners.
Further details regarding this will be provided in early 2011.
22nd December – Back to work programme to be built on payment by results
Employment minister Chris Grayling has announced that the Work Programme will be the first major
move into a system of payment by results for the public sector. It will provide ‘tailored support for
hundreds of thousands of long term benefit claimants, built around their needs’, forming the key part
in the government's drive to tackle long-term unemployment and benefit dependency.
Private and voluntary sector organisations are being invited to tender for contracts to deliver the Work
Programme. The selected organisations will be given ‘freedom to be innovative’ and provide ‘the right
help’ for each individual, rather than having to follow a top down approach dictated by government. In
return for this freedom delivery organisations will be paid by results to help people find jobs and then
to keep them and will receive the bulk of their funding based on sustainability.
‘For the first time’ there will also be much higher payments to help those groups who are furthest from
work. The fees for the ‘hardest to help’ groups, including people who have spent long periods of time
on sickness benefits will be a maximum of £14,000. It is anticipated that this will make it much more
likely that these individuals will get the help they need to get a job. Much of the cost of the
programme will be met from the benefit savings generated by getting the long term unemployed into
work.
A key part of the Work Programme is the ambition to move 1.6 million people off incapacity benefit by
2014. The Work Programme will provide back to work support for those who are found fit to work by
the Work Capability Assessment. The Work Programme also includes a new benefit conditionality,
which will be part of the forthcoming Welfare Reform Bill, which will mean people refusing to take up
jobs could face losing their benefits for up to three years.
Chris Grayling said ‘crucial to the success of the Work Programme will be the work done by smaller
local, voluntary and community sector organisations which specialise in working with the hardest to
help groups. Major organisations wanting to bid for Work Programme contracts have been told that
they will only succeed if they put together groups of specialists who can deliver the right mix of
expertise for the hardest to help’.
5th January – Government expands New Enterprise Allowance
The government has announced its plans to ‘push the growth of small business’ with an expansion in
the scope of its planned New Enterprise Allowance (NEA). It is anticipated that this could create up to
40,000 new businesses by 2013.
The Allowance has been designed to help unemployed people set up their own businesses, by
providing financial support for the early months of self-employment, access to a start-up loan, and a
business mentor to help guide these individuals through the early months of their business. The
allowance will be launched later this month in Merseyside and will now be rolled out nationwide from
the autumn. The NEA will be available to twice as many people as was originally planned.
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The government has also announced significant changes to the way information, guidance and advice
to business is provided with more focus on improving small business performance and growth and a
greater emphasis on further and better private sector provision.
Businesses will benefit from:
•
an overhaul of www.businesslink.gov.uk providing online business information and tools tailored
to the needs of business. This will include a number of key features:
o
a Business Startup Hub, including access to online company registration;
o
notification of public procurement opportunities through a ‘Contracts Finder’;
o
a business tax ‘dashboard’ enabling businesses to get set up for tax and keep up with their tax
position;
o
better, clearer information on government regulation; and
o
new training services and online tools for business to use on the move from their own computer
or handheld.
•
a national contact centre to help businesses who cannot find the information they need on the
web or who are not connected to the internet;
•
a network of at least 40,000 experienced business mentors offering practical advice to existing
businesses and people who want to start a business; and
•
business coaching for growth, backing high growth SMEs to enable them to realise their potential.
Prime minister David Cameron said ‘we will be focused relentlessly on supporting growth and driving
job creation across our economy. Backing new enterprises to start up and small businesses to grow
will be what transforms our economy and will deliver the many thousands of new jobs we will see
created this year’.
13th January – North East joins local enterprise partnership network
Minister for business, Mark Prisk, and decentralisation minister, Greg Clark have announced the
approval of a new local enterprise partnership for the North East of England. The partnership,
covering seven local authority areas, joins the 27 partnerships announced since the government’s
Local Growth White Paper was published in October last year. This announcement means the North
East region is now covered by two local enterprise partnerships.
6th January – Prime Minister and Lord Heseltine announce plans to boost
regional growth
During a regional tour to the North West, the prime minister announced the commissioning of Tesco
chief executive Sir Terry Leahy, a member of the Shadow LEP, Lord Heseltine and other Shadow
Board members to produce a regional economic plan that will stimulate growth in Liverpool.
A national LEP summit on growth and competitiveness in the spring will bring together LEP chairs
from across the country to ‘prioritise action to stimulate growth’ at a regional level. This will be
supported by additional funding, to help LEPs to ‘understand the real issues facing local businesses’,
from a LEP Capacity Fund.
