Outcomes for pupils with low reading attainment at Key Stage 2
Low attainment in Key Stage 2 reading tests does not necessarily lead to poor outcomes at secondary school, but it does increase the chances of poor outcomes.
The education and labour market outcomes of England’s gifted and talented children
This post outlines the findings from a new paper looking at England's former Gifted and Talented programme. Who was identified as gifted and talented, and what difference did it make to their education and later life?
Understanding unauthorised absence
We look at patterns in unauthorised absence, including the numbers of students missing school for unauthorised reasons very frequently, and the contribution such pupils make to headline absence figures
Best-fit progress: Is it worth it?
The Department for Education are consulting on a new "best-fit progress" measure for pupils with low prior attainment at the end of Key Stage 2. But does it offer any more beyond the existing Progress 8 measure?
“Fair banding” schools
In collaboration with TES magazine last year, we analysed the characteristics of pupils in schools which used banding tests in their admissions processes. Here we set out our full methodology and findings.
Are DfE right to ditch confidence intervals?
DfE are proposing a change to the way they calculate bandings that summarise schools' progress scores. We look at the pros and cons of doing so.
A-level completion rates
We calculate the proportion of A-level students who complete their chosen qualification, and explore how this varies by subject and prior attainment
When early promise meets socio-economic barriers: what the data say about initially high-achieving pupils from poor backgrounds
We explore how many disadvantaged children who shine in primary school go on to convert that promise into strong GCSEs, A-levels and selective university entry.
Pupil absence in Autumn Term 2025/26
A summary of patterns in pupil attendance across Autumn Term this year, including the impact of an unusually early flu season