White paper: Opportunity for all: strong schools with great teachers for your child
A white paper setting out the Government's vision for a school system that helps every child fulfil their potential by ensuring they receive the right support, in the right place at the right time.
Green paper: SEND review: right support, right place, right time
Sets out the vision for a single, national SEND and alternative provision (AP) system that will introduce new standards in the quality of support given to children across education, health and care.
Research Briefings from the House of Commons give you in depth analysis of Bills, Legislation and Policy on topical issues. Below are listed some of the most recent briefings. For more please see their webpage
Research Briefing: Autism: overview of policy and services
An overview of policies and services for Autistic people in England
Research Briefing: Provisions to support transgender children in schools
An overview of the support currently in place for transgender children in schools and the recent consultation by the Department for Education on new guidance.
Research Briefing: Educational attainment of boys
Looking at the educational attainment of boys. Boys perform worse than girls on most major educational indicators through their school years.
Research Briefing: The Advanced British Standard
Outlines the Government's plan to introduce a new qualification in England: the Advanced British Standard. This will replace A Levels and T Levels.
Research Briefing: School attendance in England
Overview of school attendance rules in England, and concerns about increased persistent and severe absence since the Covid pandemic.
Research Briefing: Special Educational Needs: support in England
Briefing outlining the system of support for children and young people in England aged 0-25 with special educational needs (SEN).
Research Briefing: Summer-born children: starting school
An overview of the flexibility for parents of summer-born children in England to request that their children are admitted to school outside of their normal age group. Includes information about potential future changes.
Research Briefing: Children and young people’s mental health: policy and services (England)
Looks at how children and young people's mental health services in England work and sets out relevant Government policy and statistics.
Research Briefing: Language teaching in schools (England)
Outlines the requirements on schools in England to teach languages; the quality of provision; support for teaching; calls for improved standards; and relevant Government reforms.
Research Briefing: Special Educational Needs: support in England
Sets out the system of support for children and young people in England aged 0-25 with special educational needs (SEN).
Research Briefing: Relationship and Sex Education in Schools (England)
an overview of the current rules and recent reforms to relationships and sex education in English schools.
In Focus: Higher education: contribution to the economy and levelling up
UK HE sector economic output is estimated to be at least £116bn. With better employment outcomes for those that have graduated. The government's levelling up strategy includes improving skills and ministers have said that HE institutions play an important part in supporting regional economies. There has been criticism of the government's plan to restrict access to some HE courses and for not emphasising the benefits provided by the sector.
In Focus: The importance of skills
Discusses the evidence suggesting that greater skill levels benefit the economy and also provide significant economic and social benefits to the individuals with the skills.
In focus: Mental health, wellbeing and personal development in schools
This briefing considers the government's policy on mental health in schools and the current requirements for personal, social, health and economic education. Schools are required to provide support for the mental health and wellbeing of pupils. Sex, relationships and citizenship education are also included in the national curriculum. This includes a summary recent scrutiny of exam pressure in schools and citizenship education by House of Lords committees.
In Focus: Quality of religious education in schools in England
Ofsted have reported that religious education is often an afterthought despite being a compulsory subject in England. In many primary and secondary schools Ofsted consider RE is of poor quality and is not fit for purpose. Organisations from the sector, such as the National Association of Teachers of Religious Education, have called for a national strategy for religious education.
In Focus: Financial Education in Schools
Despite forming part of the school curriculum across all UK nations financial education is not being adequately provided in UK schools. Research has shown the positive impact that financial education can have on the financial literacy of children and young people. Some financial organisations and charities have called for more to be done to support schools to deliver financial education.
In Focus: Safeguarding in schools
The government provides detailed safeguarding guidance for staff and governors that schools are required to follow. The government has updated this guidance in response to an increase in reports of child-on-child sexual violence and sexual harassment in recent years, which has occurred in the context of the widespread use of social media.
In Focus: Educational technology: digital innovation and AI in schools
Educational technology use in UK schools is growing and is likely to increase significantly in coming years, particularly with the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. These technologies present significant opportunities but also substantial risks. This briefing examines these issues ahead of a forthcoming debate in the House of Lords.
