Gender Pay Gap: NFER better than national average
NFER has published a report on the pay gap between its male and female employees as part of its continuing commitment to transparency.
News release | 5 April 2018
A Study on Teaching and Electronic Assessment Methodologies for the KFIT Project in Rwanda
This study, conducted as part of the “ICT Transforming Education in Africa” project, explored the possibilities for the use of ICT in assessment in Rwanda, by identifying the capacity of the education system to develop & use e-assessment effectively.
Research report | 22 March 2018
Reduce working hours to tackle teacher retention, suggests new research
New research looking at how the teaching profession compares to nursing and policing has found that teachers work the longest hours at 50 hours per week during term time, followed by police officers (44) and nurses (39).
Press release | Research report | 20 March 2018
Globalisation – Is it shaping national curricula?
In this blog post, Research Manager Oliver Stacey looks at a number of factors driving globalisation within science education and the curriculum.
Blog post | 14 March 2018
Department for Education government consultation - Strengthening Qualified Teacher Status (QTS)
In December 2017, the Department for Education (DfE) launched a consultation on the strengthening of qualified teacher status and improving career progression for teachers. NFER addressed five of the questions in the call for evidence submission.
Response to consultation | 14 March 2018
NFER at the 2018 ASCL Conference
Head of Impact, Karen Wespieser and NFER Trustee Ian Bauckham gave a presentation on ‘School improvement – capacity and opportunity’ at the two-day conference last weekend.
News release | 12 March 2018
My six top tips for a role in Digital Communications
As part of National Careers Week 2018, Web Communications Executive Alexander Blakey offers his advice for young people looking to start a career in the digital industry.
Blog post | 8 March 2018
“There’s no doubting that careers advice has improved since my day but there’s so much more that can and must be done”
As National Careers Week gets underway, NFER’s Chief Executive, Carole Willis, talks about the careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) she received at school and gives her opinion on how things have changed.
Blog post | 7 March 2018
NFER supporting National Careers Week
NFER is proud to be supporting National Careers Week (#NCW2018), an annual event that celebrates and promotes quality careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) across the UK.
News release | 1 March 2018
Department for Education government consultation - Implementation of T Level programmeThe Department for Education (DfE) recently launched a public consultation on the implementation of T level programmes. Here is NFER’s response to the consultation along with a blog post written by NFER’s Claudia Sumner on the new technical qualifications.
Response to consultation | Blog post | 9 February 2018
Spotlight on multi-academy trusts: A glimpse into performance
In the final part of our multi-academy trusts (MATs) blog series, NFER’s Jens Van den Brande delves further into the Department for Education’s latest statistics on MAT performance.
Blog post | 2 February 2018
NFER Vice-President David Whitbread dies after long and distinguished career in education
We were very sad to hear the news last week of the sudden passing of NFER Vice President David Whitbread, a well-known and well-respected figure in education.
News release | 29 January 2018
Spotlight on multi-academy trusts: what is happening to performance?
In this post, NFER’s Karen Wespieser looks at the headline news from the latest DfE statistical first release on the performance of state-funded schools in multi-academy trusts in England.
Blog post | 25 January 2018
Performance in TIMSS 2015 of disadvantaged pupils in Northern Ireland
Research report that uses data from TIMSS 2015 to investigate the role socioeconomic status plays in the education of 9-10 year olds in Northern Ireland.
Research report | 25 January 2018
In times of austerity and budget cuts, it’s important to identify where money can do the most good in schools
Maire Williams discusses new NFER research and her experience at a recent Westminster Education Forum on the hot topic of school funding.
Blog post | 23 January 2018
Spotlight on multi-academy trusts: Teachers and schools
The second in our series of blogs on multi-academy trusts, NFER’s Karen Wespieser looks at three areas where there is a growing evidence base about MATs; teacher career paths, collaboration and financial efficiencies.
Blog post | 22 January 2018
Spotlight on multi-academy trusts: Pupil outcomes
The first of a series of blogs on multi-academy trusts (MATs) addresses what we know so far about outcomes for pupils in MATs.
Blog post | 18 January 2018
School Funding in England Since 2010 – What The Key Evidence Tells Us
A new NFER report published today summarises the changes to school funding that have taken place during 2010-17 and looks at existing evidence on the impact that these changes have had on patterns of expenditure in schools and their effects, particularly in relation to disadvantaged pupils.
News release | Research report | 16 January 2018
The SpringBoard Bursary Foundation Impact Assessment: Year 4
The fourth interim evaluation report of The SpringBoard Bursary Foundation (SpringBoard), completed by NFER, has been published today.
News release | Research report | 12 January 2018
Popular NFER blog posts of 2017
With 2017 coming to an end, we revisit some of our most popular blog posts of the year.
Blog post | 21 December 2017
The revised careers strategy: is it enough to ‘address the issue of variable quality’?
In this new blog post, NFER’s Tami McCrone looks at whether the Government’s newly published revised careers strategy is enough to address the issue of variable quality.
Blog post | 14 December 2017
Evaluation of University Technical Colleges (UTCs) – Year One
The first evaluation of University Technical College (UTC) approaches to curriculum design and employer engagement has found that project-based learning and employer involvement has helped to create more well-rounded, work-ready students.
