Research Making News
A new partner for the Education Media Centre
Would you like to help a small charity to champion the cause of evidence-based education – and raise the profile of your own work at the same time? The Education Media Centre has formed a partnership with Pedroza Communications, a blue-chip PR business which helps organisations get noticed in the schools sector. Under this […]
CELEBRATING FIVE YEARS OF THE EMC
The Education Media Centre is five years old this month. We’re a charity run by journalists, and our mission is to make sure good evidence about what works in education gets to those who can use it. We plan to celebrate our achievements so far – and look to the future – with an event […]
Take your time to get things right, neuroscientists say
Teachers who deliver quick-fire lessons in which pupils are encouraged to be the first to put their hands up may be getting it wrong, new brain science research has revealed. The research from a project run by the Centre for Educational Neuroscience will be showcased in a keynote speech at the London Festival of […]
CAN WE PREVENT COLLABORATIVE CHEATING?
When students sit exams at different times, there is a significant potential for cheating, but researchers show how to prevent it in a paper to be published at the London Festival of Learning today. Unsurprisingly, if you offer an exam over a period of days and let students choose when to sit for it, some […]
Smart glasses give teachers real-time view of pupil progress
“Smart glasses” that give teachers detailed real-time information on how each student is learning can help pupils do better in class and help ensure lower achievers don’t get left behind, according to a ground-breaking experiment by US academics. The research, published today (June 27th) at the London Festival of Learning, is the first experimental study […]
How ‘smart’ online courses can help close the gender gap
Replacing men with women in online courses – even in background shots – can help female students to engage more with technical subjects, according to new research presented tomorrow (Weds) at the London Festival of Learning. With massive online courses, or MOOCs, now reaching millions of students across the globe, the researchers hope their […]
How robots can aid learning – by showing their human side
Meet Nico – Nico is 58cm tall, he can walk around by himself and he can hold his own in a conversation. He’s one of a number of increasingly-sophisticated robots being developed to help children and young people to learn. And, according to research which will be published at the London Festival of Learning this […]
If at first you don’t succeed…
… then try, try and try again. The old schoolteacher’s adage has some truth in it, according to new research being presented at the first London Festival of Learning next week. The team from Linköping and Lund universities in Sweden used a digital history game to assess how perseverance affected pupils’ performance. They found […]
Children from rich families secure grammar school places by using private tutors, study finds
New research has revealed the huge advantage rich families gain by using private tutors in the race for grammar school places. A new paper from the UCL Institute of Education shows that private tutoring means pupils from high-income families are much more likely to get into grammar schools than equally bright pupils from low-income families. […]
Web-based teaching can improve science understanding for struggling pupils
Web-based learning tools can help deepen science knowledge among all middle school students, and ease the science literacy gap for underachieving students, according to a three-year study published today in the International Journal of Science Education. Researchers introduced four interactive online science units, which students and teachers accessed with computers or tablets, into 13 middle school […]
Pupils taught well in Reception class do better in their GCSEs
Primary schools should consider putting their best teachers into Reception classes according to researchers at Durham University, who found that children who were taught well in their first year went on to achieve better GCSE results in English and Maths. The study of 40,000 children in England provides evidence that a boost in development from […]
Boys could benefit from greater numbers of girls in schools
Boys are more likely to perform well in schools with a higher proportion of girls, shedding new light on why girls continue to outperform boys in many educational subjects. A new study published today in School Effectiveness and School Improvement investigated how the school environment influenced boys’ and girls’ educational performance in secondary schools. Studying […]
Senior academics ‘take too much credit’ in co-authorship
Junior researchers being ‘held back’ by the ordering of names on joint papers, study finds by Rachael Pells, published in the Times Higher Education 27 October 2017 Junior academics are being “held back” in their careers as a consequence of more senior research partners being over-credited on co-authored papers, the results of a global study […]
Hobbies such as beekeeping or model building are the key to a technical career, study finds
by Michael Savage, Observer Policy Editor, published in The Observer Sunday 22 October A childhood brush with beekeeping, a foray into falconry or a fossil-hunting trip could inspire a new generation of much-needed engineers, scientists and mathematicians, new research suggests. Schools are being urged to consider introducing children to a hobby related to science, technology, […]
Gender discrimination faced by ‘nearly half of female teachers’
A new study has revealed the extent of gender discrimination in education. Academics from the University of Nottingham questioned 356 leaders in education, including teachers, heads and governors, as part of a study of the impact of #WomenEd, a social media-based networking group for women in education. Of these, 171 people (48 per cent) reported being the […]
‘Green learning’ provides inspiration for nature poetry
Children are more creative when they learn in natural surrounds according to new research from Curtin University, Australia. Primary school students in Australia and England were put to the test to see whether writing poetry in a natural outdoor setting produced more creative outcomes than writing in a classroom, and the answer was yes. Dr […]
Vocational GCSEs may be holding girls back, research suggests
Girls who take ‘applied’ subjects, such as health and social care or home economics, at GCSE may be facing educational disadvantage as a result, a new study has found. The researchers, from the Centre for Longitudinal Studies at the UCL Institute of Education (CLS), used data from Next Steps, a study of 16,000 people born […]
What’s the evidence on… international student recruitment
What are the key trends in international student recruitment at the moment? By Maia Chankseliani, Associate Professor of Comparative and International Education, Fellow of St Edmund Hall, University of Oxford The UK-domiciled students constitute 81% of all HE students in this country. The remaining 19% come from outside the UK. The total number of non-UK domiciled […]
Poorer students’ subject choices may be putting them at a disadvantage, study finds
Students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds may be held back by their A-level subject choices when applying for prestigious courses such as law at leading universities, new findings suggest. As part of her doctoral work at the Centre for Longitudinal Studies (CLS), at the UCL Institute of Education, Catherine Dilnot analysed information on all English […]
What’s the evidence on….teacher retention and recruitment
Last week the government published the latest initial teacher training (ITT) performance profile statistics. These show a breakdown of the current characteristics and trends of trainee teachers. In his latest blog, Professor John Howson, an authority on the labour market for teachers, analyses where and what teachers are teaching. Looking at the figures, he identifies the perennial problem that there […]
What does the evidence say about school funding and the National Funding Formula?
