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Ellie Harris

@eleanorrrlouise.bsky.social
582 followers 945 following 212 posts

Education wonk & Midwest emo fan; Head of Children and Young People at IPPR

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Ellie Harris @eleanorrrlouise.bsky.social · 16h
“Special educational needs and disabilities reform, for example, depends on schools working closely with local services to identify needs, share resources and provide support.” A great price pointing out how the incoherence of our school system is a major blocker to reform.
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Ellie Harris @eleanorrrlouise.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
The accountancy sleight of hand and monopoly-game-playing of OBR forecasts and future promises of cuts in some distant future where growth might be better is misdirection at best , and deceit at worst.
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James Ball @jamesrball.com · 29/09/2026
"By embracing electoral reform, tackling the triple lock, and reopening the question of Brexit, Andy Burnham has embraced Labour’s new core vote – younger, economically insecure, liberal Brits, instead of holding on to an imagined voter of a bygone era."
thenewworld.co.uk
Vigour, passion, purpose: Why Andy Burnham’s bold speech will be talked about for many years to come
On social care, PR, Brexit, water, housing and more, the PM signalled seismic change and a willingness to tackle the toughest issues
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Rachel Cunliffe @rmcunliffe.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
This is your semi-regular reminder that pensioner poverty: a) is real b) is significantly less prevalent than working-age poverty and half the rate of child poverty, and c) is such that a pensioner is statistically more likely to live in a household worth over £1 million than to live in poverty
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Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
This is testament to No.10's frankly astonishing degree of political competence. A policy which was branded electoral suicide 48 hours ago now showing signs of robust popularity.
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David Higham @oldtrotter.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Ending the triple lock isn’t the same as cutting pensions. Thatcher linked the state pension to inflation rather than earnings growth with the result that the value of pensions fell relative to earnings. The triple lock was designed to reverse than trend. It’s done its job. Restore the earnings link
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Ellie Harris @eleanorrrlouise.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
“The NHS treats illness, a healthy society prevents it” Great from @impurbanhealth.bsky.social at Labour today with the Secretary of State for health and @ippr.org
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Ellie Harris @eleanorrrlouise.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
There are no easy wins here, only hard choices. I think the public, and particularly the next generation, deserve a government willing to make decisions that, while unpopular, are actually capable of transforming outcomes. That means tax rises.
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Athena Kugblenu @athenakugblenu.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
"So, to the person who says it's a snowflake generation, just try living 24 hours as a 16-year-old." Its about time we assumed collective responsibility for the environment we've created for children www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Young people are not snowflakes, head of mental health review says
Speaking exclusively to the BBC, Prof Peter Fonagy says being young is much harder now than it was.
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Ellie Harris @eleanorrrlouise.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
I spend a lot of time discussing education policy on here (and elsewhere!) and how important it is for changing child outcomes. But health seems to come up much less... That's despite the fact that more children and young people are dying than a decade ago. Their health outcomes have plummeted.
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Ellie Harris @eleanorrrlouise.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Absolutely fascinating that 2016 is a real cliff edge in a lot of the data - we haven’t got good causal evidence as to why - but Brexit has been raised as a possibility bc of how much it shifted what was literally possible for young people to do with their lives.
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Ellie Harris @eleanorrrlouise.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
A lack of agency is absolutely a big part of what’s going on for young people today. We spoke to 150 young people, who all had big aspirations but were struggling to realise them. This isn’t a character flaw. Agency is a skill that needs to be developed & practice. That requires opportunities.
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Ellie Harris @eleanorrrlouise.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
So pleased George Fouracres could differentiate himself from the last PM. Would have been really shitty for his career if they needed to get a different middle aged white guy who remembers what it was like in the 90s
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Ellie Harris @eleanorrrlouise.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Absolutely fascinating reminder that “Westminster truths” such as the two-child limit increasing child poverty are rarely shared by the general public. Making the case, sharing the evidence and repeatedly doing so is so key. We shouldn’t be led by polls, we should be changing the polls.
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Ellie Harris @eleanorrrlouise.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
This piece completely gets what we were trying to do with the report; not locate the distress young people are experiencing with them, or in their own heads, but in the conditions they have found themselves in. In the policy choices made by adults. In the material conditions of growing up today.
