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Gill Wyness

@gillwyness.bsky.social
4.2K followers 568 following 107 posts

Economist working on inequality and access to education. Deputy Director of @cepeo-ucl. Research associate of @cep-lse Research fellow @iza_bonn

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Gill Wyness @gillwyness.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
nailed it
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Colin Green @colinpgreen.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
2 PhD positions at the Department of Economics at NTNU available 1. Open field shorturl.at/dm9kH 2. EduGAP. Work with Jon Iversen, myself, @lindseymacmillan.bsky.social, @gillwyness.bsky.social, and Richard Murphy to understand assessment effects on student outcomes. shorturl.at/1h74L
shorturl.at
PhD in Economics (295348) | NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Job title: PhD in Economics (295348), Employer: NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Deadline: Thursday, April 2, 2026
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Gill Wyness @gillwyness.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
The problem with the student loans system is that ... very few people understand the student loans system... www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Martin Lewis ambushes Badenoch on Good Morning Britain over student loans plan
Finance campaigner marches on to set and tells Tory leader her policy to cut interest rates will only help top earners
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UCL Centre for Education Policy & Equalising Opportunities @cepeo-ucl.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
❄️Our winter seminar series kicks off next week, with the excellent @hettieburn.bsky.social ❄️ She will be talking about her work on play based learning in early childhood 3pm on Thursday 22nd January sign up below: ucl.zoom.us/webinar/regi... #winterofnewcontent
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UCL Centre for Education Policy & Equalising Opportunities @cepeo-ucl.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
this morning, our director @lindseymacmillan.bsky.social will be part of a panel discussing 'How can policy tackle regional inequalities?' with @andyburnham.bsky.social @xiaoweixu.bsky.social @theifs.bsky.social ifs.org.uk/events/how-c...
ifs.org.uk
How can policy tackle regional inequalities? | Institute for Fiscal Studies
At this policy conference, researchers will present new evidence on the scale and causes of regional inequalities.
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Gill Wyness @gillwyness.bsky.social · 15/11/2025
Likewise!
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Gill Wyness @gillwyness.bsky.social · 15/11/2025
And here's @lindseymacmillan.bsky.social presenting her work on inequalities in access to the professions. Thanks to our funders @nuffieldfoundation.org and diversityandproductivity.com/about
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Gill Wyness @gillwyness.bsky.social · 15/11/2025
Excited to be here at @appam.bsky.social to present our work on inequalities in access to occupations, as part of a panel session on labor market transitions organised by @jscottclayton.bsky.social
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UCL Centre for Education Policy & Equalising Opportunities @cepeo-ucl.bsky.social · 03/11/2025
Have you checked out our @cepeo-ucl.bsky.social working paper series recently? We've had a productive year, with our researchers investigating topics such as teacher assessed v exam grades the impact of t-levels the labour market talent pool econpapers.repec.org/paper/uclcep...
econpapers.repec.org
EconPapers: CEPEO Working Paper Series
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UCL Centre for Education Policy & Equalising Opportunities @cepeo-ucl.bsky.social · 21/10/2025
CEPEO welcomes the announcements from this week’s education and skills white paper of index-linking tuition fees and maintenance loans, as well as the return of some non-repayable maintenance grants for disadvantaged students. [1/7] 🧵
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UCL Centre for Education Policy & Equalising Opportunities @cepeo-ucl.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
New research from our centre with important implications for assessment
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Gill Wyness @gillwyness.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
New work: do teachers grade some student types more generously than others? (yes) Important evidence for policymakers considering reducing the use of standardised testing. And a great paper to work on with my colleagues @lindseymacmillan.bsky.social @opmc1.bsky.social @richmurphy-econ.bsky.social
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Gill Wyness @gillwyness.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
we could... and we do!
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Jonathan Simons @jonathansimons.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
We do now :) www.publicfirst.co.uk/couting-the-... Demand is a lot more elastic for non EU students than the previous estimates of EU students, so we’d expect to see a bigger drop off than the HO estimated
publicfirst.co.uk
Counting the cost: Modelling the economic impact of a potential levy on international student fees - Public First
In May 2025, HM Government released a white paper called “Restoring Control over the Immigration System”. One policy proposed in this paper was a levy [...]
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Gill Wyness @gillwyness.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
See more on HE's problems and solutions in our @cepeo-ucl.bsky.social briefing note: ideas.repec.org/p/ucl/cepeob...
ideas.repec.org
Higher Education funding: what's the problem and what are th
England's once world-leading Higher Education (HE) system has become increasingly fragile over the last decade, with students suffering from real financial hardship, and some universities rumoured to
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Gill Wyness @gillwyness.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
The grants will be paid for "by a new levy on international student fees." Again no details. But assuming the unis will have to pay the levy, and will pass it on to students Its success will depend on how inelastic international student demand is. We don't have great evidence on this.
