Some current issues in education are long-standing and regularly discussed. Other areas for discussion include innovations, developments and new approaches or guidance. Working with the education sector, as we do at The Education Company, it’s important to keep a finger on the pulse. That way, we can support the organisations we partner with to offer the most useful and relevant products, services and resources. 

This in-depth article outlines the topics and trends, challenges and priorities likely to dominate the education sector this year: 

1. Teacher shortages

2. Funding gaps and deficits

3. Political shifts

4. The role of technology

5. Teacher workload 

6. Pupil absenteeism

7. Mental health and wellbeing

8. Academic attainment

9. Inclusive education and SEND

10. Flexible learning environments

11. Teacher training

1. Teacher shortages: issues with recruitment and retention 

According to the House of Commons Research Briefing (Dec 2023), over the past decade, the overall number of teachers in state-funded schools has not kept pace with increasing pupil numbers. Additionally, teacher vacancies have risen over this period. 

In the academic year 2023/24, postgraduate teacher recruitment was 38% below target. This was mainly driven by low recruitment for secondary trainee teachers, with recruitment for certain subjects much lower than the average:  

• physics (83% below target);  

• design & technology (73% below target);  

• modern foreign languages (67% below target); and  

• computing (64% below target).  

The impact of the teacher shortage is felt by school leaders trying to fill positions and ensure high quality education in their setting; teachers who take on extra roles and responsibilities to make up for shortfalls in staffing; and learners who experience limited subject options or a lack of consistency in teaching staff. 

Products, services and resources that can support schools to address teacher workload or aid the teaching and learning in those subjects that are lacking stability in teaching staff will be of high value to educators. 

2. Funding gaps and deficits 

A survey carried out in October 2023 by the National Education Union (NEU), of 3,981 teachers, concluded that current school funding levels are inadequate. The survey found that: 

• 92% believe that current funding levels are not high enough to allow their school to employ enough teachers, or for other staff to support pupils’ learning. 

• 85% believe their school is not able to provide appropriate learning resources for pupils because of current funding levels. 

• 68% of teachers and leaders say that investment in school buildings has been insufficient. Just 15% have seen enough investment in the upkeep of their buildings. 

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School spending power has been cut since 2010, and as General Secretary of the NEU, Daniel Kebede states, schools have also been hit with the news that schools won’t receive £370m that the Department for Education (DfE) over-promised, despite making their budget plans based on the information they were given. 

Spending data recently published by the DfE shows the proportion of council primaries in deficit (62%) is now at its highest level since current records began in 2015. 

MAT and school leaders, and class teachers alike, will be seeking high-quality, high-value services, products and resources to support their learners. 

3. Political shifts 

With a UK election expected in 2024, teachers and school leaders, in particular, will be planning for uncertainty and potential change. A change in government can alter education priorities, assessment strategy, funding and more, which can affect schools’ decisions, budgets and approaches. 

Providers of teaching, learning and assessment resources will need to be swift to respond to any changes, enabling educators to immediately implement government guidance or curriculum updates as soon as they are issued to schools. 

4. The role of technology 

The growing influence of technology presents a dual challenge and opportunity for the education sector. School leaders must adeptly navigate the intricate process of integrating technology into classrooms, ensuring that educators possess the essential skills to effectively utilise new digital tools. Empowering teachers through professional development programmes that emphasise technology integration can enable them to embrace the digital era, ultimately enriching the learning experience for pupils. 

For teachers, staying abreast of the latest educational technologies is equally vital. Embracing innovative teaching methods and incorporating technology into lesson plans can not only effectively engage pupils but also equip them for the demands of the 21st century. 

Technology in the classroom 

In her address to educators at the 2024 BETT show, Education Secretary, Gillian Keegan, spoke of the opportunities AI will present to enhance teaching and learning:  

“Imagine the power of bringing a virtual George Washington into the classroom to explain his role in the Revolutionary War. Imagine how this can improve educational experiences for children and teachers."

She went on to speak of how the UK is working closely with other countries to share best practice when it comes to successfully uniting AI and education. Keegan gave an example of how Estonia is introducing a model that utilises AI to create bespoke learning paths for individual learners, offering personalised feedback for students and diagnostics for their teachers. 

