The education of 14-19 year-olds is one of the biggest political debates of our time. The Brown government is legislating to raise the age at which young people leave compulsory education or training. Major reforms for qualifications are planned from later in 2008.
Read more...Disabled people represent one-fifth of the working age population, but are far more likely to be out of work and to lack skills than the population as a whole. Improving skills and employment for disabled people matters not just for equality, but also for national prosperity and delivering world-class skills and employment. Read more...
Practical learning is central to transforming the life chances of young people and adults, and to the prosperity of the nation. This collection of essays bring together some of the foremost thinkers in this field to look at the evidence and the challenges facing policymakers. Read more...
This publication explores educational reforms that aim to place greater control in the hands of parents and increase choice within the school system, arguing they risk overlooking Looked After Children, or even increasing current disadvantage. This paper addresses this issue by setting out a system of financial incentives that give “corporate parents” the same power and interest in their children's education as any other parent. Read more...
The government has rightly invested a significant amount of resources into improving the early years’ experiences of the most socio-economically disadvantaged children in the country. Yet evidence suggests that some of the benefits of preschool can be lost during later childhood if they are not consolidated. In this research, we explain how primary schools can play a crucial role in sustaining the social and academic gains provided by early years’ interventions. Read more...
This report outlines the current pattern of co-payment in the UK and debates whether there is a case for introducing or extending co-payment into new areas of public service provision. It considers the economic rationale and the principles that should underpin the use of co-payment in UK public services, in particular the impact on equity. Read more...
This publication presents an examination of how choice might work in secondary education. Importantly, the case it presents considers what might be achieved in terms of increased quality, but also considers what the impact might be in terms of equity. Read more...
This paper formed part of an extensive project at the Social Market Foundation, which explored the contribution of early years to improving the life chances of disadvantaged children and their families. Read more...
This report, produced by an internal SMF Commission, proposes ballots as a means of allocating places in oversubscribed schools. Read more...
Despite unprecedented levels of investments, education has failed to break the link between attainment and family background. Too Much, Too Late argues that this will not change significantly as long as the pattern of spending on education and training continues to offer a far greater public subsidy to tertiary than preschool education. Read more...