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Gill Wyness @gillwyness.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
The grants will be targeted at students on "priority courses" This could improve match between students and their degrees by signalling high value courses Would benefit disadvantaged kids who are more likely to "undermatch" www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.... but will also narrow options
journals.uchicago.edu
University of Chicago Press Journals: Cookie absent
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Gill Wyness @gillwyness.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
Many of us have been calling for the return of maintenance grants for a long time. So its great to see this is finally (albeit partially) on the cards. www.gov.uk/government/n...
gov.uk
Targeted maintenance grants for students to be reintroduced
Disadvantaged students studying priority courses will benefit from extra financial support to access and excel in higher education.
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UCL Centre for Education Policy & Equalising Opportunities @cepeo-ucl.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
New @cepeo-ucl.bsky.social working paper! Estimating heterogeneous returns to college by cognitive and non-cognitive ability by our @opmc1.bsky.social econpapers.repec.org/RePEc:ucl:ce...
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UCL Centre for Education Policy & Equalising Opportunities @cepeo-ucl.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
GCSE results are out: On the surface, today’s results seem cause for relative optimism. Despite this cohort’s tough time — both final year at primary & first year of secondary were disrupted by COVID; rates of SEND and mental health issues also up among this group — there’s no results drop off.
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UCL Institute of Education @ioe.bsky.social · 17/08/2025
Our academics on A-Level results day @gillwyness.bsky.social: The slight improvement in those with top grades "masks striking inequalities in achievement" @miriched.bsky.social: It's unsurprising universities are increasing recruitment "because funding is difficult to manage” uclioe.info/4fCqEup
Two female students pointing to a desktop screen and discussing. Mat Wright for UCL.
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Gill Wyness @gillwyness.bsky.social · 15/08/2025
👋
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Gill Wyness @gillwyness.bsky.social · 15/08/2025
Do students who follow the "traditional" education pathway (A levels to HE) fare better than those following "non-standard" vocational / mixed pathways - including the infamous T Level? Our PhD student @robbiemaris.bsky.social has the answers, in his new paper:
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UCL Centre for Education Policy & Equalising Opportunities @cepeo-ucl.bsky.social · 14/08/2025
A level results are out! And as many have reported, there was an overall improvement in the proportion of students gaining the top grades. But its not good news for everyone: with London & the South East continuing to pull away from the rest of the country, and boys slightly ahead of girls.
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Paul Martin @paul-ed-martin.bsky.social · 31/07/2025
Today the DfE have published their latest stats on widening participation in HE. Here are a few quick thoughts... explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statist...
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Gill Wyness @gillwyness.bsky.social · 31/07/2025
My colleague @dominicpkelly.bsky.social has written a @cepeo-ucl.bsky.social briefing note which looks at how screen time in early childhood (0–5) affects attention and language development. Read it below:
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UCL Centre for Education Policy & Equalising Opportunities @cepeo-ucl.bsky.social · 31/07/2025
That BBC screen time story that just hit your home screen? Our new policy briefing is the must-read for parents, policymakers, and childcare providers: 3 clear, actionable recommendations based on the latest evidence on screen time and cognitive development. 🔗 econpapers.repec.org/paper/uclcep...
econpapers.repec.org
EconPapers: The effects of screentime in early years on attention and language
By Dominic Kelly; Abstract: Roughly 9 in 10 children under the age of 5 (defined here as `early childhood') watch video streaming services and
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Gill Wyness @gillwyness.bsky.social · 30/07/2025
The disparities appear to be linked to greater pupil confidence, lower risk aversion, and stronger financial safety nets among private-school students. Parental strategy and school-level resources also play a role, with private institutions offering superior guidance and support.
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Gill Wyness @gillwyness.bsky.social · 30/07/2025
Mechanisms: Its all about university application behavior. Even the weakest private school students aim higher than their higher achieving state school peers.
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Gill Wyness @gillwyness.bsky.social · 30/07/2025
Private school students are more likely to overmatch - enrol in more selective uni courses than expected given their grades This is especially true for low attaining students: where private-school pupils enrol in courses as much as 15 percentiles higher than low attainers from other school types
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Gill Wyness @gillwyness.bsky.social · 30/07/2025
In the UK, students from fee-paying private schools make up only 7% of the student body at age 16, yet elite positions in society (such as judges and civil servants) are dominated by their alumni. Our aim is to understand the role these schools play in promoting access to selective universities.
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Gill Wyness @gillwyness.bsky.social · 30/07/2025
📝New @cepeo-ucl.bsky.social working paper Why are students from elite high schools much more likely to go to high ranked university courses than equally qualified students from the state sector? 🤔 w @opmc1.bsky.social @lindseymacmillan.bsky.social & Jo Blanden econpapers.repec.org/RePEc:ucl:ce...
