Pupil absence in the 2025/26 academic year
Using the latest data from FFT Attendance Tracker, we look at attendance across the 2025/26 academic year, including increased rates of absence in the lead-up to the summer holidays
The reading fluency of White working class pupils
The Inquiry into White working class educational outcomes recommended making reading fluency at primary school a national priority for White working class children. We dig into the data from the Reading Assessment Programme to analyse fluency among this group.
The links between disadvantage and the achievement grade in school inspection
Recent Ofsted analysis showed that achievement grades in inspection were related to the attainment of disadvantaged pupils. We dig into this a bit more.
When is it too late? What exclusions tell us about classroom disruption
A summary of some new research examining how the timing of excluding disruptive pupils affects the outcomes of peers at the same school.
10 key findings about the outcomes of initially high-achieving children from disadvantaged backgrounds
This post brings together some of the “greatest hits” from across the project, highlighting a selection of the findings that stood out most over the course of the research.
Exclusions and suspensions in Autumn 2025/26
Early signs for 2025/26 suggest that suspensions are continuing to fall from their 2023/24 peak
“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.
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.
What difference will the proposed changes to Attainment 8 and Progress 8 make?
The proposed new method of calculating Attainment 8 will not affect schools' Progress 8 scores greatly but will shift the incentives to enter particular subjects