Lexington Communications’ Education & Skills Practice is led by Chris Cuddihy. Contact us on education@lexcomm.co.uk and follow us on Twitter on @Lex_EduSkills

1. Ofsted’s Sir Michael Wilshaw delivered a speech at the London
Councils education summit, highlighting the importance of
leadership in improving standards for disadvantaged children.
The Department for Education released provisional results for
national curriculum assessments for key stage two. 53 per cent of
pupils reached the new expected standard.
Vernon Bogdanor, Professor of Government at King’s College
London, wrote in the Financial Times arguing that a focus on
technical education would benefit Britain.
Research from Lloyds Bank revealed that the cost of private
school education from Reception to Year 13 has reached an
average of £156,653. Fees have almost doubled since 2003.
Cancer Research UK published statistics claiming ‘more than
57,000 children become overweight or obese during primary
school,’ leading to a rise in XL uniforms ‘becoming the norm’.
It was confirmed that Nadhim Zahawi MP will no longer be in the
role of apprenticeship adviser to the Prime Minister.
55 Labour MPs wrote to the Skills Funding Agency to ask them to
rethink cuts to inner-city apprenticeships funding.
The DfE released data showing that the proportion of people
leaving college without a long-term place in education or
employment has dropped to four per cent.
The National Audit Office published a report recommending that
the Government’s plans for 3m new apprenticeships be tailored
to meet existing skills gaps, rather than focusing on numbers.
The Higher Education and Research Bill went to Committee
stage in the Commons. The Government published a policy
paper on the Bill, detailing how it will drive up teaching quality.
The Lords Science and Technology Committee published a letter
from Universities Minister Jo Johnson MP emphasising the
importance the Government attaches to the work of Innovate UK.
The impact of Brexit on UK HE was raised during a House of
Commons debate. Stephen Gethins MP called for the
Government to guarantee funding beyond 2020.
The IPPR called on the Government to remove students from the
net migration target, warning the current approach is ‘damaging
the UK’s reputation with international students and our economy’.
The Social Market Foundation released research concluding that
dozens of UK universities are ‘making no progress or going
backwards’ on reducing their student dropout rates.
7th
September 2016