Highlights of the week ending 5 February 2021
ThePrime Ministerreiterated, on Thursday, that he still considered8 Marchto be the earliest and “most prudent date to set” for schools in England to start to reopen.
This followed Tuesday’s announcement byNicola Sturgeonwhich outlined plans to reopen schools full timefrom 22 Februaryfor P1-P3 pupils, along with pre-schoolers, and a part-time limited return for secondary school students. Schools in Wales are also aiming for 22 February opening too.
Learning loss has also been prominent this week withSir Kevan Collinsappointed as theEducation Recovery Commissioner, to deliver measures that will help students who have missed out on face-to-face education.
And anInstitute for Fiscal Studiesreport suggesting the cost of lost schooling will amount to billions of pounds lost in the long run. The report also suggests that the £1.5bn allocated so far to help children catch up will not be enough to prevent inequalities from widening.
This week’sPolicy Blog is by Cindy Rampersaudand covers the latest phase of the Post-16 Review of Level 3 qualifications.
Why defunding qualifications would be a mistake
We have alsopublished our response to the consultation.