Language teaching is facing a "difficult climate" in England's schools, researchers say. A report by the CfBT Education Trust and the British Council highlights low uptakes of language GCSEs and A-levels as particular concerns. It found that language teachers felt attracting pupils to study languages after the age of 16 was a "challenge". Read More

Bright students from disadvantaged backgrounds are falling behind after their GCSEs and are almost half as likely to achieve three A-levels as their better-off peers, according to research published on Tuesday 17th March. Poorer youngsters’ life chances are further compromised as they are considerably less likely to study the sort of A-levels that will help them get into leading universities. Read More

The HEA's Undergraduate retention and attainment across the disciplines report examines how students from a variety of backgrounds perform against the key indicators of retention and attainment within different disciplinary contexts. The report presents an analysis of data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency, relating to undergraduate students participating in the academic year 2010-11 and includes all students who were taking a degree in a single identifiable discipline. Read More

The report, ‘Young participation in higher education: A-levels and similar qualifications’ (HEFCE 2015/03), examines the rates of young participation in higher education for all Key Stage 5 pupils from English schools and colleges achieving a Level 3 qualification between 2006 and 2013. It also examines the extent to which a pupil’s school and background affect their likelihood of progressing to higher education at the ages of 18 or 19. Read More

The Office for Fair Access (OFFA) has today [Thursday 26 February] published its new strategic plan, setting out how it will work with universities and colleges to improve fair access to higher education. The plan, which covers the period 2015-2020, sets out ambitious objectives for improving the rates of disadvantaged students entering and succeeding in higher education, and seeks to close the participation gap between the most and least advantaged. As well as seeking progress across the sector...

Allowing some universities to charge tuition fees above £9,000 a year would “create further inequity” in higher education funding, a university group has warned. Under a scheme believed to have been under consideration by policymakers, some universities would be able to charge additional fees above £9,000 by providing a “top-up” loan themselves. Read More

Well designed classrooms boost the academic performance of primary school children, a study suggests. Researchers from Salford University said the layout, construction and decoration of classes had a significant impact on reading, writing and maths. Read More

A teacher-led commission is being set up to help primary schools in England find new ways of assessing their pupils' progress. The previous system of levels, where pupils' progress was assessed against standards set by the national curriculum, has been scrapped. Read More

Software failures and a shortage of markers meant that last summer’s A-level results came dangerously close to missing crucial publishing deadlines, which would have disrupted university admissions and clearing for hundreds of thousands of students. Read More

Much of the discussion of social mobility and access to "top" universities is limited to consideration of the picture in England. This represents the higher volume of students and institutions involved, but also in part because of the concentration on - some might say, obsession with - access to Oxbridge. Read More