Education is bracing for a policy shake-up, warns Pepe Di'lasio, as a wave of sweeping reforms begins to take shape in the coming months.

Education is facing a policy tsunami

The education sector has been through times of great change on several occasions in the past — the reforms of Kenneth Baker in the late 1980s and Michael Gove in the 2010s spring to mind. This autumn term may come to be seen as a similar moment in time, albeit in a rather more piecemeal fashion. 

That is because we are on the cusp of a policy tsunami, at least some of which may have started to take shape by the time that you read this article. 

On the cards are a schools' white paper that will reform the SEND system, a post-16 skills and higher education white paper, the final recommendations of the curriculum and assessment review, the publication of the government's delayed child poverty strategy, and the autumn budget. 

At the same time, Ofsted intends to implement its muddled reform of the inspection system, and the government will continue to press ahead with a series of accountability changes, including the work of Regional Improvement in Standards and Excellence (RISE) teams and introduction of digital school profiles. 

This is on top of universal breakfast clubs in primary schools, a massive expansion of childcare, and the implementation of a raft of measures in the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill. 

Dangers

There is no faulting the government's ambition. This frenetic activity is designed to deliver its 'opportunity mission' with its central aim of breaking the link between a child's background and their future success, something on which we would all agree. But there are also perils. 

I have already alluded to the first - the piecemeal nature of these changes. Rather than a set of reforms contained in a single overarching vision, we instead have a series of interlinking policies at various stages of development and implementation. 

It will be important to ensure that they add up to a cohesive whole and that this is clearly communicated or we will otherwise end up mired in confusion. This is a significant challenge that the government should not underestimate. It is exceptionally difficult to coordinate and deliver in order that many different strands of policy work. Precision and clarity are key.

Ofsted

The second is Ofsted's new inspection system, which seems to us to be inherently flawed. 

It is unlikely that inspectors will be able to reliably and consistently make so many finely balanced decisions on how to apply a five-point grading scale across multiple evaluation areas during a single inspection. The result is that the new system may fall at the first hurdle in that it simply doesn't work. 

In addition, it is likely to place extraordinary pressure on leaders and staff to achieve not just the 'expected standard' in each evaluation area but 'strong' and 'exceptional' judgements. It threatens to be a never-ending race to do better while managing a wider climate of financial pressures and staff shortages. 

As a result, the new framework risks seriously damaging the morale and wellbeing of leaders and staff, as well as recruitment and retention. All of this has been pointed out to the government and Ofsted on many occasions, but they have pressed ahead regardless and will now face the difficulty of landing their wider policy agenda in a sector that is struggling to make sense of this confused new inspection system, and is badly demoralised. It is not too late to reverse course even now.

SEND

The most potentially explosive issue in that wider policy agenda is undoubtedly the planned SEND reforms. The direction of travel will clearly be on boosting support in mainstream schools with the aim of improving outcomes and reducing the pressure on specialist provision. 

That is, of course, easier said than done, and begs questions over what funding and training will be made available, and how schools will be able to access the specialist staff they'll need to provide early interventions, such as speech and language therapists and educational psychologists. It would be a huge mistake for the government to attempt to leverage these reforms through the accountability system without ensuring that schools have the resources they need. 

However, an even more contentious issue is what role education, health, and care plans (EHCPs) will play in the future, with the suggestion being that these may be scaled back. Such a reform is likely to run into significant opposition from parent groups with the possibility of a political backlash from backbench MPs. 

It is clearly vital to reform the SEND system. It is not working well enough for children and young people, parents or schools, and it is financially unsustainable in its current form. 

But the government must take great care to ensure that its changes command the support of families and education staff. It has never been more important to make a policy done with rather than done to.

Money

Finally, there is the inevitable question of money. It is fair to say that the government has spent the past year or so well and truly managing our expectations on funding. We have all, I am sure, got the message about the parlous state of the country's finances and the need for strict fiscal discipline. 

However, the fact remains that schools and colleges do need sufficient fundin g to be able to operate effectively. If that funding is not there, as is currently the case, there is little choice other than to cut staffing with the resulting impact on provision, class sizes, and workloads. 

The idea that funding pressures can be alleviated by driving further efficiencies on top of years of cuts, or by the illusory magic wand of AI, is pure fantasy. The government's ambition for education will be very hard to deliver without the Treasury committing the investment that is required.

And finally...

I hope that these observations do not come across as being unduly negative. Other than the absolute mess Ofsted has made of reforming the inspection system, I broadly support the government's policy agenda and certainly its overarching ambition to do better for children from all backgrounds. 

The points I have endeavoured to make are around getting right the detail and delivery. Policymakers owe you that. 

Ours is a profession under huge strain with leaders facing many pressures on many fronts. The last thing you need are even more problems to sort out. And over the weeks and months ahead, that is what ASCL will continue to make clear to the government.

OURS IS A PROFESSION UNDER HUGE STRAIN WITH LEADERS FACING MANY PRESSURES ON MANY FRONTS. THE LAST THING YOU EVEN MORE PROBLEMS TO SORT OUT.

Pepe Di'lasio
ASCL General Secretary
@pepediiasio.bsky.social

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