Education Secretary Justine Greening has today confirmed plans to introduce a National Funding Formula. Schools will receive an extra £1.3 billion per year which will provide schools with “the investment they need to offer a world-class education to every single child.” The extra funding will come from savings from existing departmental budgets over the next two years. The day before the general […]
England lagging behind when it comes to teaching English
— New research claims curriculum too rigid — England’s education curriculum for teaching English lags behind Australia’s curriculum, new research from Curtin University, Australia has found. The research by Dr Paul Gardner from Curtin University’s School of Education, and published in UK based international journal, English in Education, compares the education curricula in England and […]
Under privileged teenagers more likely to give up their university ambitions
Early intervention to maintain and raise expectations could increase the number of teenagers from less privileged backgrounds entering higher education, a new study published in the Oxford Review of Education suggests. The research, which analysed how young people’s expectations of applying to university change between the ages of 14 and 17, found that those […]
What’s the evidence on ….grammar schools
“My time at grammar school was fantastic. It was the right school, it had the depth of academic challenge and a richness to the curriculum. There was quality of opportunity in everything from sport to music. I was relieved when I passed the 11+ and my family were happy. But even when I was 11 […]
IFS observation: Free school meals for all primary pupils: Projections from a pilot
By Lorraine Dearden and Christine Farquharson Hunger in the classroom is linked to lower attainment, poor behaviour, and worse health outcomes. In the last few years, UK policymakers have tried to reduce the number of children with poor nutrition by expanding school food initiatives, including providing free school meals to all children in Reception through Year 2 in […]
Election2017: what are the priorities for education….
Education charities and institutions are beginning to highlight what they hope will be the priorities for the next government. This page will be updated throughout the election campaign and will cover all topics in education from early years to higher education (please scroll down to see all issues). Universities & higher education Universities UK has […]
Speed and fluency as important as accuracy for good writing – EEF publishes seven-step plan to help teachers boost primary school pupils’ literacy skills
Teaching primary school pupils to write and spell quickly as well as accurately is the basis for good writing, according to a new seven-step plan to help boost reading and writing skills for seven to 11 year olds. Improving Literacy in Key Stage Two, published by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) today, reviews the best available […]
CIPD – Making the UK’s skills system world class
Reviews skills policy and offers thoughts and recommendations on how the UK can improve its performance The analysis, which forms part of the CIPD’s formal response to the Government’s Industrial Strategy Green Paper, highlights the failings in the UK’s skills system and offers thoughts and recommendations on how we can improve our performance. One of […]
Where are all the women head teachers?
Women will remain under-represented among secondary head teachers till 2040 at the current rate of progress, a major new study suggests. The analysis by Kay Fuller, Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Nottingham, shows some local authority areas lag far behind others when it comes to recruitment of women to headships. In […]
New Sutton Trust research highlights need for highly able support
THREE YEAR ATTAINMENT GAP BETWEEN POOR PUPILS AND THEIR BETTER-OFF CLASSMATES SEPARATES BRITAIN’S BRIGHTEST TEENAGE GIRLS Bright but poor pupils lag behind their bright but better-off classmates by around two years and eight months in maths, science and reading, according to new Sutton Trust research published today. The attainment gaps within the most able 10% […]
HEPI: Time to act: UK Universities will be overtaken unless they embrace new technology
In a new report, Rebooting Learning for the Digital Age, published by the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI), Paul Feldman, Sarah Davies and Joel Mullan call on university leaders to embrace new technology to meet the challenges faced by the higher education sector. The report reviews best practice around the world to show how technology is […]
IFS: Target of 3 million apprenticeships and new funding system risk poor value for money
In April 2017, the government is introducing an ‘apprenticeship levy’ (a 0.5% tax on an employer’s paybill above £3 million per year), which is estimated to raise £2.8 billion in 2019–20. At the same time, it is introducing more generous subsidies for employers training apprentices in England. However, government spending on apprenticeships in England is […]
Sutton Trust – teacher recruitment crisis causing a school ‘science shortfall’, especially in physics
NEW SUTTON TRUST REPORT FINDS POORER PUPILS MISS OUT MOST Teaching is failing to attract enough specialist science graduates – particularly physics teachers – to meet the needs of the growing UK science-based industries, according to new research published today by the Sutton Trust. The report warns of a ‘science shortfall’ caused by the low […]
Next Steps, UCL-Institute of Education: millennials who chose an apprenticeship over university are just as happy with their lives, study finds
Twenty-somethings who pursued vocational training rather than university report being just as satisfied with their lives, according to new research. Researchers from the UCL Institute of Education and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine examined information on more than 9,500 young people living in England, who were born in 1989-90 and are being […]
UCAS publishes 2016 data for individual universities
These make up the final part of the UCAS End of Cycle data on admissions to full-time undergraduate higher education in the UK in 2016. Today, UCAS publishes its 2016 data for individual universities. These make up the final part of the UCAS End of Cycle data on admissions to full-time undergraduate higher education in […]
HEPI: Recreating the American Dream: Wealth Creation for the 21st Century
On the first day of the first full working week for President Trump (Monday, 23 January), the Higher Education Policy Institute is publishing a lecture by Martha Kanter, who was President Obama’s Under Secretary of Education throughout his first term in office. Dr Kanter delivered the 2016 HEPI Annual Lecture on 8th December 2016, but it has not been […]
