Having kept relatively quiet since his appointment as prime minister two months ago, Rishi Sunak decided the start of the new year was the time for a big, reassuring speech to the nation - but it offered little comfort to those in education.
While he failed to list education among his priorities for 2023, despite schools being in the grip of a funding and recruitment crisis, he did refer to a plan to make all students study maths up until the age of 18. Given the current shortage of maths teachers, many were quick to question whether the policy added up.
Elsewhere, there was a health warning to schools over rising Covid and flu infections, and one leader offered his insight into why many schools’ strategies to protect teachers’ wellbeing may be falling short.
Catch up on your must-read news and analysis content from the past week right here:
- Prime minister unveils ‘maths to 18’ plan
Rishi Sunak has announced a new plan to ensure that all students in England study some form of maths until the age of 18.
- Maths until 18: the questions that need answering
With the prime minister revealing his ambitious plan for maths this week, Grainne Hallahan and Dan Worth examine the numbers to assess whether it is feasible.
- Break maths ‘doom loop’ to boost numeracy, Sunak told
Rishi Sunak has been warned that, for his “maths to 18” plan to be successful, he must break the “doom loop” that is causing there to be insufficient numbers of maths teachers with a specialist background.
- Labour would axe new strike laws, says Starmer
Amid reports that the Conservative government is planning to introduce further restrictions on strikes by public sector workers, including teachers, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said a Labour government would repeal any such legislation.
- Anger as Sunak fails to name schools as 2023 priority
Sector leaders have criticised prime minister Rishi Sunak for not listing education as a government priority for 2023 in his key speech this week.
- Warning over infection in schools
Guidance for schools says that unwell pupils should stay at home, amid warnings that flu and Covid are circulating at high levels and are “likely to continue to increase in coming weeks”.
- How education policy in 2023 is likely to shape up
After a chaotic year at the Department for Education, government education policy is likely to look a lot more settled in 2023 - but we can expect battle lines to be drawn ahead of the next general election, writes former DfE adviser Sam Freedman.
- Teacher wellbeing: why ‘cookies and cancel’ aren’t enough
Keeping teachers happy in their work is more complicated than simply giving them free time and treats, writes assistant principal Andy Bayfield.
- Why we need to make it easier to ‘fall into’ teaching
Given the teacher shortages and recruitment difficulties that schools are facing, more must be done to attract graduates who hadn’t considered teaching as a profession, says Loic Menzies.