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The Regional Growth Fund will operate over three years. The first of at least three bidding rounds is
now open and the deadline for proposals is 21 January 2011. Further bidding rounds will be
announced in early 2011. More information on criteria for the Fund and the bidding process is
available on the Regional Growth Fund webpage.
13th January – Phasing out the default retirement age: impact assessment
The government has completed an impact assessment of the removal of the default retirement age
(DRA) which includes figures to show the total impact (direct and indirect) of removal of the DRA. It
reports the equivalent annual cost of the DRA is £15.1 million and the equivalent annual benefit is
£351.9 million, thus a net annual total benefit of £336.8 million.
The recommended implementation plan is to remove the DRA from 1st October 2011 with a
transitional period from 6 April 2011. This also covers removal of all associated statutory retirement
procedures including the duty on employers to give a minimum of six month’s notice of retirement to
employees and the right for employees to request to work beyond the DRA. There will also be
transitional arrangements for retirements that have been notified prior to April 2011 and where the
date for retirement falls before 1 October 2011.
DWP has also published The macroeconomic impact from extending working lives. The core
scenario is a one year increase in working life for the UK population that is gradually phased in over
the period 2010-14. The main findings include:
•
a one year extension of working life increases real GDP by around one per cent about six years
after its implementation;
•
a one year extension of working life increases the level of employment by around 1.6 per cent
(467 thousand), about four years after implementation; and
•
if the plans for state pension age (as published in the Pensions Act 2007; raising state pension
age to 68 by 2046) were not implemented then the UK’s real GDP would likely be almost six per
cent lower than it otherwise would have been by 2030, with the level of employment around seven
per cent lower.
11th January – IfL research: Teachers and trainers show strong investment in
CPD
The Institute for Learning’s (IfL) second review of continuing professional development (CPD) in the
further education and skills sector shows that most members are carrying out double the minimum
number of hours of CPD required. It also finds an increased interest in sharing CPD: 64 per cent of
teachers and trainers said they shared their CPD with a colleague, compared to 44 per cent last year;
and 67 per cent said they shared their CPD with their employer, compared to 46 per cent last year.
IfL’s recently published report, 2009–10 IfL review of CPD: Excellence in professional development:
Looking back, looking forward, reveals that:
•
more and more members are reporting that they use mobile technology to capture the effects of
development on themselves and others;
•
trainee teachers carry out more CPD a year, on average, than others; and
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•
the average number of hours of CPD undertaken by members in all parts of the FE and skills
sector has increased to over 49 in 2009-10.
30th December – Survey finds mid-cap businesses confident for the New Year
The results of the BIS 2010 Finance Survey of Mid-Cap Businesses, have shown that that mid-cap
businesses 2 are emerging well from the recession with the majority of the businesses seeking finance
obtaining the finance they need. 93 per cent of those seeking finance were able to obtain it, an
improvement on the 2009 figure of 82 per cent.
Next year 58 per cent of mid-caps expect their sales to be higher than current levels. Over half of
mid-caps also reported an increase in their turnover over the last year. Mid-caps are particularly
important to the economy despite only making up 0.5 per cent of enterprises in the UK, they make a
disproportionate contribution to total UK employment, with 21 per cent of jobs and contribute almost
20 per cent of total turnover.
29th December – Increase in limits on payments under employment rights
legislation
New limits for unfair dismissal and redundancy payments for payments and awards made to workers
in certain employment rights cases will rise from the 1 February under the annual index-linked
formula.
The increased limits affect:
•
statutory redundancy payments;
•
the basic and compensatory awards for unfair dismissal;
•
the limit on guarantee payment made when employees are not provided with work; and
•
the minimum basic award for unfair dismissal in health and safety and certain other cases.
A summary table detailing the changes is also available.
