If you'd asked me what I thought the next phase of apprenticeship reforms should include, I would not have said 'Make employers really angry by watering down the rigour and value of apprenticeships by making it easier to wave through trainees before they are fully competent'. And yet.....

Ofsted: "feedback on the renewed framework has continued to be really encouraging" I am thoroughly bored of these superficial statements. They are meaningless when Ofsted refuses to release any evidence to support these claims while also suppressing the consultation responses they received.

There is lots to like in the final report from the Curriculum and Assessment Review (CAR) thanks to @beckyfrancis.bsky.social and her panel of experts. However, the Government's response to the CAR contains a *massive* red warning sign.... My new post on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/posts/tdrich...

"I have every confidence that headteachers will recognise the changes are fair, that inspection takes staff well-being fully into account, and that the whole experience is collaborative and constructive." Headteachers: maybe make a note of this comment from Martyn Oliver for future reference...

In my latest podcast, @nickhillmanuk.bsky.social - director of @hepi-news.bsky.social - explained why he thinks the Government's plan in their Post 16 White Paper to encourage 'specialisation' in HE could encounter numerous problems. Listen to the full episode here: insideyoured.com

In my latest podcast, @ukshane.bsky.social - editor of @feweek.bsky.social - pointed out that 16 to 19 funding has increased in recent years but the Government's new Post 16 White Paper failed to show the same level of support for adult education. Listen to the full episode here: insideyoured.com

When inflation is still stuck at 3.8%, trying to persuade teachers, leaders and unions that a 2% pay rise for the next three years will be sufficient is..... bold.

I can say with some confidence that Mr.Burnett knows absolutely nothing about the science of learning.

Really interesting discussion on the White Paper, focusing on some of the aspects that have received less attention / reaction so far. I agree with @ukshane.bsky.social that this was a real missed opportunity in regards to addressing the pay gap between school & FE teachers.

🚨NEW PODCAST🚨 Does the Post 16 White Paper have the right answers, or even the right questions? @ukshane.bsky.social and @nickhillman.bsky.social joined me to explore what lies ahead for FE and HE respectively under the Government's proposed reforms. Listen here: insideyoured.com

Does the post-16 white paper have the right answers, or even the right questions? @nickhillman.bsky.social and I join @tom-richmond.com to chew over what it has to say on quality, collaboration and specialisation in the latest episode of Inside Your Ed insideyoured.buzzsprout.com/1874905/epis...

🚨NEW PODCAST🚨 Does the Post 16 White Paper have the right answers, or even the right questions? @ukshane.bsky.social and @nickhillman.bsky.social joined me to explore what lies ahead for FE and HE respectively under the Government's proposed reforms. Listen here: insideyoured.com

Remember when the Government announced they were slashing funding for Level 7 (Master's degree) apprenticeships next year, so everyone piled in this year and punched a massive hole in the apprenticeships budget? 🤦‍♂️

"It’s really locked out a lot of families that can’t afford the sometimes tens of thousands of dollars that people are spending on private tutoring." New research in Australia illustrates the scale and impact of their tutoring industry. All very familiar... educationhq.com/news/uncheck...

We all want children to feel like they 'belong' at school, but do we all agree what that means? Fascinating deep dive by @jonhutchinson.bsky.social at #rEdCamb25 #researchEd

And is almost always true the most small c conservative places and settings who are most cautious about new stuff will be those who are least affected. It isn't a question of whether this will collapse but when, and how much damage it does before people wake up.

Myles McGinley from OCR kicking off #researchEd Cambridge this morning - I'll be chatting later today about the cheery topic of why AI is probably going to cause a 'cognitive collapse' in our schools....

In my latest podcast, Katy Dorman explained why the new 'foundation apprenticeships' could help tackle the high rates of youth unemployment, but only if they are designed in the right way. Listen to the full episode here: insideyoured.com

"Our pilot inspections have gone very well" You know, I'd be a lot more inclined to beileve that if Ofsted had released *any* information about the results of the pilots or - crazy thought - conducted rigorous research on their reliability and validity before charging ahead with the new framework.

Outstanding work from @benpatrickwill.bsky.social. School and college leaders thinking of making AI a priority and / or spending money on AI may want to save this thread....

In my latest podcast, @annaambrose.bsky.social - CEO of @workwhileuk.bsky.social - said that we need to focus on generating more entry-level apprenticeships in SMEs rather than relying on degree apprenticeships to drive social mobility. Listen to the full episode here: insideyoured.com

So V levels are on the way, but are they the right solution? Perhaps an academic paper from 2022 can help answer that.... My new piece on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/posts/tdrich...

So V levels are on the way, but are they the right solution? Perhaps an academic paper from 2022 can help answer that.... My new piece on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/posts/tdrich...

"She had to wait six months before the accusations were dropped" The grim spectre of students being falsely accused of cheating with AI continues to spread. And, of course, the accusations were originally generated by.... AI. futurism.com/artificial-i...

"AI handles the lessons, and adults are called guides and coaches, who are there to help with "motivational and emotional support."" These people just never learn, do they. Unfortunately the pupils won't learn either. www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco...

