Bridget Phillipson’s First 12 months as Training Secretary
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What impression has Bridget Phillipson had on the instructing occupation?
Since July 2024, Phillipson has launched what she describes as a “reset” within the relationship between lecturers and authorities. With a concentrate on trainer recruitment, SEND help and Ofsted reform, has the occupation seen a significant shift?
Resetting belief with the occupation
In her opening communications, Phillipson sought to reset and rebuild relations with lecturers, unions, and leaders—stressing respect and collaboration as very important beginning factors.
For many lecturers I work with, the shift in tone alone supplied much-needed aid—VAT debates apart.
Phillipson relaunched main campaigns with targets to enhance trainer recruitment – 6,500 new lecturers throughout parliament, alongside FE workers – backed by refreshed incentives. A £1.7 million SEND “lending libraries” pilot was launched, delivering instruments like studying pens and iPads to ~4,000 faculties—promising improved behaviour and inclusion.
Two key bulletins could form Phillipson’s legacy: curriculum reform and a brand new method to inspection. The purpose? Much less strain on faculties via extra clear and helpful reporting for folks. However asking an underfunded watchdog to evaluate 40 standards in a one-day go to stays flawed. Headteachers are rightly sceptical, whereas Ofsted defends the shift with cherry-picked surveys. This, regardless of the reply staring proper in entrance of them.
Professor Becky Francis (hurrah) was appointed to conduct a proper evaluation of curriculum and evaluation, in the meantime the Division for Training paused Latin grants to redirect funding into wider instructing and curriculum help.
On the Bett Present in January 2025, Phillipson unveiled a “digital revolution” agenda—selling AI and ed‑tech to cut back workload, help instructing high quality, and improve pupil outcomes. Generative AI steerage has (solely simply) adopted, but it surely’s new territory for us all, with faculties left to decipher a lot of it alone.
Within the final 12 months we’ve seen trainer pay rises, though FE and help workers stay underpaid and under-appreciated. Main reform additionally consists of the Kids’s WellBeing and Colleges Invoice goals to enhance provision for safeguarding kids and enhancing regulation of care. The invoice at the moment sits with the Home of Lords and is due for a 3rd studying earlier than reaching royal approval. The goals embody expanded breakfast golf equipment and wraparound care to ease strain on workers and households.
In fact, they’re the same old partnerships with exterior suppliers, numerous key bulletins within the FE and apprenticeship sector, mixing training, social care, and innovation—integrating instructing into broader societal infrastructure as a part of Labour’s alternative mission. Large reforms result in massive dangers …
Sticking Factors
Whereas it’s funding trainer recruitment and psychological well being, the 20% VAT has sparked issues, projected to boost ~£1.5 bn by 2028–29 in the King’s speech. Unbiased faculties warn of closures, diminished bursaries, and a rush into state sectors—pressuring budgets – with critics questioning whether or not state faculties can take in SEND or area of interest pupils displaced by VAT-affected personal faculties. Critics concern state faculties can’t take in a possible inflow of displaced SEND pupils, particularly with out added capability.
Having learn the Unbiased Faculty Council’s (ISC) annual report, worldwide scholar numbers have fallen by 2.6% since final 12 months pupil numbers throughout the board are down: by almost 11,000. The sharpest fall has been in the principle consumption years 3 and seven, with total charge help rising from 11%, up by 6%.
Into tougher territory, Ofsted reforms and workload calls for on lecturers are perpetually current. The biggest unions have requested faculty leaders who’re inspectors to step again from inspection – that’s by no means going to work! The extra revenue and the chance to additional one’s profession contained in the inspection course of is an excessive amount of for people to surrender for the collective profit.
Unions argue the multi-pillar framework may enhance inspection burden, not scale back it—risking workload and wellbeing. To make issues worse, Ofsted not too long ago introduced they’d appoint specialists to every inspection. Laughable!
Individuals getting in the best way?
Lastly, the bigwigs can’t keep away. Just lately appointed to the Home of Lords(!), Amanda Spielman warned that empowering native authorities and standardising academy pay/circumstances threatens efficiency and undermines freedom and rigour. Michel Gove chipped in too, and I’m positive Wilshaw received’t be too far behind both! I don’t find out about you, however working within the state system, maintained and academy, I didn’t really feel freer in my management position.
In the meantime, has anybody seen what Gavin Williamson has been as much as since he received his gong for companies to training?
All in all, Bridget Phillipson’s first 12 months has been daring: from digital instruments to welcomed pay rises. However VAT politics, SEND reform and Ofsted inspection pressures will proceed to cloud the trail forward.
Like all trainer beginning their second 12 months within the classroom, subsequent 12 months will hinge on balancing aspiration vs. capability.
Picture credit score: Kier Starmer MP (Flickr/iStock)