Keegan also spoke of the challenges and potential risks that come with cutting-edge technology and stated, 

“I want to reassure you that when new technologies are emerging, our top priority is the safety of young people.”

She said the UK government have ‘introduced a new AI Safety Institute, which will ensure that the UK and the rest of the world are not caught off guard by rapid and unexpected advances in technology.’ 

Schools will be seeking guidance, staff training and support with innovative ways to safely introduce new technologies in the classroom to enhance teaching and learning. 

5. Teacher workload  

The UK government formed a taskforce last year to support teachers and leaders to tackle unnecessary workload. The taskforce is made up of education experts, from teaching staff to those in school leadership and management positions, and representatives from all four teaching unions. 

As well as looking at how to improve teacher wellbeing (proven to be significantly negatively impacted by unmanageable workloads), the taskforce has been looking into: 

• flexible working; 

• teacher retention and recruitment; and  

• how AI could benefit teachers.  

AI-powered tools to reduce teacher workload 

Potentially, AI can liberate time typically spent on routine tasks, allowing it to be more efficiently allocated to more challenging areas. Last year, the UK government organised a two-day hackathon for teachers and school leaders in England, which allowed teachers and school leaders to work with data scientists to come up with solutions which use AI to tackle real-life issues like teacher workload. The results of the hackathon are yet to be published. 

The DfE are considering ways in which AI can support with: 

• Drafting curriculum plans 

• Producing high-quality resources 

• Supporting with administrative tasks 

2024 may see more class teachers utilising the new, free resources available from the online learning platform, Oak National Academy. The government has invested up to £2million in AI tools for the platform. 

The Education Endowment Foundation is also investigating how ChatGPT might help teachers cut workload. They are seeking secondary schools to take part in the trial, which will run two groups: a control group, and a group to trial the use of ChatGPT in their KS3 science lesson and resource preparation using the toolkit they have created. 

Potential partnerships and innovative solutions 

It often feels as though every new initiative to support children and young people becomes the responsibility of schools, adding to teachers’ already crippling workload. For example, the wraparound extra-curricular and wellbeing plans formed by the team who worked on the post-Covid education recovery plans. This wraparound provision meant a longer school day. While it was generally welcomed by parents and schools, the barrier to implementing it was staffing; stretching over-worked teachers further simply wasn’t an option. 

With funding cuts to youth services, a potential solution may have emerged. The National Youth Agency’s Better Together: Youth Work With Schools report highlights case studies where schools and youth services are collaborating successfully to improve the lives of young people.    

School leaders and class teachers will always highly value products and services that can effectively reduce teacher workload and save teachers time. 

6. Pupil absenteeism   

It seems this topic dominated education news last year. In 2023, 140,000 children were classed as ‘severely absent’ from school (below 50%) – an increase of 134% since before the pandemic.  

Both the Conservative and Labour parties have addressed this concern: the current government has announced 18 more attendance hubs (bringing the total to 32), and £15m for attendance mentor pilots. Labour have announced its proposed measures to address absenteeism, which include a register for children being home educated. 

Support and guidance for schools and parents is severely lacking. A report by the National Audit Office (NAO) in 2022, when it examined support for vulnerable adolescents, said the government had no assessment of what works, why and what constituted value for money. 

The support group Not Fine in School, whose membership has grown from 30,000 to 50,000 in the past year, point out that the majority of children want to attend school but feel they can’t. They suggest that education – and the environment in which it operates – is no longer fit for purpose and feel that issues negatively impacting pupil attendance include: 

• Rewards for pupil attendance 

• Parental fines for pupil absenteeism 

• Too little flexibility for pupils with SEND, neurodivergent pupils and pupils who’ve experienced trauma 

Many suggest that pupil absenteeism cannot be investigated in isolation – that a holistic approach to child welfare and education, and support for families, is necessary. Poverty and a lack of support with mental health and SEND are intrinsically linked to pupil attendance in schools, and there have been numerous reports of schools trying to support pupils and their families in these areas, as external services struggle to cope. 

