A Better Beginning: Easing the cost of childcare
This paper proposes an entirely new policy - a National Childcare Contribution Scheme – to help parents manage the high costs of childcare over a number of years.
Education and Skills
Funding Undergraduates
Since the Coalition Government formed in May 2010, financing undergraduate tuition in the face of growing demand, global competition and public sector retrenchment has remained a sensitive political issue.
SMF Briefing Note: Higher Tuition Fees and Real Interest to Hit Middle Earners
Raising the student fee cap to £7,000 per year would cost the government up to £1.3bn per year under current arrangements.
More Than CV Points: The Benefits of Employee Volunteering for Business and Individuals
In a difficult economic climate, there has never been a better time to explore the potential of employee volunteering schemes to furnish the UK workforce with both soft and hardskills.
Staying the Course: Changes to the Participation Age and Qualifications
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.
Disability, Skills and Work: Raising our ambitions
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.
Practice Makes Perfect: The Importance of Practical Learning
Practical learning is central to transforming the life chances of young people and adults, and to the prosperity of the nation.
Looked After or Overlooked? Good parenting and school choice for looked after children
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.
Fade or Flourish: How primary schools can build on children's early progress
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.
Making Choice a Reality in Secondary Education
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.
Too much too late: Life Chances and Spending on Education and Training
Despite unprecedented levels of investments, education has failed to break the link between attainment and family background.
A 2020 Vision for the Early Years
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.
School Admissions
This report, produced by an internal SMF Commission, proposes ballots as a means of allocating places in oversubscribed schools.