14-19 and Schools
20th December – YPLA statement on 16-19 funding and statutory guidance
The young People’s Learning Agency (YPLA) has published a 16-19 Funding Statement outlining
funding levels and policies for 2011/12. These include:
•
2
an expectation that 98% of 16 year olds and 96% of 17 year olds to be in education or training in
2011/12, working towards full participation for 16 and 17 year olds by 2015;
A mid-cap business is larger than an SME and is defined as having a turnover of £25 million - £500 million
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•
a total budget for education and training places of £7.6 billion for 2011/12. This includes around
£800 million for Apprenticeships and £310 million for young people with a learning difficulty and/or
disability (LDD). £150 million refocused to support disadvantaged young people. This funding
has been found from savings to additional provision introduced as part of Curriculum 2000. This
shift increases the funding in the national funding formula which addresses deprivation from £561
million in 2010/11 to around £770 million in 2011/12 3 , but reduces the entitlement curriculum from
114 guided learner hours to 30;
•
a commitment to ensure that the reduction in the average funding per learner does not exceed 3%
in 2011/12 as part of the commitment to manage carefully the convergence of funding between
schools and colleges. Current funding rates for learners with LDD will be maintained;
•
a reduction in the national funding rate for DfE sponsored Apprenticeships by 2% per year to
reflect the sector’s better efficiency at delivering apprenticeships;
•
details of the learner support to be made available from 2011-12 will be announced ‘shortly’; and
•
a consultation in 2011 on the funding formula which will look at how the formula can better support
the coalition government’s aims of transparency and fairness, and, in particular, how targeted
support for young people can be aligned with the Pupil Premium and the National Scholarships
Programme in Higher Education. The review of the funding formula will also take account of the
recommendations from Professor Alison Wolf’s review of vocational qualifications.
The publication is also accompanied by Statutory Guidance notes on arrangements for 16-19
funding of education and training.
16th December – GCSE and equivalent statistics by pupil characteristics
DfE has published statistics attainment for GCSE and equivalent results by different pupil
characteristics, specifically gender, ethnicity, English as a first language, eligibility for free school
meals (FSM), special educational needs (SEN) and Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index
(IDACI), at National and LA level. The data includes statistics to show that:
•
55.2 per cent of pupils whose first language is English achieved 5 or more A*-C grades at GCSE
or equivalent including English and mathematics GCSEs, compared to 52.0 per cent of pupils for
whom English is not a first language;
•
30.9 per cent of pupils eligible for FSM achieved 5 or more A*-C grades at GCSE or equivalent
including English and mathematics GCSEs, compared to 58.5 per cent of pupils not known to be
eligible for FSM;
•
The proportion of pupils with SEN without a statement achieving achieved 5 or more A*-C grades
at GCSE or equivalent including English and mathematics GCSEs is 22.6 per cent, compared to
7.3 per cent of pupils with SEN with a statement, and 66.2 per cent of pupils with no identified
SEN; and
•
Pupils resident in the least deprived areas, as defined by the Income Deprivation Affecting
Children Index (IDACI), continue to outperform pupils in the most deprived areas.
3
For 2012 onwards, the review of the funding formula will recommend how a ‘young person’s premium’ might
operate in order to support attainment by the most disadvantaged students.
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12th January – Parents get more information about school performance
Parents will now have more information about how schools are performing in providing a rounded
academic education for children and how they spend their money.
New data as part of DfE’s contribution to the coalition government’s commitment on ‘transparency,
openness and accountability’ means that there will be further details available on school performance.
Spending data, now published alongside performance data will allow parents, researchers and the
general public for the first time to
•
look at how much individual schools spent per pupil last year on areas such as teaching staff,
energy and catering, to judge if a school is making the best use of the funding allocated to it; and
•
download the raw data underlying the tables or request other data if they want to do more detailed
analysis.
The figures published include:
•
the overall number of five GCSE (or iGCSE or equivalent) passes at A* to C including English and
mathematics has increased this year by 3.6 percentage points to 53.4 per cent – around 25,600
more pupils achieving this performance measure than last year;
•
216 schools were below the new floor standard of below 35 per cent achieving five GCSEs or
equivalents at grades A* to C including English and mathematics and below the average levels of
progression in English and mathematics; and
•
under the new English Baccalaureate measure, 15.6 per cent of pupils in England achieve a A* to
C GCSE (or iGCSE) in English, mathematics, sciences, a modern or ancient language and history
or geography.
7th January – Ofsted reports on science education and modern languages
Ofsted has published Successful Science, a report which evaluates the strengths and weaknesses
of science in primary and secondary schools and colleges inspected between June 2007 and March
2010.
The report highlights that there has been an improving trend in the provision of science education
over the period of the report, particularly in secondary schools, but there are areas that need further
improvement, especially in primary schools. In schools that showed clear improvement in science
subjects, more practical science lessons and the development of the skills of scientific enquiry were
key factors in promoting pupils’ engagement, learning and progress. Key findings include:
•
science was good or outstanding in 15 of the 31 colleges where it was inspected; it was
satisfactory in 11 and inadequate in five. No other post-16 curriculum area in colleges was judged
to have such a high proportion of unsatisfactory provision; and
•
the availability of vocational courses had a positive impact on the motivation and achievement of
students for whom academic programmes were less suitable. However, some schools had used
these courses too extensively, entering students for vocational rather than academic qualifications
and, as a result, restricting students’ opportunities to study A-level sciences.
