What happened to “opportunity areas”?
A summary of how pupil attainment and progress have changed over time in "opportunity areas" and "education investment areas" - from designation, through the pandemic, to the most recent set of results
Grading severity at Key Stage 4 in 2024
A new edition of our occasional series examining how pupils' grades in different subjects at Key Stage 4 differ to those they achieve in GCSE English language and maths
Understanding trends in the study of economics
We look at trends over the last ten years at GCSE, A-Level and first degree level, focusing in on the school and pupil characteristics that are most – and least – associated with studying economics.
Pupil absence in Autumn and Spring 2024/25
A summary of pupil attendance so far this year using data from our Attendance Tracker schools. Absence and persistent absence seem to have improved very slightly since last year, but remain above pre-pandemic levels.
How did the gender gap in top GCSE grades change during the pandemic?
A subject-by-subject breakdown of gender gaps before, during and after the pandemic.
The rise of teenage girls feeling unsafe at school
We look at data from the TIMSS study that shows a sharp rise in the proportion of young people who don’t feel safe at school.
Where do we need more provision for pupils with EHC plans?
We investigate how placements for pupils with EHC plans has changed as numbers have increased in recent years.
Qualification entry patterns at the end of the EBacc era
The number of non-EBacc qualifications entered by pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 has been steadily falling since 2015
Pathways into low attainment at Key Stage 4
We use latent class analysis to gain insights into low attaining Key Stage 4 pupils in England.