HEPI: Universities could lose students while gaining financially from Brexit, but any new restrictions on international students could cost the UK economy an additional £2 billion a year
Today (12 January), the Higher Education Policy Institute and Kaplan International publish the first detailed modelling on what Brexit and other global changes could mean for demand at UK universities from international students. The research, published as The determinants of international demand for UK higher education and undertaken by London Economics, reveals a mixed picture. Some changes […]
HEPI: Nearly three-quarters of alternative providers will remain unregulated after the Higher Education and Research Bill becomes law
HEPI is today (5th January 2017) publishing a new report, Alternative providers of higher education: issues for policymakers (HEPI Report 90) by John Fielden and Robin Middlehurst. The paper discusses the present state of higher education providers that do not receive direct public funding, summarises the strong opinions for and against them and examines experience in the USA and Australia, […]
NFER – Disadvantage limits pupil achievement at every level of English society, says new research
The impact of the socio-economic background of pupils in England on their mathematics performance can be seen from the most to least disadvantaged, but many other factors are relatively more important to pupil performance in England than in other countries, according to a new report published today by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER). […]
Sutton Trust – research brief – reading gap between most and least advantaged 5 year olds biggest in us, but uk still lags behind canada and australia
The education gaps between children of the most and least educated parents when they start school are significantly bigger in the US and the UK than they are in Canada and Australia, according to new research published by the Sutton Trust today. International Inequalities by Jane Waldfogel of Columbia University and the London School of Economics […]
UCAS: Record numbers of 18 year olds accepted to university this year, report shows
More UK 18 year olds than ever before gained a place at universities and colleges this year, the UCAS End of Cycle report 2016 reveals today. View the End of cycle report 2016. The number of 18 year olds accepted at university rose by 1.5 per cent to 238,900, the highest number recorded to date, […]
New training consortium launches at an important time for social science research
The South East Network for Social Sciences (SeNSS) consortium, led by the University of Essex, has launched its new ESRC-backed Doctoral Training Partnership at an event in London. Speaking at the launch were Sharon Witherspoon, MBE, Head of Policy at the Academy of Social Sciences and its Campaign for Social Science and Jonathan Portes, formerly […]
EPI: grammar schools and social mobility – further analysis of policy options
12th December 2016 by Jon Andrews and Jo Hutchinson The Government launched a 12-week public consultation, Schools that Work for Everyone, which closes today. This set out a series of proposals aimed at improving access to good schools. Within these proposals, an intention to allow selective schools to expand backed by £200 million was announced in the 2016 Autumn Statement. In […]
Royal Society – consultation response to the education Green Paper – ‘Schools that work for everyone’
The full report can be seen here. The Government’s aspiration for a school system that extends opportunity to everyone is one that the Society shares. This submission considers the potential impact of the Government’s proposals on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects, with particular reference to pupils who are eligible for free school meals […]
Sutton Trust: white working class pupils least likely to attend grammars
NEW SUTTON TRUST RESEARCH FINDS ‘JAMS’ ALSO UNDER-REPRESENTED Ethnic background plays a significant role in grammar school entry, with disadvantaged white British pupils having the lowest rate of entry to grammars among a range of ethnic groups, according to new analysis published by the Sutton Trust today. The Gaps in Grammar research brief finds that […]
Russell Group: fewer post-16 options mean a-levels must come from informed choices
UP TO 15% FEWER students are taking AS-levels after changes mean they no longer count toward A-level grades. Students therefore may have less opportunity to try a subject before taking it to A-level and their choices now bear more weight. The fifth edition of the Russell Group’s Informed Choices guide, published today, will help young […]
Skills Commission issues report calling for strategic skills funding decisions for devolution
Full report ‘Going Places’ can be read here. The Skills Commission is today calling for devolution funding to be based on an area’s ambition and need, not just population or business size, to ensure devolved areas can fill the skills gap. Lord David Blunkett, Barry Sheerman MP, Dame Ruth Silver and Neil Bates, Principal […]
UCU research – call for university applications overhaul as report reveals just 16% of predicted A-level results are correct
Just one in six (16%) predicted A-level results turns out to be correct, reveals a new report released today. The report analysed the results of 1.3m young people over three years* and found that three-quarters (75%) of estimated grades were “over-predicted” with students failing to reach the mark their teachers predicted. Around one in 10 […]
Children’s Commissioner research: northern regeneration offers once in a generation opportunity to reshape prospects for children
06 December 2016 A mixed picture for children growing up in the North: There are 3.5 million children in the North of England Starting school – children in the North of England tend to be behind those of children in the South (as measured on the Early Years Goals). The difference isn’t huge, but there […]
IFS: Raising GCSE attainment crucial to get more young people from disadvantaged backgrounds into university, but work to promote social mobility cannot end when they arrive on campus
IFS Observation by Claire Crawford , Lorraine Dearden , Anna Vignoles and John Micklewright Reducing socio-economic gaps in education outcomes has been at the heart of government strategy to raise social mobility for many years. Achieving higher educational qualifications enables individuals to earn more, on average, so if those from poorer backgrounds are less likely to attain these qualifications than those from […]
Social Mobility Commission report shows a wide progression gap between post-16 choices made by bright poor kids and their affluent peers.