Modern languages – Achievement and challenge 2007-10 reports that primary schools are
making good progress in introducing languages to children, but there are significant barriers to good
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language learning in secondary schools. These obstacles include insufficient use of the chosen
language in lessons and a drop in the numbers studying languages and a lack of opportunity for
students to listen and communicate in the target language at secondary school.
6th January – Updated statistics on Academies
The Department for Education has released statistics on the numbers of schools converting to
Academy status. Statistics include:
•
407 academies open in England;
•
371 secondary schools are now academies, 11% of all secondary schools in England;
•
204 academies have opened since September 2010 under the coalition government. Of these
204, 136 were schools converting to becoming academies, which may now use their academy
freedoms to support weaker schools. 68 were weaker schools that had been granted academy
status and new sponsors ‘to help them turn round underperformance’; and
•
An additional 254 more schools are in the pipeline having applied to become academies.
20th December – Michael Gove outlines new approach to school sport
Michael Gove has set out the direction of travel, and initial funding, for the coalition government’s new
approach on school sports. Schools will receive funding to allow PE teachers to embed competitive
sport in schools across the country and raise participation. DfE has announced time-limited funding
for:
•
school sport partnerships for the full school year to the end of the summer term 2011 at a cost of
£47 million. ‘This will ensure the partnerships and their service can continue until the end of the
academic year’; and
•
A further £65 million from the DfE spending review settlement will be paid to enable every
secondary school to release one PE teacher for a day a week in the school year 2011/12 and in
2012/13 ‘encouraging greater take-up of competitive sport in primary schools and securing a
fixture network for schools to increase the amount of intra- and inter-school competition’.
The Association of Colleges (AoC) released a statement stating the organisation’s disappointment
that the revised funding does not include a reprieve for the same posts in FE Colleges and Sixth Form
Colleges. Martin Doel, chief executive said ‘Colleges provide a setting for more than 800,000 young
people each year and a continued role for the FESCo 4 posts is essential in keeping these students
involved in sport. Colleges have been an important part of the School Sports Partnerships for the
past two years. The FESCo role has just started to make a real difference and we have seen
significant increases in the number of 16-19 year olds taking part in sport as a result. Young people
in College deserve the same opportunities as those in schools; this announcement means that they
will not receive those opportunities’.
4 Further Education Sports Co-ordinators (FESCo)
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7th January – Letter from Michael Gove on music teaching
Michael Gove, secretary of state for education, has written to the NSPCC, the Musicians Union,
Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music and Youth Music in response to their advice to music
teachers to avoid any physical contact with children.
Michael Gove writes ‘by telling your music teachers that they should avoid any physical contact with
children, it sends out completely the wrong message. It plays to a culture of fear among both adults
and children, reinforcing the message that any adult who touches a child is somehow guilty of
inappropriate contact. We must move away from this presumption and the Department for Education
is taking steps to restore common sense to this whole area’.
23rd December – Professor Munro Review of child protection, call for evidence
Professor Munro has asked professionals working in the child protection system to give their views
on what needs to change and the best ways to reform the system. In the second report to be
submitted to ministers in the New Year, Professor Munro will outline some potential areas for reform.
This will mark a step towards the final recommendations which will be made to government in April
2011. As part of this, Professor Munro has set out specific questions on three areas of reform:
•
reducing unnecessary bureaucracy;
•
performance and accountability, and
•
the best way to get support and help to families and children as early as possible.
30th December – IPPR response to schools white paper
IPPR has published Room for Improvement, its response to the schools white paper.
Under the new system being launched, schools will be measured on the basis of how many pupils get
good GCSEs in five designated subjects: English; maths; science; a language; and a humanity. Under
the previous system schools were ranked on their results across a wider range of subjects. But IPPR
analysis argues that these reforms to league tables are likely to encourage schools to focus their
resources on more affluent pupils.
By placing the English Baccalaureate at the heart of the new accountability framework, IPPR argues
that the government is providing incentives for schools to divert resources towards those better-off
children likely to do well in the academic subjects contained in the English Baccalaureate to help
boost a school’s position in league tables.
The IPPR recommendations include that:
•
there should be a Pupil Premium Entitlement so that the pupil premium is spent directly on extra
support for children eligible for free school meals;
•
school performance should be measured not just be raw attainment but by a school report card
that also directly measures the performance of pupils from poorer backgrounds; and
•
the floor target for struggling schools should be made much more stretching: all schools should
ensure that 40 per cent of their pupils attain 5 A*–C GCSEs including English and maths by 2015.