Early intervention may be key. Prof Cathy Creswell of Oxford University and her team have evaluated interventions that, at a relatively low cost, give families with primary school children support that prevents problems escalating. Crucially, however, parents have to have access to the internet, and many don’t. 

When it comes to school attendance, children with a probable mental health condition were 7 times more likely to have missed more than 15 days of school in the autumn term of 2022. Place2Be’s research has found that one-to-one counselling can help to reduce the odds of persistent school absence for children with mental health difficulties, showing the importance of having access to this support. 

Schools are likely to remain focused on improving their attendance data, but are they utilising the most effective strategies? 

7. Mental health and wellbeing    

The health and wellbeing of pupils has remained a priority for schools since the pandemic and will continue to do so. Its links to pupil absenteeism are regularly reported and its direct impact on pupil outcomes is widely acknowledged. 

While the government’s guidance on promoting and supporting mental health and wellbeing in schools and colleges offers advice on approaches, staff training, the curriculum, resources and accessing local support, schools are still struggling to provide support for the huge number of pupils that need it. 

The findings from the latest wave of the NHS Mental Health of Children and Young People in England survey revealed that about 1 in 5 children and young people aged 8 to 25 years had a probable mental disorder. This was 20.3% of 8- to 16-year-olds and 23.3% of 17- to 19-year-olds. 

The importance of mental health support in schools 

The NHS survey findings highlighted the significant role schools play in supporting children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing. 

• In 2023, education services were the most commonly reported source of help and advice for parents of children aged 8-16.  

• 23% of 11–16-year-olds reported having accessed support at school for their mental health and wellbeing. 

• 53.1% of pupils with a probable mental health condition reported accessing mental health support in school. 

• 81.3% of pupils with a probable mental health condition reported they knew how to get support in school. 

• 75.1% of pupils with a probable mental health condition agreed they were able to access support if they needed to. 

• 64.5% of pupils with a probable mental health condition agreed with the statement ‘the support at my school is helpful’. 

Dr Niki Cooper, the Clinical Director at Place2Be (a charity dedicated to supporting children and young people’s mental health), states, 

“As schools continue to be a key source of mental health support and advice for children, young people and families, we must ensure that teachers and school staff are equipped with the tools and knowledge to support them. We believe that every UK school should have an embedded mental health service, providing support not only directly to pupils, but also helping all the adults around children and young people to provide a safe, nurturing environment in which they can thrive.”

Place2Be offer a free online Mental Health Champions Foundation programme suitable for anyone who works in an education setting. 

Transgender pupils and mental health concerns 

Amid the student wellbeing conversations lies the issue regarding the lack of clear guidance for schools in supporting transgender pupils experiencing mental health difficulties. Published at the end of last year, the government’s non-statutory guidance on Gender Questioning Children sets out how schools should respond to gender-questioning pupils, but there is no mention of counselling provision. We are likely to see the focus on mental health and wellbeing support for transgender pupils continue through 2024. 

Safeguarding and support for young people 

External services are increasingly unable to meet the demands placed upon them, and children and young people are waiting months, or even years, to receive support. However, there may be some small, but encouraging changes on the horizon.

As previously mentioned, in some areas, schools and youth services are working together to support young people. One example is The Mix, a youth organisation that works with its local schools to provide coaching, wellbeing groups and crisis support for their students, stepping in for those who are struggling most and helping them to keep studying. 

Updated government guidance for Working Together to Safeguard Children now includes youth workers as partners in supporting referrals, assessments and strategy discussions. Youth work is also described as a supportive service and associate for multi-agency arrangements. 

School leaders and teachers need support and clear guidance on how to support the wellbeing of their learners, as well as the funding to invest in counselling, training and resources. 

8. Academic attainment 

Trends in student outcomes inform national and school priorities and focus areas for Ofsted inspections.

Trends in Key Stage 2 outcomes 

Summer 2023’s statistics for year 6 pupils show 59% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, overall. This figure is unchanged from 2022. In individual subjects, attainment increased in maths, writing and science compared to 2022. Attainment remained the same in grammar, punctuation and spelling (GPS) and fell in reading. 

