Radical Roundup: 10 stories that have got buried – Week 3, March 2022
The news you didn’t seek this week…
Education
Rachel Hopkins MP: Defending BTECs is vital to a progressive skills agenda
‘Under the Conservative Party’s rule, the skills agenda has been nothing more than an afterthought. Apprenticeship starts have fallen by 38%, the number of adult learners has dropped by 4 million’
EXCLUSIVE: Voters support ending the charitable status of private schools, poll finds
44% support ending the charitable status of private schools, compared to 15% who oppose any such move.
The government must invest in the early years if it wants to ‘level up’
‘Without the required investment in services for under-5s and their families, inequalities will continue to open up from the start’
The seeds of the current teacher crisis were sown long before Covid arrived
‘Schools have borne the full brunt of deprivation’
What we can do to tackle racial disparities in our schools
‘There has been a significant widening of longstanding gaps that result in lower outcomes for Black students in comparison with White students.’
5 takeaways from Ed Davey’s conference speech
Davey was clear about the seats he wanted his party to take, specifically mentioning seats in Cambridgeshire and the Cotswolds, Stockport and Surrey, Hampshire and Hertfordshire.
6 key Lib Dem policy announcements from party conference
Party leader Ed Davey has announced a new flagship Education policy on the third day of the party’s conference – Catch-Up Vouchers.
EXCLUSIVE: Voters support abolishing private schools
Polling also found that 58% of those asked supported private schools losing their charitable status if they did not admit a high proportion of students from deprived backgrounds
GCSE results: Gap between poorer and wealthier students continues to widen
There was a widening of the gap for poorer students on free school meals, who scored on average 0.1 of a grade lower compared with 2019.