News release | Research report | 12 December 2017
Improve job satisfaction to stop teachers quitting the classroom
New insights from NFER, released today, indicates that improved job satisfaction is the main driver for teachers who leave the profession.
Press release | Research update | 7 December 2017
NFER comment on results of PIRLS 2016
The latest results from PIRLS 2016 (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study) have been published today. NFER was responsible for delivering the survey in Northern Ireland (NI) and reporting on the results.
News release | NI Research report | PIRLS | 5 December 2017
PIRLS 2016 results and the importance of teaching
With the latest Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) results released today, NFER’s Juliet Sizmur looks at what they tell us about education in England.
Blog post | 5 December 2017
What will the PIRLS results tell us about reading in England and Northern Ireland?
In this blog post, NFER's Juliet Sizmur considers how next week's PIRLS results could provide an opportunity to assess the impact of changes put in place by the Conservative Government to improve reading in primary schools.
Blog post | 1 December 2017
Independent evaluation of the Literacy Octopus suggests more effective ways for research evidence to impact on classroom practice and pupil outcomes
The results of two randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of the Literacy Octopus, carried out and evaluated by NFER, have been published today by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) as part of its work to find out more about how academic research can have an impact on classroom practice and pupil outcomes.
News release | 1 December 2017
The Industrial Strategy: Will the Government put its money where its mouth is?
Following yesterday's launch of the government's industrial strategy, NFER’s Claudia Sumner looks at what the industrial strategy means for education.
Blog post | 28 November 2017
Collaborating with businesses will support London youngsters in making best career choices
Encouraging and supporting businesses to become involved in education is seen as a priority for London’s schools and colleges, according to a new report released today by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) and London Councils.
Press release | Research report | PowerPoint Guide | 24 November 2017
Are secondary free schools really achieving what they’re supposed to?
NFER’s Chloe Rush asks the question in our latest blog post.
Blog post | 15 November 2017
New EEF evaluation report published today
An Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) funded evaluation of the Teacher Observation intervention, conducted by NFER Education Trials Unit, has been published today.
News release | 10 November 2017
Focused support needed to tackle teacher supply challenge in London, says research
Researchers at NFER found that London has considerably more teachers leaving the profession compared to other areas of the country, including other large cities such as Birmingham and Manchester.
Press release | Research report | 25 October 2017
More and better part-time opportunities needed for secondary school teachers
The Teacher Retention and Turnover Research: Interim Report, published today calls for the Government and stakeholders in the secondary sector to urgently look at identifying ways in which more and better part-time working can be accommodated in secondary schools.
Press release | Research report | 24 October 2017
International school spending – how does the UK compare?
With school funding remaining a key issue, Maire Williams looks at how UK education spending compares internationally.
Blog post | 23 October 2017
Leading character education in schools
The National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) with the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) and Pearson have today issued case studies of senior school leaders’ first-hand experiences of leading character education, together with a new research-based practice guide.
News release | Research report | 23 October 2017
Are teacher pay reforms having an impact on schools?
Matt Walker blogs about the latest findings from an evaluation of the recent reforms to the pay of teachers.
Blog post | 20 October 2017
Evaluation of teachers pay reform
This DfE report provides findings from research which explored schools’ responses to recent changes to the system for deciding teachers’ and leaders’ pay.
Research report | 19 October 2017
Why a standardised or uniform approach to administration of a school-entry assessment will be fairer in the new high-stakes school accountability regime
This new paper in the NFER Thinks series outlines the reasons for having a standardised or uniform approach to the administration and scoring of a new school-entry assessment that has been proposed by the Government as a baseline for measuring progress across the primary phase.
Press release | NFER Thinks | 19 October 2017
Apprenticeships in England - are they working?
Researcher Zoe des Clayes reviews the latest DfE statistical first release on apprenticeship figures.
Blog post | 17 October 2017
Party conferences: policy aspiration, inspiration and ideation
This autumn, for the first time, NFER sent delegates to both the Labour and Conservative party conferences. In this blog post, Karen Wespieser and Claudia Sumner summarise some of the key policy discussions from the conferences and how NFER research evidence could play a useful role.
Blog post | 6 October 2017
Phonics results – Now that’s good news for young readers
In this blog post published today, NFER's Jane Nicholas takes a close look at the government's latest statistical first release on the phonics screening check (PSC), in particular how the achievement rates have changed across the country since its introduction.
Blog post | 29 September 2017
Choose a not-for-profit research organisation for a lower effect size?
In this latest blog, NFER’s Ben Styles comments on Stephen Gorard’s recent book on RCTs in education and how it relates to the funding landscape for evaluation research in English schools.
Blog post | 20 September 2017
National Reference Test dates announced for 2018
The date of the second annual National Reference Test (NRT) has been announced today (September 18) by The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual). It will be held between 19 February and 2 March 2018.
News release | 18 September 2017
NFER comments on the DfE response to the consultation on primary assessment in England
Read our thoughts on the latest developments in primary assessment including the introduction of a baseline assessment for benchmarking progress.
News release | 15 September 2017