Last month the UK voted to leave the European Union following a referendum, a vote that is dominating discussions across almost every aspect of our lives and education is no exception.

The vote to leave the EU may not have had immediate impacts on the education system in the same way that the banking and finance industries. Yet a move away from EU may have longer term impacts that have yet to be fully defined.

Politics have a large impact on the education system and the referendum has led to large scale political shifts. The UK has a new Prime Minister and Education minister.

The full impact of this vote may not be known until the dust has settled and what the political and economic future of the country looks like.

The Areas Of Education Brexit May Impact

Two areas of immediate concern within education are; funding for higher education and investment in university research. Both these areas feature cooperation through the EU funding and many schemes are EU funded. The vote to leave raises uncertainty to how these will work in the future if at all.

From a teaching perspective decisions over immigration could impact staffing and pupil levels in ways that are difficult to forecast. In the last decade the system has adapted to immigration across the EU and supporting these communities.

Migration pattern changes and volumes could have an impact on demand and resourcing as well as the ability to recruit qualified teachers from across the EU. A particular concern given the importance of language learning in modern education.

So whilst the overall impacts of a potential Brexit are yet to be defined, there are many areas that educators will be watching with interest. Hopefully over time the solutions will become clear and the focus will always remain on getting the best for UK students.