EDUCATION
Sector awaits clarity on policies and funding reforms from new government
A new government often heralds a period of reform for the education sector. However, much of what has been communicated to date indicates more of a change in tone rather than a change in policy.
An example of this came in the King’s Speech with the announcement of the creation of Skills England, a new body to replace the Institute for Apprenticeships. It will have a broadened remit to drive more effective use of the existing Apprenticeship Levy, with a focus on bringing together businesses, education providers, devolved authorities and national government. The impact of this change of emphasis may take a while to be felt in the further education sector.
So far, the new government has remained tight-lipped on plans to make changes to tuition fees or deliver wider reform on higher education funding. A fall in international student numbers in 2024 and continuing real-term income decline from domestic tuition fees frozen at 2017 levels are driving some universities towards redundancy programmes and course closures.
The University and College Union reports that there are currently more than 65 universities in this position. Higher education funding remains low on the public’s priority list and consequently there has not been the political drive to address the issue by governments, past or present. But there is growing concern about how much longer the sector can wait.
The most significant education-related policy announcement to date is the investment in 6,500 new teachers, funded by the removal of charitable status from independent schools. The impact of this remains to be seen, but it could lead to a retraction in estate investments or possibly consolidation in the sector.
NATIONWIDE
Condition Data Collection
Every government-maintained school in England is regularly surveyed under the Condition Data Collection programme (CDC), one of the largest ongoing data collection exercises undertaken in the UK public sector.
RLB is helping to deliver the programme, data from which will help the Department for Education (DfE) prioritise future funding to maintain and improve the condition of 22,500 nursery, primary and secondary schools.
