Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly embedded in our everyday lives. In their ‘Generative AI in education’ guidance, the Department for Education (DfE) committed to explore the safe u...

Helping teachers become physics specialists could be around eight times less expensive than increasing trainee bursaries, analysis finds

The government’s Every Child Achieving and Thriving white paper set out plans to recruit 6,500 additional teachers, and its response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review emphasised strengthening ma...

Today thousands of young people in England are receiving their results in GCSEs and level 1 and 2 technical qualifications. As ever we will be publishing an initial analysis of the results that we wil...

Young people across England have today received their A level, vocational and other applied Level 3 qualification results, and should be applauded for their hard work and commitment.  While A levels a...

Introduction All pupils have a legal right to a continuous education, yet many pupils spend substantial amounts of time moving in and out of the mainstream classroom. In the 2024/25 academic year alon...

We’re looking for a talented and motivated candidate to join our Communications, Partnerships and Events team as an Executive and Events Officer. This post offers a real opportunity to progress within...

Burnham and Powell have inherited an ambitious commitment. They must not walk away from it

When the new Prime Minister walks through the famous black door next week, he won’t be short of things to do. One of the more ambitious commitments he’ll inherit from his predecessor is the target, se...

The persistent disadvantage gap in schools will be an "early challenge" for the next prime minister, researchers are warning.

The achievement gap suffered by pupils from poorer backgrounds is wider than before the pandemic, a new report warns. Ministers have promised to halve it by the time children born under this governme...

The Department for Education has engineered ‘very little’ of a recovery in the teacher workforce, with factors beyond the government’s control playing a big part, says EPI

Last month, the Department for Education released its annual snapshot of the teaching workforce in England, and the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) recently followed with its 36th report on teache...

The Education Policy Institute (EPI) is seeking an experienced and motivated candidate to join our Communications, Partnerships and Events team as Events Manager.  This position offers a fantastic opp...

New research on the disadvantage gap

Report warns lower prior attainment is the 'largest contributor' to the attainment gap

Many of the biggest challenges facing the education system – including absence, disengagement and SEND – are complex, interrelated and are shaped by socioeconomic circumstance. The government’s school...

In schools that closed between 2020 and 2025, nearly 30% of children had special educational needs

School uniforms have been a feature of English education since the 1550s and are deeply embedded in English culture. In contrast to some other Western countries, such as the US and Canada, uniforms ar...

The Education Policy Institute has submitted its response to the government’s consultation on ‘SEND reform: putting children and young people first’. EPI’s response draws on our own research in this a...

Background The Department for Education (DfE) recently announced in the schools’ white paper that they will provide increased guidance on how internal exclusion, also referred to as internal suspensio...

The Education Policy Institute is an independent, impartial and evidence-based research institute that aims to promote high quality education outcomes for all children and young people, regardless of ...

Statistics on fines still 'geographically unequal' despite new national rules

About EPI The Education Policy Institute (EPI) is an independent, impartial and evidence-based research institute that aims to promote high quality education outcomes for all children and young people...

A new National Framework, an old local lottery Since the pandemic, rising pupil absence has been one of the biggest challenges facing schools in England, with mounting evidence linking absence to wors...

Rising demand from children with special needs means the £140m required could come from government grants

⏱️ Estimated Read: 4 minToday, the government published guidance on screen time for under-5s. It is published online on the ‘Best Start in Life parent hub’ – the emergent digital offering intentionall...

⏱️ Estimated Read: 2 minSchool groups are a key feature of the school system in England and understanding what makes them effective is critical for delivering system-wide improvement. Beginning in 202...

Nearly three in four (72%) nine-month-old babies have at least some screen time each day, a study has found.

Study shows average time on screens each day is 41 minutes, with some watching more than three hours a day Three-quarters of nine-month-old babies in England are allowed daily screen time, while a small “heavy use” group watch more than three hours a day, according to a study. Just 2% of the infants included in the research reportedly watched more than three hours a day, while the average amount of time was 41 minutes, research by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) found. Continue reading...

⏱️ Estimated Read: 11 minWhich babies are more likely to experience screen time? Among those who watch, who watches the most? And how does using screens interplay with other home activities? Our analy...

⏱️ Estimated Read: 5 minNew data from the Department for Education (DfE) released today shows that the share of 16–24-year-olds in England who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) remai...

⏱️ Estimated Read: 6 minIn Tuesday’s Spring Forecast, the government chose not to make further changes to the student finance system, following weeks of cross-party debate on what should be done to ad...