First the DfE publishes guidance for schools encouraging them to use more AI despite there being considerable evidence showing the detrimental effects of AI on learning. And now this?

"We’re losing sight of creating a culture within the school that is inclusive, that’s welcoming, that looks at the pupils from a strengths point of view, rather than focusing on their perceived deficits." Powerful stuff in this interview by @helen-amass.bsky.social. www.tes.com/magazine/tea...

Well done to Schools Week for keeping up the pressure on this. Now we learn that Ofsted might not even publish the results of their pilot inspections - the only tests of the new framework before it is rushed out. Astonishing.

🚨NEW PODCAST🚨 How do you get more young apprentices into small businesses? @annaambrose.bsky.social and Katy Dorman joined me to discuss two new reports from @edgeuk.bsky.social that set out the barriers facing young people and employers in the apprenticeship system. Listen here: insideyoured.com

🚨NEW PODCAST🚨 How do you get more young apprentices into small businesses? @annaambrose.bsky.social and Katy Dorman joined me to discuss two new reports from @edgeuk.bsky.social that set out the barriers facing young people and employers in the apprenticeship system. Listen here: insideyoured.com

"each student with special needs, autism or any behavioural disorders will count as two students in the classroom. The aim is to allow them to receive more personalised attention and to reduce the workload on teachers" Mainstream SEN provision, Spanish style. www.surinenglish.com/spain/spain-...

Sending some universities to the wall based on spurious assumptions about teaching quality, which are based on spurious data about graduate employment rates and salaries, would certainly be a novel approach to managing the HE system. (from The Sunday Times: www.thetimes.com/uk/education...)

Skills England is an executive agency within a government department. It would be bizarre, verging on inappropriate, for an executive agency to question ministerial decisions - especially in a public forum. I'm all for collaboration and coordination but none of that is Skills England's job.

In my latest podcast, Rachel Hewitt - CEO of @millionplus.bsky.social - said that universities should not see mergers as a way of saving money, but they can help set a new strategic direction for institutions. Listen to the full episode here: insideyoured.com

Wouldn't that be quite the twist: Wales and maybe Scotland refuse to introduce a levy on international students, thereby massively undercutting universities in England and convincing some applicants to hop over the border....

In my latest podcast, @dkernohan.bsky.social from @wonkhe.bsky.social explained why the new 'super university', created by the proposed merger between the universities of Kent and Greenwich, has raised numerous policy and regulatory questions. Listen to the full episode here: insideyoured.com

Which raises the same questions that it did when the Conservatives last proposed this policy: e.g. how will you define 'rip off' in a way that differentiates between rip-off and non-rip-off courses with 100% accuracy? (using 'low earnings' is a terrible idea, for various statistical reasons)

If you're worried about Reform painting universities as elitist then 'massively hiking university tuition fees' is not an obvious solution to your problem.

Laura Trott is correct IMHO. When the evidence of harm to children has piled up as high as it has, on what grounds would you *not* ban social media - for under 16s, at the very least?

Yikes - those are huge cuts in such a short space of time. Presumably financial pressures have forced the DfE's hand, but next year's applicant data will give a very clear verdict on whether they've cut too hard, too fast.

“The cheating is off the charts. It’s the worst I’ve seen in my entire career. ...Anything you send home, you have to assume is being AI’ed.” From the US to the UK, the new reality is setting in. In-class tests and verbal / oral exams are the right way to go. www.dailynews.com/2025/09/12/a...

@neildotobrien.bsky.social is not wrong, but it's a fiendishly difficult policy position to unwind. Once a 'market' has been set free, trying to (re)gain some control over it can be very tricky. And costly - both time and money.

"Deloitte, EY, PricewaterhouseCoopers and KPMG posted 44% fewer jobs for graduates this year compared with 2023." Bad news for some graduates, but possibly good news for teaching? Super piece by @nicolawoolcock.bsky.social and @georgiamay.bsky.social www.thetimes.com/uk/education...

Includes a comment from me, plus some very astute observations from Nick Hillman.

In 2021, I wrote a major report on reforming the final years of secondary education, which proposed the creation of three routes: Academic (academic subjects and disciplines); Applied (related to broad areas of employment); and Technical (related to specific trades / occupations). I'm just saying.

In 2021, I wrote a major report on reforming the final years of secondary education, which proposed the creation of three routes: Academic (academic subjects and disciplines); Applied (related to broad areas of employment); and Technical (related to specific trades / occupations). I'm just saying.

Listen to MillionPlus Chief Executive Rachel Hewitt on the latest Inside Your Ed podcast

There’s a very fine exposition of the regulatory complexity of bringing two degree awarding universities together here. Key question is whether a new corporate entity could be a university or whether, in reality, one university needs to dissolve and join the other?

A really enjoyable conversation, and plenty of merger-related fun for all the family.

🚨NEW PODCAST🚨 Does the Higher Education system need more 'super universities'? @dkernohan.bsky.social and Rachel Hewitt joined me to examine the details and implications of the new collaboration between the University of Greenwich and the University of Kent. Listen here: insideyoured.com