Following the publication of the Government's 2017
Spring Budget, the Education Policy Institute offers an immediate
response to the Chancellor's series of education
announcements and no mention of mental
health.
On the vocational, skills, and ‘T-Levels’,
Peter Sellen, Chief Economist at the EPI said:
“International comparisons show that England's 16- to 19-year
old students receive a narrow curricula and limited teaching
hours. As a result, many young people fall behind their
international peers, preventing the UK from building the skills
needed for a stronger, fairer, and more global Britain.
“The extra £500 million per year to support the 15 new technical
education routes is therefore highly welcome and timely. So too
is the introduction of maintenance loans for higher technical
education – these policies are backed by EPI's research which
highlighted the current skills gap, and how important addressing
it will be for our economy."
On additional travel entitlement for pupil
premium pupils, Jo Hutchinson, Director for Social Mobility at
the EPI said:
"Bussing in extra pupil premium pupils to grammar schools
will barely make a dent in the problem the Government faces. The
fact remains that pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds are ten
months behind their peers by the end of primary school and are
simply less likely to pass a test at age 11 and get into a
grammar school to begin with.
“Those that miss out are likely to suffer an attainment penalty.
We know that there are around 90,000 poor pupils in any year
group and this announcement can only ever help a fraction of them
– reaching some of the 1,000 high attaining poor pupils each year
who are reasonably close to grammar schools but do not get
in.”
On new school places being in the right
place, Jon Andrews, Director for School System and Performance at
the EPI said:
"With pupil numbers expected to rise and school budgets
tight, the Government should be ensuring that the £320m for new
schools is spent where there is the greatest need for new places.
Excess capacity could create pressures on existing
schools at a time when they are already preparing
themselves for real terms budget cuts.
“As the National Audit Office has highlighted, existing free
schools have not always been in areas where they are
needed”
On whether this is sufficient money for 140
free schools, Jon Andrews, Director for School System and
Performance at the EPI said:
“The National Audit Office made clear that the
biggest risk to free school delivery is the availability of
sites, with the Department for Education often paying over the
odds to secure land in the right place.
“Where DfE have had to secure new sites for free schools they
have so far come at an average cost of £4.9m. That raises series
questions as to whether the £320m announced today is anywhere
near enough to meet the cost of 140
schools.”
On the impact of more grammar schools on
surrounding schools, Jo Hutchinson, Director for Social
Mobility at the EPI said:
“The Prime Minister and other Ministers often quote the
increase in the number of good and outstanding schools, however
the evidence shows grammar schools could put that very
improvement at risk.
“Our analysis shows that there are very few areas in which you
could introduce grammar schools without undermining existing high
performing schools or increasing the attainment penalty for those
that miss out.”
On no mention of mental health in the Budget,
Director of Mental Health at
the EPI said:
“The government has missed an opportunity to relieve the
mental health treatment gap identified by our research. We found
that child and adolescent mental health services turn away, on
average, nearly a quarter of the young people referred to them
for treatment.
“People with mental health problems will often be seen in A&E
departments in a crisis – indeed, our research highlights a rise
in hospital admissions due to self-harm in young people.
Investing in high quality community based mental health services,
and specialist mental health staff in hospitals could therefore
reduce the overall pressure on A&E
departments.
