Education

With our long running support the IFS’s education spending programme provides authoritative analysis across all phases. The flagship annual report and a series of deep dive briefings have become a central reference point for policymakers and widely cited across national media, shaping debate on the pressures and trade offs facing the system. Recent work has illuminated rising pressures from SEND, real terms trends in school and college funding, the implications of the Spending Review, demographic change, and the expansion of childcare entitlements and free school meals. The grant’s flexibility enables IFS to respond quickly to shifting priorities while sustaining rigorous analytical groundwork. This provides clear, independent insight that informs decisions across government and helps the public understand how resources are allocated, and what this means for children and young people.

The Skills Imperative 2035 programme has identified the six essential employment skills that will be most in demand in the next decade. With 1-3 million jobs likely to be lost from ‘high-risk’ occupations, greater focus is needed on supporting workers to reskill and preparing young people for entry-level roles in growth sectors. Using a robust data-driven approach and drawing on international comparisons, the programme has demonstrated the value of essential employment skills, influencing skills planning and education practice and national and local levels.

Sure Start represented a major investment into children’s early years between 1999 and its peak in 2010. At the time, the evidence on its effectiveness was underwhelming. However, IFS analysis of its longer-term impacts found significant positive impacts on educational attainment in schools and on hospitalisations. The associated cost-benefit analysis indicated that the long-run benefits are likely to exceed the costs. This has reinvigorated policy debates and led to expanded investment in integrated family support via Family Hubs.