Bright children from poorer backgrounds are far less likely to go to university or study A levels that could get them into top universities than their wealthier counterparts – even if they live in the same neighbourhood and achieve similar results at GCSE. New research by the Social Mobility Commission has uncovered a progression gap […]
EPI research: faith schools, pupil performance, and social selection by Jon Andrews and Rebecca Johnes
The Government’s green paper, Schools that work for everyone, proposes removing the restriction on faith schools which currently limits faith based admissions to 50 per cent. This proposal is based on the premise that the majority of faith schools are high-performing, have good Ofsted ratings, and support increased social mobility. We test this premise by […]
IFS: does free childcare help parents work?
IFS Briefing Note by Mike Brewer , Sarah Cattan , Claire Crawford and Birgitta Rabe. Free part-time childcare places for all 3- and 4-year-olds in England were introduced in the early 2000s. The government is now planning to extend this offer from 15 to 30 hours per week (still for 38 weeks of the year) for children in working families from […]
Academy status fails to raise standards in primary schools, new study finds
Pupils in primary academies do no better in Key Stage 2 (KS2) tests than those at comparable schools, a new study has found. Although primary schools that converted to academies gained extra income, they spent little of it on frontline services such as extra teachers or learning resources. Until recently the government planned to make all schools […]
Sutton Trust research: ‘EasyPeasy’ parenting app ‘significantly’ improves children’s school readiness skills through games and tips
RESULTS OF UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD TRIAL An app that sends game ideas and tips on child development to mums and dads has been found to improve children’s concentration and their willingness to complete difficult tasks, according to the results of a randomised controlled trial carried out by the University of Oxford’s Department of Education and […]
REMAKING TERTIARY EDUCATION: CAN WE CREATE A SYSTEM THAT IS FAIR AND FIT FOR PURPOSE?
14th November 2016 by Professor Alison Wolf This release first appeared on the Education Policy Institute website. Remaking Tertiary Education, authored by Professor Alison Wolf – with supporting analysis by Education Policy Institute researchers – examines the future of England’s Tertiary Education system. It concludes that English technical education is “in tatters” and that the […]
White working class boys have lowest GCSE Grades as disadvantaged Bangladeshi, African and Chinese pupils show dramatically improved results
Report authors: Carl Cullinane, Dr Philip Kirby Chinese pupils from disadvantaged homes are almost three times as likely as white working class pupils to get five good GCSEs, according to new analysis published by the Sutton Trust today. White working class pupils achieve the lowest grades at GCSE of any main ethnic group, with just […]
IPPR: Earning and learning: Making the apprenticeship system work for 16–18-year-olds
AUTHORS: Charlynne Pullen, Joe Dromey Published Thu 10 Nov 2016 Boosting social mobility in Britain requires better education-to-work transitions for young people who have low qualifications. Reviewing the evidence, this report recommends that the government introduces a new, distinct pre-apprenticeship programme for 16–18-year-olds. Too many 16–18-year-olds are studying level 2 courses that do not help […]
New EEF evaluation reports: Breakfast clubs found to boost primary pupils’ reading, writing and maths results
Breakfast clubs that offer pupils in primary schools a free and nutritious meal before school can boost their reading, writing and maths results by the equivalent of two months’ progress over the course of a year, according to the results of a randomised controlled trial published by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) today. 106 English primary schools […]
New Sutton Trust polling: Over four in ten state school teachers rarely or never advise bright pupils to apply to Oxbridge
Over four in ten (43%) state secondary school teachers say they would rarely or never advise their bright pupils to apply to Oxbridge. Just one-fifth (21%) said they always advised their bright pupils to apply and a quarter (28%) said they usually did, according to new polling published by the Sutton Trust. The news comes ahead […]
The labour market benefits of private schooling
This was a seminar held at the Centre for Research on Learning and Life Chances. More details about LLAKES can be seen here. Despite being a relative small part of the school sector (around 7% of the school population is enrolled in private schools at any one time), private schools have an important symbolic role […]
Government needs to end ‘conveyor belt’ approach to university and do more to create and promote high-quality vocational pathways into work
This research was produced by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Academics Ken Mayhew, Emeritus Professor of Education and Economic Performancer, Oxford University & Emeritus Fellow in Economics, Pembroke College, Oxford and Dr. Craig Holmes, Lecturer in Economics, Pembroke College, Oxford are both acknowledged at the start of the report. Research suggests that for too many […]
UUK – new report outlines recommendations to improve social mobility in higher education
Executive summary Full report via the UUK website here. A new report today [10 October 2016] has made a series of recommendations for universities, schools, colleges and employers to improve social mobility in higher education in England. The report reflects the work of an advisory group which brought together universities, employers, schools, colleges and education […]
New report outlines recommendations to improve social mobility in higher education
A new report has made a series of recommendations for universities, schools, colleges and employers to improve social mobility in higher education in England. The report reflects the work of an advisory group which brought together universities, employers, schools, colleges and education charities. The group looked at ways of improving education and career outcomes for […]
LSE – Government reforms could put the sustainability and quality of early years provision at risk
New research from LSE suggests that government proposals to introduce a new national early years funding formula could put the sustainability of early years education and care providers at risk, and also put at risk the quality of provision available for children. The government is proposing a new national funding formula for early years education […]
New HEPI report claims the Teaching Excellence Framework won’t work without some important changes
A new paper by the Higher Education Policy Institute ([http://www.hepi.ac.uk)]www.hepi.ac.uk) considers the most controversial aspects of the new Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) and proposes substantial changes to make sure it works. Tackling Wicked Issues: Prestige and Employment Outcomes in the Teaching Excellence Framework (Occasional Paper 14) includes two essays, written by three authors with long experience in […]