Reading to remain a priority for primary schools  

Based on this data, and the fact that Ofsted confirmed in their summer 2023 webinar that all primary schools will receive a deep dive into reading during an inspection, we can summise that primary schools will be prioritising raising standards in reading.

A recent DfE survey found that text comprehension skills of 13-year-olds had declined an average of four points since the Covid-affected school year of 2019-2020, with the average drop being seven points.  

The pandemic and remote learning have been widely blamed for this decline. However, new research suggests a shift towards more screen learning may be contributing to poorer text comprehension skills.  

The study by Columbia University’s Teachers College has found that there is a clear advantage to reading text on paper for “deeper reading”, rather than on a screen, where “shallow reading was observed”. 

Ofsted has drawn up five principles in their school inspection handbook to help schools ‘get all pupils back on track with reading’, including the importance of rigorously following the sequence of a phonics programme and the necessity to put a catch-up plan in place to support pupils who have fallen behind in reading. 

In other research relating to reading, the annual literacy survey carried out by the National Literacy Trust, revealed that: 

• Just 44.6% of children and young people aged 8-18 said they enjoyed reading at school (almost the same percentage that said they enjoyed reading in their free time – 43.4%). 

• More children and young people from Wales said they enjoyed reading at school compared with their peers from England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. 

• More children and young people from the North East (50.6%) and Greater London (50.3%) said that they enjoyed reading at school, while the smallest percentage who said they enjoyed reading at school came from the South East (40.3%), the South West (41.0%) and East Midlands (41.2%). 

Educators will be looking to increase reading enjoyment as one route towards raising standards in reading – in particular, comprehension skills.  

Trends in GSCE grades and entries 

Statistics analysed by FFT Education Data Lab, following last summer’s GCSE results show that: 

• GCSE grades in England have fallen, but not quite back to 2019 standards. 

• Grades in Wales and Northern Ireland remain higher than pre-pandemic levels. 

• Regional differences in GCSE grades remain, with London pupils’ grades significantly higher than North East pupils’ grades. 

• Grades fell in all subjects, in line with 2019 results, as signalled by Ofqual. 

• Resit numbers in English and maths last autumn increased. 

• Grades in English and maths GCSEs entered by students aged 17 and above (most of which would have been resits) remained considerably lower than 2019 levels. 

• Entries to performing arts subjects continued to decline. 

• Business studies saw a big increase. 

Schools will be looking to raise standards in attainment through staff recruitment and retention, staff training, additional support for interventions (or catch-up classes), engaging teaching resources, and resources that aid learners in revising and preparing for exams. 

9. Inclusive education and SEND 

DfE statistics show that the number of pupils with special educational needs (SEN) increased to 1.57 million pupils in 2023, representing 17.3% of all pupils.

• The proportion of pupils with SEN had been decreasing since 2010 (21.1%), however it has increased for the last 6 years.  

• The proportion of pupils with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan increased to 4.3% in 2023, continuing a trend of increases since 2017. Pupils with an EHC plan made up 25% of all pupils with SEN in January 2023. 

• The DWP Family Resources Survey shows that in 2021-22, 11% of children in the UK had a disability. This proportion has increased since 2011-12.  

• For disabled children, the most common reported impairments are social and behavioural (50%) and mental health (30%). 

Type of need 

In January 2023, for pupils with EHC plans, ‘Autistic Spectrum Disorder’ was the most common primary type of need, with 116,000 (32.2%) pupils with EHC plans having this recorded as their primary type of need.  

For pupils on SEN support, ‘Speech, language and communication needs’ was the most common type of need, with 278,600 (25.5%) pupils on SEN support having this recorded as their primary type of need. 

Data also tells us that children and young people with learning disabilities are more than four times more likely to develop a mental health problem than average. This means that 14% or one in seven of all children and young people with mental health difficulties in the UK will also have a learning disability. 

SEND provision and funding

In January 2024, the Local Government Association (LGA) published key messages from its Debate on a Motion: SEND provision and funding. It was felt that, 

“The previously announced additional £440 million, or 4.3% increase in council high needs funding for 2024/25, does not go far enough in helping councils support all children and young people with SEND, when demand for Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) continues to rise year-on-year.” 

