Weekly UK Education & STEM Round‑Up (5–12 August 2025)
A long‑read, classroom‑friendly digest for UK STEM teachers.
This week at a glance: Scotland’s results day headlines and subject shifts, attendance trends (green shoots with persistent severe absence), enrichment funding for after‑school clubs and breakfast provision proposals, key FE developments (prison education, Level 7 apprenticeships, QA/compliance), a student‑visa story with HE implications, plus new evidence pieces from the EEF.
Exams & assessment
Scotland results day — rising pass rates and shifting subject choices.
Scottish pupils received SQA results on 5 August. Headlines point to improved overall pass rates and a modest narrowing of the poverty‑related attainment gap, with variation by subject and level.
👉 Sky News: Pass rates rise in Scotland as pupils receive exam results
Which subjects are on the up (and down) in Scotland?
Entries since 2019 show Applications of Mathematics surging; PE is now the third most popular Higher; French and German continue a long slide (with Spanish holding up better). Useful context for options guidance and staffing.
👉 Tes: SQA subjects – the number of entries
Assessment arrangements near 120,000 requests.
Requests for special arrangements in SQA exams continue to rise — a signal for earlier identification and timetabling for 2025–26.
👉 Tes: SQA exams – requests for special arrangements rise
International A levels released.
Cambridge International published AS/A level results (354k students in 129 countries; entries up 11%). Relevant for international schools and UK sixth forms with CIE entries.
👉 Tes: Cambridge International A level results released
Attendance, behaviour & inclusion
Attendance improving — but severe absence still stubborn.
DfE year‑end data shows the strongest year‑on‑year improvement in a decade (overall absence 6.9%, down from 7.2%), yet severe absence remains high.
👉 Tes: School attendance improves but severe absence persists
Behaviour and exclusions: DfE to review “preventable” cases.
A forthcoming review will look at behaviour, attendance and exclusions with an eye to reducing avoidable permanent exclusions. Expect emphasis on early intervention and in‑school alternatives.
👉 Schools Week: DfE review to tackle behaviour and ‘preventable’ exclusions
Policy rhetoric heats up.
Education secretary Bridget Phillipson labelled the number of pupils “written off” a “national disgrace”, foreshadowing tougher action on absence and support pathways.
👉 Tes: ‘National disgrace’ that so many pupils are written off, says Phillipson
Practical support for EBSA (emotionally based school avoidance).
Two Scottish case studies showcase community counselling and whole‑system approaches helping reluctant attenders back into school — useful models for LAs and trusts.
👉 Tes analysis: Helping reluctant attenders back to school
Funding, enrichment & the school day
£22.5m for after‑school clubs (part of an £88m youth package).
Up to 400 schools will share new funding aimed at broadening enrichment (sport, arts, debating, volunteering) and countering isolation and excess screen time. Delivery details and selection criteria TBC.
👉 Schools Week: £22.5m for after‑school clubs
Breakfast clubs: DfE seeks a national food sponsor.
To scale free breakfast clubs beyond the trial, DfE is courting a sponsor with promotional rights. Unions and campaigners warn about brand marketing and cost‑shifting to schools.
👉 Schools Week: DfE seeks business sponsor for breakfast scheme
FE, skills & post‑16
Prison education overhaul: £1.5bn contracts to existing providers.
Milton Keynes College, PeoplePlus and Novus will deliver the new Prison Education Service from October. Expect partnership asks and curriculum alignment for providers with offender‑learning links.
👉 FE Week: Existing providers win £1.5bn prison education overhaul
NHS move spares key Level 7 apprenticeships from the axe.
Funding continues to 2028–29 for five health professions (e.g., Advanced Clinical Practitioner, District Nurse, Clinical Associate in Psychology), despite wider Level 7 cuts from Jan 2026.
👉 FE Week: NHS to save Level 7 apprenticeships from funding axe
Skills Bootcamps fraud allegation prompts scrutiny.
An alleged rogue employee created a fake employer to claim Bootcamp funds — expect tighter due diligence and audit requirements for providers.
👉 FE Week: Fake employer used for fraudulent Skills Bootcamp cash claims
Awarding body fined for conflict‑of‑interest failures.
Ofqual fined ProQual £15k after finding unmitigated conflicts with a co‑owned test centre (2018–22). A governance reminder for smaller AOs and centres.
👉 FE Week: Awarding body fined £15k for serious conflict‑of‑interest failures
Local growth: ‘cold spots’ get capital for FE capacity.
Cambridgeshire & Peterborough CA is funding new facilities (e.g., a green tech training centre; mobile learning labs), using devolved levers to meet skills needs.
👉 FE Week: Mayor’s money to heat up FE ‘cold spots’
AI in FE: shift from tools to transformation.
Sector leaders argue FE should move beyond teaching about AI to redesigning programmes and services for an AI‑shaped labour market.
👉 FE Week commentary: It’s not if AI will change FE…
HE, visas & international
MPs urge delay to UK biometric checks for 80 Gaza students.
A cross‑party group pressed for temporary flexibility so offer‑holders can reach UK universities; ministers insist checks before travel remain essential. Admissions and CAS teams: watch for case‑by‑case guidance.
👉 Sky News: Delay biometric visa checks for 80 Gaza students, say MPs
Evidence & early years
EEF: evolving evaluation methods (new blog series).
EEF outlines changes to its commissioning and methods — expanding early years and 16–19, diversifying beyond school‑level RCTs (QEDs, crossover designs, teacher‑led micro‑RCTs) and opening its historic data archive for secondary analysis.
👉 EEF: How we’re tackling evaluation challenges to build better evidence
Science of everyday interactions in the EYFS.
A Royal Foundation explainer series highlights how adult–child back‑and‑forth interactions build regulation and learning; EEF signposts how to use the materials for staff CPD and with families.
👉 EEF: Centre for Early Childhood’s explainer series
Reflections & prompts for your team
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Plan for severe absence, not just overall attendance. What’s our multi‑agency offer for EBSA pupils in September (routes to counselling, family support, flexible timetables)? Could we trial a return‑to‑learn mentoring model for STEM practicals where re‑engagement is easier?
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Use subject‑trend data to shape KS4/5 offer. Where could Applications of Maths, Core Maths or BTEC/Tech routes keep borderline learners on mathematical pathways into science/engineering? Are we protecting language learning in STEM‑heavy option blocks?
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Audit access arrangements early. Do we have the invigilators, rooms and equipment to deliver growing numbers of special arrangements — especially for practical STEM exams? Who owns the timeline from identification → evidence → timetabling?
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Target enrichment to widen participation. If after‑school funding lands, which clubs or competitions most effectively draw in disadvantaged learners (e.g., CREST, F1 in Schools, robotics)? How will we measure impact beyond headcount (confidence, progression, option uptake)?
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Breakfast clubs = opportunity + guardrails. If sponsorship proceeds, what’s our stance on branding and nutrition? Could we use breakfast time for light‑touch STEM literacy (short demos, a daily problem or “wow fact”)?
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Strengthen FE links. Health Level 7 decisions and prison‑education contracts point to workforce and civic‑skills priorities. Are there placements, guest speakers or joint projects that prepare learners for these pathways?
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Embed EYFS interaction science. For primary phases, build CPD around adult–child interactions that foster inquiry talk, vocabulary and regulation — the foundations of later STEM success.
What to share with parents/carers this week (copy‑and‑paste)
Note: This blog post is an AI curated summary of news articles from various sources. The aim is to provide educators with a comprehensive overview of recent developments in the education sector. All hyperlinks direct readers to the original news articles for further reading.