New Sutton Trust report values private tuition market at up to £2bn
FOUR IN TEN TEACHERS HAVE BEEN PRIVATE TUTORS More than four in ten (43%) state school teachers have been paid to tutor outside of their main teaching role at some point during their careers, according to new research from the Sutton Trust. The polling of a nationally representative sample of 1,607 teachers, conducted by the […]
Sutton Trust & Education Endowment Foundation polling – small but growing number of schools are using their pupil premium funding to offset budget cuts
A small but growing number of schools are using their funding for disadvantaged pupils to offset budget cuts elsewhere, according to new polling published by the Sutton Trust and the Education Endowment Foundation today. 6% of teachers reported this as the main priority for their school’s pupil premium spending, an increase from 2% in 2015. The survey of 1,607 […]
UCAS publishes first equality reports for individual universities
UCAS has published new analysis that extends its existing national equality reporting to individual universities for the first time. The reports, created on behalf of around 130 larger universities, place the likelihood of being offered a place in the context of average offer rates for other applicants with the same predicted grades applying to the […]
Sutton Trust research – at age 13, girls more likely than boys to believe that going to university is important
NEW SUTTON TRUST REPORT FINDS HIGHER ASPIRATIONS IMPROVE DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS’ CHANCE OF TAKING A-LEVELS, EVEN IF THEY GET GOOD GCSES The growing gender gap in university admissions is already apparent by the age of 13, when girls are more likely than boys to believe that going to university is important, according to a report published […]
New HEPI report reveals the educational underachievement of young men in higher education, and calls on the sector to do more to tackle the problem
On Thursday, 12th May 2016, the Higher Education Policy Institute will publish a new report looking at the underachievement of young men in higher education. Written by Nick Hillman (HEPI’s Director) and Nicholas Robinson, Boys to Men: The underachievement of young men in higher education – and how to start tackling it includes new data […]
Private school education linked to better health more than 25 years later, UCL Institute of Education study finds
Private school pupils are more likely than their peers at comprehensives to have a lower body mass index (BMI) by the time they reach their early 40s. They also spend less time watching television and eat fewer take-away meals, according to new research published in the International Journal of Epidemiology. Researchers at the Centre for […]
Phonics can help the disadvantaged but has no long-term benefits for the average child, major study finds
Teaching reading through ‘synthetic phonics’ helps children from poorer backgrounds or those who do not have English as a first language, according to a large-scale study from the Centre for Economic Performance (CEP) at the London School of Economics. But on average, a government policy that requires all primary schools to use the method has […]
UCL-IoE – Out of school activities improve children’s educational attainment, study reveals
Participating in organised sports and joining after school clubs can help to improve primary school children’s academic performance and social skills, new research shows. Funded by the Nuffield Foundation, researchers from NatCen Social Research, Newcastle University and ASK Research analysed information on more than 6,400 English children born in 2000-01 who are being followed by […]
71 years on – what do secondary school children know about Belsen concentration camp? Research from UCL Centre for Holocaust Education
For more information about this research go to the UCL Centre for Holocaust Education website Remembering Belsen – do we know what we are forgetting? Evidence from the UCL Centre for Holocaust Education indicates that secondary school children today are generally ignorant of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, liberated by the British on 15th April 1945, […]
Sutton Trust – Call to tighten admissons to primaries as over 1500 are shown to be highly socially selective
NEW SUTTON TRUST RESEARCH BRIEF Over 1,500 English primary schools have complicated oversubscription criteria that result in intakes that are socially very different to their local neighbourhoods, meaning many disadvantaged pupils could be missing out on places at top-performing state schools. This is according to Caught Out, a new Sutton Trust research brief by Dr […]
IFS: School spending focused more on poorest schools over past 20 years; even more radical reforms over next decade
School spending in England has become increasingly targeted at schools with pupils from poorer backgrounds over the past 20 years. As a result, spending per pupil in 2013–14 amongst the 20% of secondary schools with the poorest pupils was £1,800 more than spending per pupil in the richest 20% (£7,400 compared with £5,600). This gap […]
IFS research – what and where you study matter for graduate earnings – but so does parents’ income
Graduates from richer family backgrounds earn significantly more after graduation than their poorer counterparts, even after completing the same degrees from the same universities. This is one of many findings in new research published today which looks at the link between earnings and students’ background, degree subject and university attended. The research used anonymised tax […]
EEF – SIX NEW TRIALS TO FIND OUT HOW BEST TO RAISE ATTAINMENT, INCLUDING THREE FOCUSED ON EAL PUPILS
For more information see the Education Endowment Foundation website EEF TO TEST IF TEACHING PUPILS ‘REAL-WORLD’ MATHS SKILLS LIKE ESTIMATING THE COST OF GAS BILLS CAN IMPROVE THEIR MATHS GCSE RESULTS SIX NEW TRIALS TO FIND OUT HOW BEST TO RAISE ATTAINMENT, INCLUDING THREE FOCUSED ON EAL PUPILS A new trial will find out if […]
Independent school pupils gain extra two years by 16, Durham University research reveals
Attending an independent school in England is associated with the equivalent of two additional years of schooling by the age of 16, new research reveals. The ‘academic value added’ report by the Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring (CEM) at Durham University, is the first of its type. It looks at the differences in attainment between […]
London lags behind other world cities in international school performance tables, UCL-IoE research
UCL-Institute of Education research report London secondary school pupils are behind their peers in East Asian, European, Australian and North American cities and regions by the equivalent of about half a year of schooling. Children in Shanghai, the top performing city overall, are around 3 years ahead of their London peers in maths alone. Only […]
Top BAFTA winners twice as likely to have been to private school as Brit winners
NEW SUTTON TRUST REPORT SHOWS TOP OF MOST PROFESSIONS STILL WEIGHTED TOWARDS PRIVATELY EDUCATED Ahead of tonight’s BRIT awards, new Sutton Trust research shows that top award-winning British actors are over twice as likely to have been educated at an independent school as award-winning British pop musicians – 42% of top BAFTA winners attended an […]