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15th December – Institute of Economic Research paper on school competition
and for profit schools
The Institute of Economic Research has published Schooling for Money a paper which uses data
from the Swedish National Agency for Education (NAE) and Statistics Sweden, to provide quantitative
evidence to argue that the overall effects of for-profit and non-profit schools are comparable. The
paper argues that for-profit schools benefit students from all socioeconomic backgrounds, and the
effect is the strongest for students from families with low levels of education, stating that non-profit
schools, on the other hand, seem to be more uneven in their effects. Implications for the coalition
government are discussed. It is argued that the coalition should move forward with its free schools
policy given evidence that the Swedish voucher reform has been ‘successful overall’, but argues that
the ban on for-profit schools must be revoked.
Higher Education
20th December – HEFCE annual grant letter
The government has published its annual grant letter to the Higher Education Funding Council for
England (HEFCE). The letter from secretary of state Vince Cable and universities minister David
Willetts sets out what HEFCE’s priorities should be when allocating higher education budgets to the
sector for 2011-12. It also gives indicative figures for 2012-13 when a new system of student finance
comes into effect, with broad projections for the rest of the spending review period to 2014-15.
Key detail of interest to the further education and skills sector includes:
Social Mobility, Fair Access & Widening Participation
•
Social mobility, fair access and widening participation should be ‘a key strategic objective’;
•
Top policy priorities for targeted funding should be supporting widening participation and fair
access, and ensuring adequate provision of Strategically Important and Vulnerable subjects (more
to be said in forthcoming HE White Paper);
•
HEFCE should maintain the requirement for Widening Participation Strategic Assessment (WPSA)
from all institutions – to cover young people from low income backgrounds and all underrepresented groups in HE taking into account issues facing disabled students, ethnic minorities,
part-time and mature students ;
•
HEFCE to work closely with the Office for Fair Access to ensure that the WPSA and Access
Agreements are as integrated as possible;
•
New guidance is being issued to the Director of Fair Access, setting out tough conditions for
institutions wishing to set graduate contribution charges above £6,000 from autumn 2012,
including an agreed programme of progress each year against a university’s access measures
and benchmarks; and
•
HEFCE should manage the move away from AimHigher programme towards ‘improved targeting
of outreach’.
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Student choice
•
Student choice to represent a long-term driver of quality;
‘Institutions which are chosen by students because they offer better quality, responsiveness and
value for money should be able to grow if they wish and - if necessary - at the expense of those
that perform less well. We expect new providers to enter the sector, provided they can offer costeffective teaching to the high standards students will want. Similarly, we see potential for further
education colleges to contribute to the diverse provision of cost-effective, locally accessible
programmes’;
•
Universities and colleges will need to become ‘even more responsive to the changing demands of
students and employers for high level skills and employability, to ensure they remain competitive
as providers in the new funding environment’; and
•
BIS welcomes the HEFCE report setting out the challenges and opportunities for ‘flexible and
innovative’ provision and hopes that it will be widely studied in the sector and published in due
course.
Flexibility and innovation
•
Two year degrees, other intensive forms of degrees and HE qualifications in the work place to be
pursued; and
•
‘Universities will also want to reflect the importance of enhancing progression opportunities for
learners within the FE sector, or in employment as Apprentices or otherwise’.
The letter also states:
•
HEFCE to lead on work to ensure institutions publish a standard set of information for each course
and pursue public information about graduate salaries ‘as a matter of urgency’; and
•
Alternative student finance arrangements to Lord Browne’s suggestions to be put forward in
forthcoming HE White Paper.
29th December – Advocate for access to education appointed
The prime minister and deputy prime minister have appointed Simon Hughes MP to the role of
advocate for access to education. The advocate for access to education will work with the
government to ensure that its policy goal of increasing participation in higher education by those from
the most disadvantaged backgrounds is met.
The terms of reference for the role include:
•
developing, in conjunction with young people and the government, particularly DfE and BIS, a
communications strategy to ensure that information on the new student finance arrangements
reaches all secondary school students and particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds to
encourage them to access higher education;
•
developing with the government, particularly DfE and BIS, an engagement strategy which will
allow young people to input into policy development on access to education; and
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•
contributing the views of young people and input to the policy development work by DfE, BIS and
the Sutton Trust are leading to ensure that the replacement for EMA works effectively to
encourage students to stay on for post-16 education.
