The COVID-19 pandemic and the public health restrictions that followed changed the structure and experiences of education for young people in the UK. School closures, home schooling, online learning and exam cancellations were some of the consequences of the public health measures taken. School closures were intermittent between March 2020 and…

The COVID-19 pandemic not only affected the health of millions of people across the country, but the accompanying disruption to economic life had impacts on the financial wellbeing of many households. This has been compounded by an ensuing cost of living crisis, with energy bills and food prices rising rapidly. This briefing, analysing survey…

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…

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,…

For the second time in less than a year, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced schools to close for most children, with the majority of children once again learning remotely. During the first lockdown, research from the Sutton Trust found that children's experiences of remote learning varied substantially across different socio-economic backgrounds.…

Internships are the new rung on the professional ladder. For the most sought after professions especially, they are increasingly seen as a requirement before a young person is offered their first job. However, too often internships are unpaid and not openly advertised. For young people who cannot afford to work for free, and for those who do not…

The COVID Social Mobility & Opportunities (COSMO) study is a new national cohort study generating high-quality evidence about how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected socio-economic inequalities in life chances, both in terms of short- and long-term effects on education, wellbeing, and career outcomes. A representative sample of young people in…

Earlier this year, the Sutton Trust released "Internships -- unpaid, unadvertised, unfair"; which examined current available evidence on internships in the UK. Following increased attention to the topic in the period since the Sutton Trust first looked at this issue in 2014, there appears to have been some progress on the lack of pay for…

The COVID Social Mobility & Opportunities (COSMO) study is a new national cohort study generating high-quality evidence about how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected socio-economic inequalities in life chances, both in terms of short- and long-term effects on education, wellbeing, and career outcomes. A representative sample of young people in…

The COVID Social Mobility & Opportunities (COSMO) study is a new national cohort study generating high-quality evidence about how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected socio-economic inequalities in life chances, both in terms of short- and long-term effects on education, wellbeing, and career outcomes. A representative sample of young people in…

Essential life skills such as confidence, motivation, resilience and communication are associated with better academic outcomes and better prospects in the workplace, and there is an increasing emphasis on their value, given labour market trends towards automation. While 'character' has traditionally been at the centre of British private school…

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…