Helping the weakest students essential for society and the economy, says OECD
Most countries have made little progress helping their weakest students improve their performance in reading, mathematics and science over the past decade. This means too many young people are still leaving school without the basic skills needed in today’s society and workplace, hurting their futures and long-term economic growth, according to a new OECD report. […]
Sutton Trust calls for Oxbridge to streamline ‘intimidating & complex’ admissions process
NEW SUTTON TRUST RESEARCH BRIEF Oxford and Cambridge universities should streamline their admissions processes as the current system is leading to confusion and complexity and could likely act as a deterrent to students from low-income homes. This is according to Oxbridge Admissions, new research from the Sutton Trust that analyses how the two elite universities […]
Students are losing out as teachers’ & university tutors’ ideas about what makes a good personal statement are a “world apart.”
NEW SUTTON TRUST RESEARCH BRIEF Teachers’ views on what makes a good personal statement can be very different from those of Russell Group university admissions tutors, meaning many young people may not be receiving the advice and guidance they need, according to Making a statement, a new research brief published today by the Sutton Trust. […]
HEPI publishes the OECD’s views on teaching excellence, the TEF and learning gain
On Thursday, 28th January 2016, the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) is publishing a revised version of the most recent HEPI annual lecture, Value-Added: How do you measure whether universities are delivering for their students? It was originally delivered by Andreas Schleicher, Director for Education and Skills at the OECD, in December 2015 at an […]
Teaching the Holocaust
The Education Select Committee have published a report into how the Holocaust is taught in schools. Under the national curriculum, it is compulsory to for all maintained schools to teach the history of the Holocaust and the lessons learnt from it. The Committee found that, “At its best, Holocaust education can lead students towards being […]
Extroverts are less likely to come from poorer backgrounds, & more likely to earn over £40,000
NEW SUTTON TRUST REPORT Adults who are assertive, talkative and enthusiastic – what psychologists call highly extroverted – are less likely to come from low income backgrounds than those who do not share this personality trait. But extroverted adults are 25% more likely to earn over £40,000 a year, with the odds being higher for […]
Can computer games improve the ability to study?
Computer-based games can have a beneficial effect on learning, according to ground-breaking new research from the University of Bristol. The brain-imaging study shows that – contrary to popular belief – technological game-playing can involve brain activity that positively supports learning. The research, with students at Bristol, is linked to a bigger classroom study which will […]
UCAS data reveals the numbers of men and women placed in over 150 Higher Education subjects
Press Release 05 January 2016 UCAS today completes the annual publication of its scheme-level data on admissions to full-time undergraduate higher education in the UK in 2015. These data follow our analysis of trends and equality of access to higher education published in the End of Cycle Report on 17 December 2015. The data resources […]
The advantages of children’s centres – supporting vulnerable families
Children’s centres ‘improve parenting skills of most disadvantaged families’ (as published 17th December 2015) An Oxford University study says children’s centres across England have successfully reached out to support vulnerable families in disadvantaged communities, especially in supporting parenting skills and confidence. Organised activities, such as ‘Stay and Play’ sessions where parents and their children played […]
English schools will feel the pinch over the next five years, IFS observation article
The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) is publishing an Observation article today on the outlook for schools spending in this parliament. In their article, IFS economists Chris Belfield and Luke Sibieta explain that, like the NHS, day-to-day spending on schools was protected from cuts in the last parliament. The new Conservative government has announced protections […]
Graduate ‘premium’ more significant for women, new IFS research findings
The significantly higher earnings that graduates in England can expect over those who didn’t study at university, the ‘graduate premium’, has been revealed in detail by a large new study – the first of its kind. Researchers at the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), Harvard University and the University of Cambridge found that median earnings […]
The effect of freezing student loans – new Sutton Trust research
Students face extra repayments of £2,800 if repayment threshold frozen on existing loans with uncertainty for future graduates. New Sutton Trust research brief. Changes from Chancellor George Osborne’s summer budget which would freeze the student loan repayment threshold at £21,000 for five years will cost the typical borrower an extra £2,800. This new calculation comes […]
Students, computers & learning – new approach needed to deliver on technology’s potential in schools, OECD research finds
Schools have yet to take advantage of the potential of technology in the classroom to tackle the digital divide and give every student the skills they need in today’s connected world, according to the first OECD PISA assessment of digital skills. “Students, Computers and Learning: Making The Connection” says that even countries which have invested […]
Extra hour of screen time per day associated with poorer GCSE grades
An extra hour per day spent watching TV, using the internet or playing computer games during Year 10 is associated with poorer grades at GCSE at age 16 – the equivalent of the difference between two grades – according to research from the University of Cambridge. In a study published today in the open access […]
Sutton Trust research: Three in four academy chains have ‘coasting schools’, but best chains continue to ‘transform’ pupils’ life chances
Press release via The Sutton Trust The best academy chains are having a transformational impact on pupils’ life chances, but three quarters of the chains analysed for a new Sutton Trust report published today have schools that could be seen as ‘coasting’ under tough new government guidelines. The research, by Professor Merryn Hutchings, Professor Becky […]
HEFCE announces drive to ensure students from diverse backgrounds succeed in higher education
Record levels of people from lower-income families are now entering higher education. Similarly, the numbers of students with disabilities, and from black or ethnic minority groups, are continuing to increase. However, these groups still underachieve in terms of degree results, progression into further study and graduate-level employment. The Prime Minister has set a target to […]
No evidence from small trial that subject knowledge aids literacy