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Ellie Harris @eleanorrrlouise.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
The conclusion at the end of this post is what keeps me up at night. The literal act of governing - making choices and trade-offs - is fuelling the far right. Politicians that make promises to get elected and then can’t deliver them further fuel anti-system sentiment.
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Ellie Harris @eleanorrrlouise.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
I think there are real questions to be asked about parenting & families in our next phase of work. For me, the evidence on sleep is key. Children and young people are not getting enough sleep, they do not have reliable bedtimes, & this has big impacts on education, mental health & development.
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Ellie Harris @eleanorrrlouise.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Our new research found that 1 in 20 young people have no friends at all. This is deeply sad for those individuals, but it also forces us to ask big questions about how we prioritise young people in policy making & investment & what we’re risking if these trends continue.
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Ellie Harris @eleanorrrlouise.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Understanding what's really going on for young people today is at the heart of the work I'm leading at IPPR - it's a huge privilege to be working with Sam on this. Sorting fact from fiction and debunking the myths surrounding young people is key to our first report that will be out on September 1st!
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DHinrio @dhinrio.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
The other issue with PISA in England - and Wales tbf - is that the sampling quality deteriorated for the 2018 and 2022 rounds, which means that in both countries pupils participating were less likely to be FSM and more likely to come from better-off families than the national average.
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Ellie Harris @eleanorrrlouise.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
I think while some might have overstated the relative role of schools v wider economy- the debate on here massively undersells the huge role schools play. Attainment, engagement, SEN, mental health- all factors for becoming NEET & something schools can help with. It all feels a bit reactionary.
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Ellie Harris @eleanorrrlouise.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Surprised to find myself agreeing with Ian... but I think engagement is the most important thing for this group of children and there's good evidence that access to technical education improves attendance and reduces exclusion. Big wins for kids + schools.
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Ellie Harris @eleanorrrlouise.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
I've been reflecting on the 'parity of esteem' and technical education debate. I think, partly because of my own experience, I weight engagement in school high. Engagement is obviously a pre-requisite for high standards. But engagement also offers so much more to young people.
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Dorian Lynskey @dorianlynskey.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
The decision of so many people to keep using X in its race-war phase has made me a bit more cynical overall about the ability to draw moral red lines. It’s beyond disappointing.
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Rachel Cunliffe @rmcunliffe.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
* They were also explicitly told loans would not affect their ability to get a mortgage. Which is just untrue - student loan repayments absolutely affect mortgage affordability criteria, as they are finding out now www.newstatesman.com/politics/edu...
newstatesman.com
Government mis-sold student loans to a generation, report finds
A new Treasury Committee report has found that the state did not sufficiently communicate the terms and conditions
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Paul Brand @paulbrand.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
We heard similar vibes from Boris Johnson over Partygate by the way, where he attempted to delegitimise the privileges committee. Farage isn’t unique in wishing the rules didn’t apply to him, but this was the most forceful exposition of that complaint that I’ve heard.
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Sean Mason @seanmason87.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
It's Fouracres I feel sorry for.
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Stuart Hoddinott @stuarthoddinott.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
Love this as a prevention case study: - Low cost, even revenue raising in the short term - Improves health outcomes and reduces costly hospital admissions Shows political leadership is key: - Politically costly for Khan to implement - Did it despite cost savings landing outside GLA
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Eliot Higgins @eliothiggins.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Pesky reality getting in the way of Farage's narratives- Nowak murder: police accused of ‘anti-white bias’ five times more likely to stop black people www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Nowak murder: police accused of ‘anti-white bias’ five times more likely to stop black people
Hampshire force whose officers responded to the murder of 18-year-old has a higher than average racial disparity
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Ellie Harris @eleanorrrlouise.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
This is such a beautiful piece on what it means to be “different” and how we should be locating the problem in the environment and the system, not in the child
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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Note that state school numbers are down 1.9% due to falling birth rates over the same time period so the fall in private school numbers attributable to VAT is at most 3.7%.
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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
See there are circumstances in which I could believe the police cynical try to avoid accusations of racism. But the idea that antiracism is a deeply ingrained instinct in police officers is laughable.
