Education News Round-Up

As we enter December, there's still plenty of changes happening in the education industry. So here's The AIM Groups round-up of all the latest news from the education industry!

Music education has been deeply impacted by Covid-19 a survey has found  

A report by the Incorporated Society of Musicians (ISM) has found that music lessons have been affected by the pandemic this year, with singing, instrumental lessons, concerts and even extra-curricular activities all being hit.  

It was reported that 68% of primary schools and 39% of secondary schools had reduced their music lessons and extra-curricular activities were no longer taking place in 72% of primary schools and 66% of secondary schools this year. 

This could see inequalities occur for those continuing their music education, with those in privileged positions to own instruments or access private tuition in a far better position to continue their musical journey.  

Another worry is that the health and well-being of music teachers are being negatively impacted through the changes and lack of support they are receiving from their schools. In one case, a teacher had to use buckets from B&Q as drums in the classroom rather than the instrument themselves.  

In light of the report, ISM has called on the UK government to encourage safe music teaching in schools and wider communities.  

Special needs teaching is at risk due to underfunding  

Almost 90% of councils in England went over their budgets for teaching children with special needs in 2019 and that trend is predicted to continue next year.  

In total, £634m was overspent and many councils had to use other funding pots to offset the costs.  

This is partially due to the 2014 Children and Families Act meaning that councils had to support an increased range of ages for children and young people with Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) while funding didn't reflect the changes. 

This has meant that many children have been left with inadequate support.  

Out of 151 upper-tier councils, 132 overspent their grant that funds SEND education. There is a real worry that unless funding is increased, many councils will fail to support every child with SEND.  

A spokesperson for the department for education announced that there will be the biggest increase in school funding in a decade with SEND funding set to be increased by £780m this year and £730m the next.  

Extra measures will be introduced to ensure fairer exams next summer  

Ministers have announced there will be extra measures put in place to support students and ensure exams are fairer to make up for the disruption that students have faced due to Covid-19.  

The measures put in place include a more generous grading system, students receiving advanced notice of topic areas to focus revision on and “back-up” exams, amongst many others.  

The Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson said exams were the best way of measuring performance and it was important they took place next summer but with additional step to ensure they were fair for everyone involved.  

This will be a relief to many schools who have had to adjust to the harsh changes that the pandemic has had on the way they operate.