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Budget 2022:  Everyone for themselves

On Friday the expected tax cuts and a new budget were released by the chancellor.  They represent a major change of direction for the UK economy not seen since the Conservative budget of Anthony Barber in 1972.  The ensuing economic…

We have all before us: a new university and equality or a winter of darkness

With the national period of mourning officially over, normal political discourse has resumed. There are now calls for a suitable tribute to mark the Queen’s passing and no doubt many ideas will circulate. There is anticipation that the Carolean era…

Rest in peace

This week has seen momentous events for the UK. While prime ministers come and go, the Queen appeared to be a fixed reference point in time. However, she finally passed away this week and heralded a new start as we…

GCSE and VTQ results: mind the attainment gap

Whatever the results, it is important to remember that the students do not change. It is hoped employers, colleges and universities embrace this and adapt wisely to the shifting sands. The students and their teachers did their best when studying…

Exam results 2022 and the fallout arising

Yesterday was the culmination of two years of worry and angst endured by students in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.  Their A-level, BTEC, and T-level results were posted.  Many had not sat a formal external examination before due to the…

Exam results: Missing the mark and shifting the target

With the exam results in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland due to emerge within the next 24 hours, febrile anticipation is mounting. But confidence in the examination system is now at an all-time low as more about the process is…

With exam results looming, the government is promoting T-levels as ‘Social Engineering’

With the exam results looming this week in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, there is a sense of impending doom. In the swirling confusion, the BTEC results will no doubt take a back seat. Yet many BTEC students are equally…

QAA – Questions And Answers: Quality assurance in England is creaking badly

The announcement this week that the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) could no longer assure quality in universities in England from March 2023 comes as a profound shock. They will not act as the Designated Quality Body (DQB) for the Office…

Student hardship: it’s going to be a cold winter

Recent attention in the media has turned to existing student hardship and fear of what the future might hold.  The ongoing heatwave is deflecting attention from the possibility of inflation in a cold and harsh winter that will leave many…

Airbrushing Advance HE

Recent attacks on Advance HE and the National Union of Students add to suspicions that the government seeks to exert more control through its regulator, the Office for Students.  Under the ‘doublespeak’ of freedom of speech, academic freedom is more…

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