This report on education in England is by the Education Policy Institute combines data, analysis and insights from over 75 education experts on the education challenges facing the next government and possible solutions to improve outcomes. It highlights 11 key facts about education in England in 2023 that will underlie the challenges and policy responses in the decades ahead.
The report reveals a system that is struggling. Thousands of children start school each year without basic skills, the disadvantage gap is growing, and education at every level is experiencing a chronic recruitment and retention challenge.
The teacher recruitment and retention shortage and the pressures on school and college funding have been key features of the public debate around education in recent years. In addition, inequalities between disadvantaged pupils and their peers underpin many of the challenges identified, from access to high quality early education and care, to regional disparities in school attainment outcomes and an inadequate system for pupils with special educational needs.
Although inequality was already rising, the Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated these issues, with pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds falling further behind their peers and experiencing increased rates of persistent absence.
But there are also many opportunities awaiting the sector. For instance, the role of technology, including artificial intelligence, in supporting pupils or helping with teacher workload; whether there should be reforms to qualifications and curriculum to meet the skills gap facing this country; or whether we should be aspiring to a more integrated further and higher education system which might provide greater choice for young people.