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Ellie Harris @eleanorrrlouise.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Maybe it’s not surprising that the far right has taken the language of institutional racism, of identity politics, of structural disadvantage and applied it to themselves as the victims? But the lack of critical thinking is just so galling www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Protesters clash with police in Southampton over Henry Nowak murder
Demonstration follows family’s plea for death not to be used to create division
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Ellie Harris @eleanorrrlouise.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Poor sleep was found to be one of the the strongest drivers of poor mental health in young people by YFF - this is a challenge of social media, of parenting & of our expectation of child and adolescent development. Teenagers should be sleeping 9-11 a night!!
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Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Extraordinary testimony to the Millburn Report about sleeping habits
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Ellie Harris @eleanorrrlouise.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
One of the better government reviews I’ve read - in style, but also in breadth. It hasn’t avoided some of the knotty issues around further education, mental health & neurodevelopmental conditions. It sets govt up to do something meaningful and bold on young people.
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Ellie Harris @eleanorrrlouise.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
I don't think we talk enough about the policy success of halving pensioner poverty - to the extent that pensioners are less likely to be in poverty than any other age group. The Pensions Commission's interim report- out today- contains some bleak reading - but it also shows what's possible.
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Ellie Harris @eleanorrrlouise.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
We literally have a human rights lawyer as PM and human rights in the UK have got… worse
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Ellie Harris @eleanorrrlouise.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
Absolutely mind-blowing to me that we might get a Labour PM who has resided over the restrictive & harmful polices that have seen the UK slide down the scale of equality & protections for LGBT+ people
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Ellie Harris @eleanorrrlouise.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
London’s existence is an affront to people like Trump.”If you’re a nativist, you believe in mono-ethnicity, you believe in mono-religion, then London is the antidote & the antithesis, because we are diverse, we are pluralistic, we are liberal & we are incredibly successful on any objective criteria”
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Athena Kugblenu @athenakugblenu.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
He's sounding more and more like George Fouracres every day
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Matt Perks @dodiscimus.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
This does imply the late 1990s figure in the Timpson report was pretty much a peak. There may be holes in that data but I think it is unlikely that PX rates now are 1/3 of the 1990s rate. They probably were around 2012/13/14, but they're more like 2/3 of the 1990s rate now.
The rate of permanent exclusions has been on a downward trend since 1995/96. The rate has decreased from 0.17% in 1995/96 to 0.08% in 2009/10, the year of the most recent data.
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The peak number of permanent exclusions was recorded for the 1996/97 academic year. In this year there were 12,670 exclusions from the whole school population. The most recent data highlight that the number of permanent exclusions has more than halved to 5,740 for the 2009/10 academic year.
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Ellie Harris @eleanorrrlouise.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
But these are almost always duties of last resort, without which many people - the elderly who need care, disabled children who need educating, & homeless families who need accommodation - would be left completely destitute
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Warwick Mansell @warwickmansell.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Nearly half - 49% - of school suspensions went to children with special educational needs, press release from IPPR think tank points out, based on new DfE data. Education in England is now at a "cross-roads," it adds, with challenge now to support schs to deliver system where needs are met earlier.
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Ellie Harris @eleanorrrlouise.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
1/ New school exclusion data out today - another big rise as schools continue to struggle with behaviour. But it’s not just a story about volume - some children are disproportionately more likely to be suspended or excluded.
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Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
Some general possible benefits: shift share of attention to what younger as well as older voters think (and where the young agree + differ) maybe have fewer monolithic caricatures if young if ask/hear them try to close the participation gap for the newly eligible as well as already eligible;
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Ellie Harris @eleanorrrlouise.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
This is such a strong basis for a renewed and progressive sense of national pride
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Ellie Harris @eleanorrrlouise.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Becoming increasingly obsessed with the living standards debate- interesting that Gen Z is actually more positive about their economic situation than Millennials were at the same age. 53% of Gen Z thought they were 'low income' in 2019, compared to 63% of Millennials in 2008 (who are a big outlier)
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Ellie Harris @eleanorrrlouise.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
“…as a result, opportunities become less a matter of merit but materialise from simply picking up the phone… In these circumstances, an academically unremarkable boy may rise to the very apex of British society, despite being of very low character or ability” absolutely spot on from Darren McGarvey
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John Oxley @joxley.jmoxley.co.uk · 22/03/2026
Given events in the Middle East, the government really need to publicly address some vital questions - are they going to put Winston Churchill or a badger on the petrol ration coupons?
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