This press release has come from Durham University Curriculum Centre Word and World Reading. An Education Endowment Foundation research project evaluated by Durham School of Education, part of the Assessment, Evaluation and Effectiveness research group. The independent evaluators included Professor Stephen Gorard, Nadia Siddiqui and Beng Huat See. Aiming to give young people knowledge of their history, […]
Philosophy lessons for disadvantaged 10 year olds improves their reading, maths & writing scores – Education Endowment Foundation research
NEW EEF EVALUATION REPORTS Teaching children as young as nine and ten to have philosophical discussions around topics like truth, fairness and knowledge can improve their progress in maths and reading by an average of two months, while the academic benefits seem to be more pronounced for disadvantaged pupils. This is according to the results […]
Able pupils from poorer homes ‘less likely to be judged above average’, new research suggests
UCL Institute of Education and Cambridge University Press Able pupils from poorer homes ‘less likely to be judged above average’, new research suggests Children from lower income families are less likely to be judged ‘above average’ by their teachers, even when they perform as well as other pupils on independent cognitive assessments, according to a […]
2015 Student Academic Experience Survey – key findings announced
Professor Stephanie Marshall, Chief Executive, Higher Education Academy, said: “The sector has much to be proud of here – including high levels of overall student satisfaction – but the survey also clearly highlights areas where more focus is needed from all of us in the sector. “The UK is renowned for the high […]
Victims of childhood bullying at higher risk of cardiovascular disease in later life
Thirty five years ago, a little girl aged 11 was bullied at school. The other girls ran away from her, which, at first, she thought was a game. In the days and weeks that followed they continued to leave her out of their games & teased her on many occasions. Now aged 47, she is […]
Teaching children in schools about sexual abuse may help them report abuse
Schools are a logical place for child sexual abuse prevention initiatives, according to the lead author of an authoritative report on the best quality research. On behalf of Cochrane, an independent global organisation which reviews quality research evidence, Kerryann Walsh , Associate Professor in Education at Queensland University of Technology in Australia, presented the key […]
Education spending: what are the parties planning to protect? IFS research observation
The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) is publishing an Observation article today by IFS researcher Luke Sibieta on the Liberal Democrats’ commitment in their manifesto to protect education spending per pupil in England for 2–19 year-olds in real terms. Today, the Liberal Democrats launch their manifesto and have highlighted a commitment to protect education spending […]
IFS research – school funding increases in England targeted at most deprived & led to particularly large increases in non-teaching staff
The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) is publishing an Observation article today by IFS researcher Luke Sibieta on schools funding since the millennium, the scale of the spending increases and the areas on which the new resources have been spent. It is connected to a new IFS working paper which is also published today. The […]
Teaching assistants should not be substitute teachers, but can make a real difference used effectively
Teaching assistants should not be used as substitute teachers for low-attaining pupils, as doing so can hold those pupils back, according to a new guidance report from the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) published today. Instead they should be used to help pupils develop independent study skills and given direction to deliver high-quality one-to-one and small-group […]
Immigrants add to UK’s adult numeracy problems even though they are more likely to be graduates, UCL IoE study suggests
Immigrants add to UK’s adult numeracy problems even though they are more likely to be graduates, study suggests Research also shows emigrants earn more but work longer hours PRESS RELEASE Each year more than 300,000 people leave the UK to begin a new life overseas. In their place around 450,000 immigrants travel across our borders […]
Postgrad loans – will they be paid back or another cost to the tax payer? IFS analysis
In the Autumn Statement last week, the Chancellor announced a new government-backed loan scheme for postgraduates. Loans of up to £10,000 are to be made available for under-30s studying full-time or part-time for taught masters courses from 2016/17. The government expects 84,000 people to be eligible for the loans in the first year they are […]
What’s the evidence on the impact of bursaries…
OFFA, the independent public body which promotes fair access to higher education, has launched a major research project to deepen understanding of the impact of bursaries across the student lifecycle. Here are details of the project in their latest press release: OFFA is asking universities and colleges to share their own evidence about the impact […]
NFER: “Evidence should be at the heart of the education debate”
The National Foundation for Educational Research has called for evidence to be put at the heart of the education debate . This is their press release: PRESS RELEASE 21 November 2014 Next government must put evidence at heart of education policy, says NFER NFER has announced its messages for the next government in a bid […]
Education Select Committee’s ‘Evidence Check’ web forums
The Education Select Committee is hosting an online forum for members of the public to evaluate evidence from the Department for Education (DfE). The Committee sought a short statement from the DfE on the nine topics listed below, in order to identify areas for scrutiny in early 2015. In each case, the DfE was asked […]
IFS research – students from poorer backgrounds do less well at university
Amongst those who go to university, students from less affluent backgrounds are more likely to drop out and less likely to graduate with a first or upper second class degree than their peers from more affluent backgrounds. This is true even amongst those on the same course who arrived at university with similar grades. These […]
IFS research – free pre-school places for 3 year olds helped only a small number of women into work
Offering free part-time pre-school education for all 3 year olds in England helped only a small number of women into work. But this is mostly because most families were accessing some form of pre-school childcare before the entitlement was introduced. Amongst the small number of women whose youngest child went to pre-school for the first […]
New research to investigate if neuroscience can improve teaching and learning in schools
Can physical fitness improve academic achievement? Would teenagers do better in their exams if they could sleep in and start school later? These questions will be part of a multi-million pound research project, funded by the Wellcome Trust and the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), to investigate a variety of ways neuroscience might improve teaching and […]
Could an admissions lottery be fairer to disadvantaged pupils ?