Local Government and Public Sector
31st December – Prime minister delivers New Year message
Prime minister, David Cameron, delivered a speech setting out four priorities which he said would
determine whether in 2011 the UK takes steps towards a better, ‘stronger, safer Britain’. These are
as follows:
•
Enterprise
o
•
Aspiration
o
•
‘social mobility has stalled... That’s why we are protecting schools spending and enhancing it
for the least well-off, offering free nursery education for disadvantaged two-year-olds and
introducing a pupil premium, worth hundreds of pounds for each disadvantaged pupil’.
The modernisation of public services
o
•
‘to create ‘new economic dynamism in our country... I want to see more bank lending,
particularly for small businesses. More deregulation. More investment in the sectors of the
future’.
‘[to] build a country of real opportunity... shift power away from central bureaucracy and shift
power away from central bureaucracy and give choice to the parents, patients and local
citizens who use public services... more open public services, more innovative, more
responsive to what people want, and better value for money.
National security
o
to be ‘unstinting’ in the support offered to police officers and their colleagues in the security and
intelligence agencies.
21st December – Tackling Child Poverty and Improving Life Chances:
Consulting on a New Approach
Children’s minister, Sarah Teather, has launched a consultation on the government’s approach to
ending child poverty and improving life chances, building on Frank Field’s Independent review on
poverty and life chances 5 and Graham Allen’s work on Early Intervention 6 .
5
Frank Field delivered his independent report into poverty and life chances on Friday 3 December.
The review will publish its first report early in 2011, which will focus on best practice, dissemination and
delivery. A further report later in the year will focus on the financial instruments that might support this
investment.
6
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‘We know that family background, parental education, good parenting and opportunities for learning
and development in the early years of a child's life, as well as access to high quality public services,
are critical factors in determining whether they are able to realise their potential later in life. It is by
addressing the issues of educational failure, welfare dependency, worklessness, and family
breakdown that we can provide the conditions that will allow families to move out of poverty’. The
consultation document states that a ‘fundamental change’ of approach is needed to support these
families to turn around their long-term economic prospects
The consultation seeks views from the public, private and voluntary sectors to find the ‘creative
solutions’. The consultation will close on 15 February 2011, so that the final strategy may be
published in March 2011.
21st December – Increase in local government transparency
The Department for Communities and Local Government has published A Plain English Guide to
the Local Government Finance Settlement for 2011-12 alongside a series of spreadsheets,
formulas and figures to ‘de-mystify’ the grant funding system and show the way in which central
government funding will be distributed per resident around country. The figures have been mapped to
show at a glance how the £21.5 billion of central taxpayer funding for local government is distributed
around the country.
Local government secretary Eric Pickles said ‘what the data shows is that funding fairness underpins
this settlement. The settlement is fair between different parts of the country - north and south, rural
and urban, metropolitan and shire’.
12th January – Managing transitions in public bodies: practical guide published
The Institute for Government and Public Chairs Forum have published Piecing together the quango
reforms – a practical guide for managing transitions, a joint guide to help arm's length bodies and
departments manage the transitions set out by the government on the future of public bodies,
announced in October last year. The paper pulls together a selection of case studies, lessons
learned, and experiences from quangos that have already managed major organisational change.
Key points include:
•
recognise the importance of partnership between Arms Length Bodies and government
department and ensure clarity about goals and who does what, early on; and
•
cultural change is needed during a transition – it can’t be ‘business as usual’.
10th January – Grants available for European Year of Volunteering
The Cabinet Office made available a number of small scale contracts and grants for
organisations to develop and implement activity within England, as part of the national work
programme for European Year of Volunteering.
2011 has been designated as the European Year of Volunteering within the European Union. The
purpose of the Year is to support the efforts of member states and civil society organisations to create
conditions which are conducive to the development of volunteering across Europe.
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As part of the national work programme for the Year, The Office for Civil Society has identified
national priorities which ‘support the Big Society Vision’, and is seeking partner organisations to
support the development and implementation of activities within England which relate to these
priorities. The national priorities include:
•
encouraging and enabling individuals to make a contribution within their communities and help
solve social issues by volunteering;
•
promoting good practice within the private, public and voluntary and community sector in relation
to the development of effective employer supported volunteering (ESV) programmes;
•
identifying and sharing good practice and resources relating to effective volunteer management;
and
•
Promoting good practice in opening the door to volunteering opportunities to those traditionally
less likely to volunteer.
7th December – Breaking the cycle: effective punishment, rehabilitation and
sentencing of offenders
The Ministry of Justice Structural Reform Plan published in July 2010 set out a commitment to
introduce a 'rehabilitation revolution' and conduct a review of sentencing policy.