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UCL Centre for Education Policy & Equalising Opportunities @cepeo-ucl.bsky.social · 21/07/2025
New @feweek.bsky.social op-ed from our PhD student @robbiemaris.bsky.social showing huge improvements in literacy and numeracy for young adults between 2012 and 2023... but a very concerning lack of progress for the lowest performing students feweek.co.uk/bottom-10-pe...
feweek.co.uk
Bottom 10% of GCSE retakers missing out on subject success
A decade of GCSE resits and curriculum reforms saw England’s young adults surging up global skills rankings
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Gill Wyness @gillwyness.bsky.social · 15/07/2025
Its their first choice... Once the applicant gets their offers from unis, they have to choose their "firm" (i.e. first choice) and "insurance" (i.e. second choice). If they get the grades to get into their firm choice, they are committed to attending.
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Gill Wyness @gillwyness.bsky.social · 14/07/2025
More stats here: www.ucas.com/advisers/hel...
ucas.com
Predicted grades – what you need to know for entry this year | UCAS
Guidance and support for advisers when predicting grades.
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Gill Wyness @gillwyness.bsky.social · 14/07/2025
Among those predicted AAA, of those who achieved 2 grades below their prediction (i.e. ABB), 75% were still accepted to their selected firm choice course...
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Gill Wyness @gillwyness.bsky.social · 14/07/2025
Only 30% of applicants achieve grades that are within 1 grade of what they were predicted
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Gill Wyness @gillwyness.bsky.social · 14/07/2025
Recognising the growing difference between predicted grades and achieved grades over time, UCAS are piloting personalised reports to schools These will show schools how their UCAS predicted grades compare to achieved results www.ucas.com/corporate/ne...
ucas.com
UCAS pilots new reports to help teachers strengthen grade predictions and support student choice | UCAS
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Gill Wyness @gillwyness.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
Chloe joins a notable alumni of #annyleccy speakers including @dynarski.bsky.social @joshua-goodman.com and Sean Reardon. We are a lucky bunch to have such great people come and visit us.
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Gill Wyness @gillwyness.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
Really enjoyed our 4th @cepeo-ucl.bsky.social annual lecture last night with @chloergibbs.bsky.social Fascinating talk about early years education and Headstart/Surestart. And one of the best intros to an econ talk I've seen in a while!
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UCL Centre for Education Policy & Equalising Opportunities @cepeo-ucl.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
What a fantastic #annyleccy from @chloergibbs.bsky.social last night! Great insights on such a topical policy area. Thank you so much to Chloe for a fab day with the @cepeo-ucl.bsky.social team and to everyone who braved the heat to join us last night - it was wonderful to see so many people there!
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UCL Centre for Education Policy & Equalising Opportunities @cepeo-ucl.bsky.social · 07/07/2025
Great to see @cepeo-ucl.bsky.social research and policy priorities informing the new Best Start in Life strategy: 🏠Best Start Family Hubs in disadvantaged areas 🚸Renewed focus on inclusive early years provision/funding 🔢Importance of early maths skills 💷Consultation on complex funding system
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UCL Centre for Education Policy & Equalising Opportunities @cepeo-ucl.bsky.social · 04/07/2025
New @cepeo-ucl.bsky.social blog post. Our brilliant PhD student @robbiemaris.bsky.social has been looking at inequalities in resit performance. Those performing worst in resits are: - Disadvantaged students - Students w unauthorised absences in year 11 - Students entered into resits too early
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Lindsey Macmillan @lindseymacmillan.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
🎙️NEW FINDINGS🎙️ Updated analysis from our @nuffieldfoundation.org funded work on shows that inequalities by socio-economic background have *increased* over time for the latest year of recruitment as competition for graduate jobs have increased repec-cepeo.ucl.ac.uk/cepeow/cepeo...
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Joshua Goodman @joshua-goodman.com · 25/06/2025
🔥What’s the only thing hotter than this week’s weather?🔥 Our new @wheelockpolicybu.bsky.social working paper: “School Enrollment Shifts Five Years After the Pandemic” In it, BU Wheelock PhD @abbyfrancis.bsky.social and I ask: Has the pandemic permanently changed families' schooling choices?
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Gill Wyness @gillwyness.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
read the full paper here: wol.iza.org/articles/the...
wol.iza.org
The merits of teacher assessment versus external exams to measure student achievement
Are teachers best placed to assess their students or are external exams more effective?
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Gill Wyness @gillwyness.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
consequences: do these divergences between teacher assessment and external exams matter for students’ later outcomes? - studies have shown that underassessed pupils may be placed in lower sets, less likely to enrol in ambitious tracks or less likely to choose STEM degrees
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Gill Wyness @gillwyness.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
mechanisms: - while there is evidence that teacher assessments favour certain groups (e.g. females), there is less consensus on why. - evidence has pointed to pupil behaviour, teacher stereotypes, gender dominance in a field (e.g. boys in STEM)
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Gill Wyness @gillwyness.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
key findings: - wide variation in the assessments different teachers make for even identical pieces of work. - teachers appear to use information other than “pure attainment” to assess students (e.g. behaviour) - thus, there is potential for teacher assessments to be biased against some groups
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