Worse off families more often choose worse schools – why is that? Professor Simon Burgess( University of Bristol) , Snr Research Economist,Ellen Greaves (Institute for Fiscal Studies) and Professor Anna Vignoles (University of Cambridge) Pupils from disadvantaged families are more likely to choose poorly performing schools. Do these families choose local schools despite low performance? […]
OECD Education at a Glance – Andreas Schleicher audio interview
UK pupils and students could be getting a better and fairer education, despite significant increases in funding – that’s a key message from the OECD’s Director of Education and Skills, Andreas Schleicher, launching a new report at the Education Media Centre. You can read Education at a Glance 2014 on the OECD website here and […]
OECD TALIS authors comment on the experience of England’s teachers
Teachers in England are amongst the youngest and least experienced according to an international survey of teachers, TALIS, carried out by the OECD. Michael Davidson, Head of the OECD’s Schools Division, sets out some of the other key findings about how teachers in England compare with their international colleagues: Teachers across the world feel undervalued […]
Success of London schools down to primary schools not secondaries, argues IFS
Disadvantaged pupils perform better in London due to earlier improvements in primary schools Disadvantaged pupils have higher academic attainment in London than in other regions in England and have pulled even further ahead over the past decade, particularly in inner London. This has often been referred to as the ‘London effect’. In new IFS research published […]
New Sutton Trust poll findings on the use of pupil premium funds
A new Sutton Trust poll released today has found that nearly 1 in 4 teachers think pupil premium funds may not be targeted at poorest students. Here is the press release: Nearly a quarter of teachers think that the pupil premium – funds which schools receive to help improve the results of their disadvantaged pupils – is not […]
What would an excellent careers service look like?
CAREER GUIDANCE FAILING PUPILS AND DAMAGING THE ECONOMY, WARNS NEW REPORT The Gatsby Foundation sets out how schools, government, and employers can fix the country’s broken career guidance system A new report published today by the Gatsby Foundation has called for comprehensive reform to stop school career guidance failing generation after generation of young people.It […]
What`s the evidence on…..the impact of teaching assistants?
If you are a parent or teacher of a child with special educational needs, who struggles to stay focused in class, you might think extra support from an additional adult would help. Well, yes and no. Results from studies of the impact of these adults, known variously as teaching assistants, learning support assistants or classroom […]
Higher teacher pay = better pupil results ? New IFS research
Does offering higher teacher salaries improve pupil attainment? Ellen Greaves and Luke Sibieta, researchers at the Institute For Fiscal Studies, analysed the impact of offering higher teacher salaries on pupil attainment. Their research examined the salary scales and pupil attainment in primary schools in and around London. For these schools, and for the salary differences […]
Do bursaries stop disadvantaged students from dropping out? No, says OFFA evidence
The Office for Fair Access has found no obvious evidence that bursaries, supporting university students from poorer backgrounds with their living costs, help stop them from dropping out . OFFA is urging universities to deploy other strategies to retain disadvantaged students. Offa`s press release is below, and the full report is on the OFFA website . […]
What’s the evidence on …….teaching maths the Shanghai way?
According to Pisa international league tables, 15-year-olds in Shanghai are three years ahead of their UK counterparts in mathematics – a measure of success which inspired the Education Minister, Elizabeth Truss, to lead a visit to the city to see how children are taught and learn maths there. What does existing research say about the East Asian approach to […]
New EEF findings: some signs of what does/doesn`t raise attainment of disadvantaged pupils
The Education Endowment Foundation has published its first six reports. These are based on trials with 6,800 pupils at 238 schools and aim to be a major new source of evidence to help schools narrow the attainment gap between rich and poor pupils. Arguably an important and valuable aspect of these studies is they reveal not only what […]
“Don`t assume all training “is a good thing”. Find out what really works, “ says Professor Tom Schuller
“Don`t assume all training “is a good thing”. Find out what really works, “ says Professor Tom Schuller There are more job vacancies in England but we`re not generating the skills to fill them, that was the essential message from the UK Commission for Employment and Skills in their latest survey. According to the Commission`s press […]
Shanghai Tops ; UK Average – Find the full OECD’s PISA 2012 results here
The OECD’s Andreas Schleicher presented the 2012 PISA results to the media on the 2nd December 2013. The event, was hosted by the Eduacation Media Centre and marked its launch.
What`s the evidence on ……….Class size?
Parents and teachers tend to favour smaller class sizes, but what does the evidence say? The Education Media Centre is building a series of articles setting out the research evidence on a range of education issues which interest journalists and matter to the public. Here Robert Coe, Professor in the School of Education at Durham […]
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