This Sutton Trust summary accompanies the report "Which University Degrees Are Best for Intergenerational Mobility?," produced by the Institute for Fiscal Studies in partnership with the Sutton Trust and the Department for Education. The research is a landmark piece of work for the study of social mobility in this country, utilising data…

As the United Kingdom (UK) labour market faces challenges on multiple fronts, the Further Education (FE) sector is identified as a potential source of solutions, alongside Higher Education (HE). The FE sector has an important role to play in social mobility. Young people from more disadvantaged backgrounds are much more likely to undertake further…

In the wake of last summer's disruption to the Higher Education entry process, this year's cohort of young people finishing school and college have faced their second consecutive year of disruption to their education, impacting their schooling, their exams and assessment, and the transition to their next steps in education. In 2021 pupils' grades…

Access to apprenticeships for young people and those from disadvantaged backgrounds is an ongoing problem, particularly among the most sought-after apprenticeship opportunities. Since the apprenticeship reforms in 2017 there have been a number of main trends. A decline in the number of apprenticeships overall (a trend further exacerbated by the…

The number of children in poverty looks set to rise and the gap in outcomes between the most disadvantaged children and their peers is likely to widen. Many families will face challenges of poverty, ill health, bereavement and unemployment, with knock-on effects for children's health and wellbeing. There are fears that children will miss out on…

As with most areas of society and human life, the COVID-19 pandemic has posed enormous challenges to the early years sector, which caters for about 2.1 million children under the age of 5 years. The economic and public health consequences of the crisis are threatening to deepen existing patterns of vulnerability and under-achievement for young…

The COVID-19 pandemic has already had a considerable impact on Britain's job market. Young people entering the job market this year are likely to be particularly badly hit, with youth unemployment following the 2008 recession twice that of the overall unemployment rate. Some academics predict the youth unemployment rate could even go above 25% due…

When students apply for university in the United Kingdom (UK), they do so on the basis of 'predicted grades'. These grades influence both students' decisions of where to apply, and the decisions made by the institutions they hope to attend. But, they are, more often than not, incorrect, with 9% of students underpredicted and 75% overpredicted.…

In April this year, shortly after the closure of schools and the announcement of the cancellation of this year's "A Levels and Scottish Highers," Sutton Trust surveyed young people applying to university through UCAS. This research brief provides an overview of the survey polling. Significant worries about the grading process were…

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented disruption to higher education across the world. The World Bank estimated that, in April of this year, universities and other tertiary education institutions were closed in 175 countries and communities, and over 220 million post-secondary students had their studies significantly disrupted due to…

This report, authored by Graeme Atherton, examines how universities who are seen as leading internationally and/or in their own national contexts are supporting greater access and success for learners from low-income and other marginalised groups. What can English universities learn from global institutions? By looking at how they work with…

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused complex challenges across the apprenticeship landscape. The unique position of apprenticeships -- which combine education, training and employment - has made the sector particularly vulnerable to the current health crisis. Impacts on training providers and access to learning are being compounded by the profound…

The COVID-19 pandemic poses significant challenges for higher education across the UK. This year's cohort of university applicants now face months of uncertainty, as they try to make decisions on their future amid exam cancellations and a new system to determine grades, all without face-to-face support from their school. For students currently…

The closure of schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented challenges for everyone involved, from the students themselves, to their teachers and their parents. In the first of a series of in-depth briefings looking at the impact of the coronavirus crisis on social mobility, the Trust's Carl Cullinane and Rebecca Montacute examine…

The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are far reaching and are likely to impact on practically every area of government policy for a long time to come. The policy landscape is shifting rapidly, with changes coming not in days or weeks but often in hours. This briefing covers the Sutton Trust's immediate concerns, based on the information available,…