Furthermore, it was stated that, 

“The Government should use the SEND improvement plan to recognise the interconnection between special educational needs, emotional needs and mental health. However, the current proposals do not go far enough in tackling the rising demand of mental health need, nor sufficiently focus on the particular needs of children with special educational needs. In particular, roll out of mental health support teams in schools to all the country is required as is investment in community mental health support for children who cannot access school-based mental health provision.” 

Supporting pupils with SEND in school 

In order to meet the needs of the increasing number of pupils with SEN and disabilities (including neurodivergent learners) and the increasing number of pupils with an EHCP, schools are taking certain actions. 

• In the classroom, teachers are considering how they can make changes to the physical learning space to better support pupils with SEND. This might include making changes to the layout, organisation and aesthetics of the classroom. 

• Resources to support students with SEND can range from support staff to specific software designed to help pupils with a learning disability, such as dyslexia. 

• More schools are looking to create sensory rooms or less permanent sensory spaces that can act as a calming timeout space for students, or where learners can be supervised to develop their skills through sensory exploration. 

• Other reports tell of trusts implementing in-house speech and language services to help pupils and staff, in the absence of sufficient referral services. 

The Education Endowment Foundation produced a guidance report in 2021 to help schools to create a positive learning environment for pupils with SEND. It offers five evidence-based recommendations, providing a starting point for schools to review their current approach and practical ideas they can implement. 

Teachers and school leaders will value training, products and resources that enable them to provide tailored support to pupils with SEND, to enhance their wellbeing and learning outcomes. 

10. Flexible learning environments 

As educators prioritise catering for the needs of all their learners, they adapt their teaching approaches and aim to implement various activities to engage pupils in different ways. This means using the learning space flexibly to accommodate break-out groups, research tasks, one-to-one supported learning and floor-based activities. 

The physical learning environment can aid both student wellbeing and learning in many ways.  

• Flexible seating options can aid collaborative work, independence and creative thinking skills.  

• Making use of devices, clipboards and whiteboards allows pupils to work without the need for a table or desk.  

• Creating multi-purpose zones (such as a reading corner that is also used for technology and research) make better use of the available space. 

• Educators might also make use of areas outside the classroom, such as halls, corridors, libraries or reception areas.  

• Utilising outdoor learning spaces, when possible, provides the additional benefits that come from spending time outside. 

With restricted budgets to spend on learning spaces, schools will be seeking high-quality, durable resources that can be used flexibly to support a range of learners in a range of activities. 

11. Teacher training 

Improvements to teacher training are underway. Following a review of initial teacher training (ITT), it was found that there was too much variation in quality among providers. New quality standards were outlined by the government which ITT providers must now meet. 179 ITT providers have been accredited to deliver provision from September 2024.  

In May 2023, the government published their research and analysis report, Independent review of teachers’ professional development in schools: phase 1 findings. The main findings included: 

• Generally, teachers and leaders see improving teachers’ practice as a priority. 

• The pandemic has had an impact on the availability and accessibility of teacher development opportunities. 

• Workload pressures were seen as the main barrier to accessing teacher development. 

• Teacher development was not always clearly prioritized, especially for more experienced teachers. 

• Most training and development opportunities were being provided in-house by school staff. 

• Curriculum development has been the main recent focus for teacher development. 

Whether the main findings from this report will lead to noticeable improvements in continued professional development (CPD) for teachers in 2024 remains to be seen. Tight school budgets will continue to determine how much individual schools can spend on CPD for their staff and in-house training and development opportunities are likely to continue to be the preferable option for many schools. Priority areas of improvement or development, such as reading, health and wellbeing, and technology are likely to be where investments are made in CPD. 

High-quality, low-cost CPD will always be of interest to schools. Providers will need to evidence the direct positive impact their training has on teachers and learners. Training and development opportunities created or backed by reputable organisations that can be delivered in-house are likely to be well-received. 

In summary 

This year will see challenges such as teacher shortages, teacher workload, pupil attendance, and overall mental health and wellbeing dominate the news in the education sector. Organisations who work with the education sector and education suppliers can seek to provide support and solutions in areas such as CPD, teaching and learning resources, and guidance.