Policy Statements and Initiatives
DfE: Thousands of parents have applied to send their children to the first 24 Free Schools that are aiming to open in next month. This comes as latest analysis by the Department for Education shows that Free Schools are targeting deprivation, with half of the schools located in the 30% most deprived communities.
DfE: The Minister of State for Schools, Mr Nick Gibb, has made a Written Ministerial Statement on Recording & reporting significant incidents of use of force in schools. The requirement was due to commence on 1 September 2011. In the light of the results of a review, the Secretary of State has decided not to commence this requirement and will seek to repeal it at the first suitable legislative opportunity.
ScotGov: First Minister Alex Salmond has called on the UK Government to introduce a period of statutory consultation on proposed changes to the offshore taxation regime. Analysis by AberdeenUniversity suggests that there could be 79 (8%) - fewer fields developed and £29bn less investment over the next 30 years as a result of the tax increase, with a corresponding impact on production levels.
The Scottish Government sent the Chancellor a paper in June with detailed options to mitigate the impact of the tax hike, and has not yet received a substantive response to the proposals.
DH: Following the summer recess, the Government last week took further steps in its plans to ‘put patients at the heart of the health service and make the NHS world class’. The Health and Social Care Bill returned to Parliament to discuss the Government’s plans to ‘modernise the NHS and to safeguard it for the future’.
Press release & links ~ DH: Top Myths about proposed reform ~ TUC comment ~ NHS Confederation comment
BIS: Skills Minister, John Hayes has announced a package of new measures to make it easier for employers to take on large numbers of apprentices. Responding to the recommendations of a review, Mr Hayes said that ‘firms that contract directly with the Government to train apprentices will now benefit from simplified payment, reporting and assessment requirements’. They will also receive better guidance to help them manage the recruitment, training & assessment of apprentices more efficiently and cost effectively.
Further measures to cut red tape for small & medium sized employers taking on apprentices will be unveiled this autumn as part of the Government's plan for growth.
WAG: From this term, all children aged 3 - 7 will be able to experience the Welsh Government’s ‘revolutionary’ early year’s curriculum, the Foundation Phase, which is designed to give them the best possible start in life. It is based on learning through play, active involvement & practical activities which enhances their creativity, knowledge, skills & understanding which are invaluable for future learning.
Defra: Funding to help boost skills in the dairy industry was announced by Agriculture Minister Jim Paice last week. £176,000 will be invested in the dairy industry’s first Continuous Professional Development (CPD) scheme. In its first year, it will set standards for attaining a specific level of knowledge & skills before rolling these out to more than 1,000 dairy farmers & workers over the following 2 years. The scheme will become self-sustaining by 2015.
Ofsted: Boarding & residential special schools are to have unannounced, no-notice inspections when welfare is to be inspected separately from education, Ofsted announced when it introduced a new comprehensive framework for the sector. Previously, these schools were given 5 days’ notice when boarders’ welfare alone was inspected.
The introduction of no-notice inspections reflects the Munro review of child protection, which recommends that unannounced inspections should apply to the broader remit across all children’s services. The new inspection model incorporates the revised national minimum standards for boarding provision, introduced by the government this September.
CCSA: The Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA) has launched: ‘A Strategy for CCS in the UK and Beyond’, which outlines the potential of CCS to provide secure, cost-competitive, low carbon electricity as part of the portfolio of low-carbon technologies that will be needed to meet UK climate change targets.
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