Education priorities in the next general election

This project will provide evidence for policy makers on the key education priorities, and the evidence behind effective interventions, ahead of the next general election. It will also provide rigorous analysis of education pledges in party manifestos in order to inform public debate.

Education challenges for the next general election

Economic challenges, including energy prices and the cost of living, mean that there is a risk education will not be a key priority in party manifestos and public discourse. However, the education system is faced with multiple challenges, including:

• England’s early years workforce being characterised as low qualified and low paid.
• the national teacher recruitment and retention crisis.
• disadvantaged pupils falling further behind their peers because of the pandemic.

The project will be completed in two phases.

Phase one: sharing evidence

Phase one will involve the collation and dissemination of existing evidence.

The researchers will identify:

• the key challenges facing the education system in England
• the particular challenges around disparities
• and the evidence-informed policies that a new government should prioritise.

The researchers will focus on five key areas:

1. early years
2. distribution of education funding
3. teacher recruitment, retention, and workload
4. school system and structures
5. post-16 education (including technical and vocational education).

Phase two: analysing manifestos

In phase two, the researchers will analyse the policies made clear in political parties’ manifestos, public statements and social media. They will engage with the parties where needed.

The researchers will identify:

• each political party’s proposals relating to education
• whether the proposals will address the main challenges and priorities identified in phase one
• the likely implications and impact of each party’s proposals.

Outcomes

Each phase of research will result in a published report of key findings. Copies will be sent to party leaders, their education spokespeople, selected journalists and major sector representatives. The reports will also be freely available on this webpage.

Each publication will have an associated event for politicians, policymakers, advisors, sector leaders, national charities and journalists to hear and debate the findings.