MoJ has published a consultation which sets out the resulting proposals which aim to ‘break the
destructive cycle of crime and protect the public, through more effectively punishing and rehabilitating
offenders and reforming the sentencing framework’. Questions include:
•
What can central government do to help remove local barriers to implementing an integrated
approach to managing offenders?
•
How can we incentivise and support the growth of Integrated Offender Management approaches?
•
How can we ensure that providers from the voluntary and community sector can be equal partners
in the delivery of this integrated approach?
Responses to the consultation are sought by 4 March 2011.
31st December – Applying behavioural insight to health
A discussion paper on Applying behavioural insight to health has been published by the Cabinet
Office. The paper, written by the new Behavioural Insights Team in the Cabinet Office, draws on
insights from behavioural science and behavioural economics and shows ways in which health
improvements can be made without resorting to legislation or costly programmes.
The paper sets out a number of examples where local authorities, charities, government and private
sector organisations are developing responses that encourage healthier behaviours. It also
announces a number of new initiatives introduced by the Behavioural Insights Team in partnership
with other organisations, including:
•
a smoking cessation pilot beginning in early 2011. This will use encourage participants to make
commitments to quit smoking (for example, by signing a contract) and will reward those who pass
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regular smoking tests. The pilot will be run by Boots, with the support of the Behavioural Insights
Team and the Department of Health; and
•
a system of ‘prompted choice’ on organ donor registration will be introduced to the DVLA online
application form for renewing and applying for driving licenses. This will require applicants to state
whether or not they wish to become an organ donor. Where this has been introduced in other
countries, it has significantly increased the number of organ donors. If the DVLA scheme proves
successful, it will be rolled out to other areas.
Devolved Administrations
13th January – Scottish universities receive increasing applications from EU
students
Scottish education minister, Michael Russell has highlighted statistics which show that a record
number of EU students have enrolled at Scotland's universities, up 17 per cent last year. Figures
from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) include that between 2008-09 and 2009-10:
•
The number of Scots starting full-time courses in 2009-10 increased by three per cent - from
38,740 to 40,045 year-on-year;
•
The number of EU students increased by 17 per cent, from 13,585 to 15,930. This is an increase
of 94 per cent on 2000-01 when 8,195 EU students came to Scotland;
•
In contrast the number of EU students attending English institutions increased by only six per cent
between 2008-09 and 2009-10; and
•
In total, there were 220,910 enrolments at Scottish HEIs, up three per cent - almost two-thirds of
the increase was due to enrolments from overseas students
European law means that the Scottish government is obliged to pay the fees of students living in nonUK EU countries - at a cost of more than £75 million a year in 2009-10 compared to £20 million in
2000-01 when 8,195 EU students came to Scotland. As part of the ongoing debate over the future of
higher education, Michael Russell is seeking to end an anomaly that sees students from across
Europe receive free education ‘it is crucial that we ensure our universities retain their international
competitiveness and continue to attract students on the basis of their academic ability, not because
they are perceived as being a cheap option’.
4th January – Highlands and Islands benefits from cash injection
The Scottish government has announced an £18 million cash investment designed to benefit the
tourism industry, renewable energy projects and road improvement schemes across the Highlands
and Islands.
Enterprise, energy and tourism minister, Jim Mather, said the funding from the European Regional
Development Fund, has the potential to create over 60 jobs and is a vital part of work to protect and
strengthen economic recovery both in the region and across Scotland’.
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Examples include:
•
Lochboisdale Regeneration project will benefit from £1.88 million to enable the continuing
development of what is a key development for the Outer Hebrides. Funding will help provision of a
site for enhanced transport and cargo facilities, the creation of development land for commercial
and business activity and the creation of 2km of road, including a causeway; and
•
The Valuing Intellectual Assets in the Food and Drink Industry Project will get £115,000 to help
producers across the region. The money will help companies fully exploit their products through
routes such as the EU Protected Food Name Scheme, which identifies regional and traditional
foods whose authenticity and origin can be guaranteed.
16th December – Referendum on law-making powers of the National Assembly
for Wales
The referendum on further law making powers for the Welsh National Assembly will take place on 3
March 2011, following an order made by the Queen. The Assembly has powers to make laws on 20
subject areas, such as agriculture, education, the environment, health, housing and local government.
In each subject area, the Assembly can make laws on some but not all matters. To make laws on any
of these other matters, the Assembly must ask the UK Parliament for its agreement. The vote will
decide whether the Assembly will be able to make laws on all matters in the 20 subject areas it has
powers for, without needing the UK Parliament's agreement.
