Policy area: Education

Reports

Skills sidelined

This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation sets out the challenges faced when delivering higher skills provision. The Government is ambitious to improve economic growth, but in an area that will be key for that to succeed – skills training – their approach has been muddled. This report sets out the challenges...

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Artificial advantage?

This report from UK think tank the Sutton Trust explores how AI is being used in schools today. Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to bring about transformative change in practically every sector, including in the education system. In schools, we are just starting to see its impact, with AI tools already saving teachers time...

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Unequal returns

This report from UK think tank the Centre for Social Justice sets out the case for reforming the Pupil Premium. Since its introduction in 2011, over £27 billion has been allocated to mainstream schools across England through the Pupil Premium (PP) – a policy designed to raise attainment for disadvantaged pupils through targeted funding. Yet...

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School exclusions tracker

This report from UK think tank the Centre for Social Justice examines the crisis of bad behaviour disrupting classrooms. There is a crisis of bad behaviour disrupting classrooms. The latest government data reveals a shocking 21 per cent increase in suspensions and 16 per cent increase in permanent exclusions. Government and schools have an important...

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A world of difference

This report from UK think tank the Sutton Trust focuses on what England can learn from apprenticeships systems worldwide to deliver more effectively for young people. In England, more than three quarters of a million 16- to 24-year-olds are not in education, training or work (NEET), with poorer young people most at risk of this...

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Leave to achieve

This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation explores how universities can contribute to social mobility in their regions. Social mobility has been a long-running theme in UK politics, seen as a way of enabling equality of opportunity. Universities are at the heart of these efforts: graduates earn more on average, and attending...

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Universities are boxed in: Is there a way out?

This report from UK think tank HEPI proposes different solutions suitable for the full range of higher education providers. UK higher education institutions are increasingly boxed in on six sides: by increasing regulation by rising costs by falling income for each domestic student; by uncertain future demand from international students; by an increasing availability of...

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The future of the campus university: 10 trends that will change higher education

This report from UK think tank HEPI offers prompts for productive discussion and innovation in the sector at a challenging time. In a report to mark the end of his tenure as the Government’s Higher Education Student Support Champion, Professor Edward Peck has laid out his thoughts on the future of higher education in a...

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Disinformation on campus: the rise of antisemitism and the failure to respond

This report from UK think tank the Henry Jackson Society offers urgent policy recommendations to combat disinformation and restore academic integrity. A new Henry Jackson Society report by Dr Helena Ivanov uncovers how antisemitic disinformation is fuelling hostility against Jewish students across UK universities – and how institutions are failing to respond. In the wake...

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The Opportunity Index

This report from UK think tank the Sutton Trust looks at the geography of opportunity and social mobility in England. Opportunity is not evenly spread across the country. A young person’s socio-economic background – including the income level of their family, their parents’ educational qualifications, and their family’s wealth – all play a critical role...

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The case for Total Place 2.0

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government makes the case for this government to launch a revitalised 'Total Place 2.0'. There is currently a gulf between the way that the government funds and delivers public services and the way that citizens use them. The government typically allocates money through departments, which fund...

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Reducing school absence: innovation lessons from the last Labour government

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government explores how Labour can learn from its experience of tackling complex problems when it was last in government. The last Labour government’s success in tackling complex policy problems like school absence provides a blueprint for Keir Starmer’s government. This report, written by Moira Wallace, former...

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Unlocking innovation

This report from UK think tank NCUB provides a 20-year quantitative analysis on university-business collaboration. This report provides an analysis of university-business collaboration income in the UK over the past 20 years. The report highlights several key findings:  Income to universities from collaboration with businesses has increased significantly: from £900 million to £1.5 billion (62%)...

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The medium term impact of the pandemic on pupils with SEND

This report from UK think tank CEPEO examines the medium term impact of the pandemic on pupils with SEND. This report examines how the COVID-19 pandemic affected students in England with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), particularly those with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs). Drawing on national and local authority-level data from 2015–2022,...

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School funding and pupil premium 2025

This report from UK think tank The Sutton Trust surveys school funding and pupil premium in 2025. Our annual survey of 1,208 teachers, conducted by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) as part of their Teacher Voice Omnibus Survey, takes a closer look at schools funding and how school leaders are spending their budgets...

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