The Assembly will not be able to make laws on subject areas such as defence, tax or welfare
benefits, whatever the result of this vote. The Welsh Assembly government will not engage in any
new publicity relating to the referendum, for the whole referendum period.
7th January – £13m boost for Welsh public services
A £13 million investment to ‘drive forward innovation’ in the delivery of public services across counties
in West Wales and the Valleys has been announced by the Welsh minister for business and budget,
Jane Hutt. The initiative will bring together Local Service Boards from 15 authorities in the
Convergence area of Wales to begin projects which aim to maximise the impact of the services they
deliver.
The project will be delivered in partnership with Welsh Local Government Association Regional
Partnership Boards (RPBs), and Communities First Partnerships (CFPs) to ensure collaboration at
regional, local and community level’. The project which is supported by Welsh Assembly government
funding, including £7.7m from the European Social Fund has been designed to build skills and
expertise to increase efficiencies and encourage greater collaboration between organisations.
The first two projects up and running this month are in Bridgend and Swansea. Both are aiming to
redesign services so they wrap around families and their need and work with them to develop
services that will have wider benefit.
Minister Jane Hutt said ‘This is a great boost for public services during difficult economic times. We
are determined to continue to improve the services we provide our citizens and we expect to support
a range of high quality projects which will achieve greater collaboration, efficiency and citizen
engagement’.
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Equality and Diversity
12th January – New public sector equality duty guidance
The Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has published a series of guides for public
authorities on the new public sector equality duty, which comes into force on 6th April 2011. As such,
local authorities and other public sector bodies will be required to show what they’re doing to tackle
inequality. Voluntary and charitable sector organisations and members of the public will then be
encouraged to scrutinise this information and hold public bodies to account if they are not performing.
The guides are for public authorities in England and for bodies with non-devolved functions in
Scotland and Wales. Separate Codes and guidance on the equality duty will be available from the
Commission for public authorities in Scotland (Mid-February) and in Wales (April) to coincide with the
publication of the specific duty respective regulations.
The guides provide an overview of the equality duty, including the general equality duty, the specific
duties and who they apply to. They cover what public authorities should do to meet the duty. This
includes steps that are legally required, as well as recommended actions.
EHRC is currently waiting for final clarification as to whether the reference to schools in the guidance
in relation to the publication of information should also refer to any other educational institutions.
12th January – Widening participation and race equality
The Runnymede Trust has published Widening Participation and Race Equality, a collection
essays focusing on the representation and achievement of black and minority ethnic (BME) students
in the UK’s universities. In this collection of papers, the authors address what race equality has to do
with widening participation, highlighting that participation is about more than gaining entry to an
institution but also progress while there. They also note that different institutions have very different
patterns of success in widening participation for under-represented minority ethnic groups.
Contributors to the collection include Professor Miriam David (Institute of Education), the Office for
Fair Access, Dr Uvanney Maylor (Institute for Policy Studies in Education) and Runnymede
researchers Dr Debbie Weekes-Bernard, Dr Omar Khan and Jessica Mai Sims.
New Faces and Awards
16th December – Four new appointments to DfE Board
The secretary of state for education, Michael Gove, has announced the appointment of four new nonexecutive members to the Department for Education Board, as part of a drive ‘to improve governance
across Whitehall’. The Board, chaired by the secretary of state, provides strategic leadership of the
department, focusing on performance and the delivery of DfE’s priorities.
The four new appointees will join the ministerial team, permanent secretary and the heads of the
department’s four directorates. They are:
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•
Anthony Salz; executive vice-chairman of Rothschild (lead non-executive member);
•
Theodore Agnew; non-executive director of Jubilee Managing Agency Ltd;
•
John Nash; non-executive partner of Sovereign Capital and sponsor of Pimlico Academy; and
•
Sue John; headteacher of Lampton School in Hounslow and the director for the Secondary
London Leadership Strategy.
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.
Caroline Mager, Executive Director, Policy, Research and Communications
Caroline.Mager@LSIS.org.uk
Telephone: 020 7766 0016
Jenny Williams, Head of Policy
Jenny.Williams@LSIS.org.uk
Telephone: 020 7766 0014
Angela Nartey, Policy Research Officer
Angela.Nartey@LSIS.org.uk
Telephone: 020 7766 0002
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 2011
Published by the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS).
The purpose of these updates is to stimulate discussion and debate. While every effort has been
made to ensure the information contained within this publication is correct, neither the publisher
nor the authors or their companies accept any liability for any errors or omissions.
The text in this document may be reproduced free of charge in any format or media without
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misrepresented.
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