Spotlight Policy Series

The Pearson “Spotlight” series takes a look at current policy issues across education and skills.

Overview

Each report is informed by a range of evidence from policy roundtables, independent polling, interviews, and desk research.

This series considers issues in the context of historic and recent devleopments and stated, or potential, future reform. Further publications in the series include Local Skills and the Lifelong Loan Entitlement.

We welcome ideas for future Spotlight papers as we develop our programme.

For further information on this series, please contact: daniel.pedley@pearson.com

Spotlight on Local Skills

In this paper, we call on government to empower combined authorities to deliver successful skills policies. Different localities have different skills needs, changes and gaps, which each require a bespoke approach. Our research reiterates that local leaders are best placed to understand local labour market conditions, and to work with local employers and education providers to support the development of future skills.

Spotlight on Local Skills

Insights: Onscreen Assessment

As part of the Spotlight series, our Insights papers take a look at policy and development in action. This report draws on Pearson’s experiences in delivering onscreen assessment over summer 2022, direct reflections from teachers and students who participated in these pioneering studies, an expert roundtable, and extensive teacher opinion polling on student preparedness.

Insights: Onscreen Assessment

Spotlight on Onscreen Assessment

The global pandemic accelerated innovation in many areas of education – and increased further the ambition for the use of technology in high stakes teaching assessment in our schools.

Our Spotlight on Onscreen Assessment explores some of the big questions ahead for the sector: how do we facilitate change? What are the big opportunities? And what are the barriers? 

Spotlight on Onscreen Assessment

Spotlight on Workforce Skills

Post-16 education is at the heart of the current government’s plans for economic recovery and its wider “levelling up” agenda. Significant change is on the way, highlighted by the Skills for Jobs White Paper and the Skills and Post-16 Education Bill.

Our Spotlight on Workforce Skills papers focusses four key areas of policy: 16-19 qualifications, Higher Technical Education, Lifetime Skills Guarantee, and the Lifelong Loan Entitlement. 

Spotlight on Workforce Skills

Future papers in the series

We will be considering recent policies to support lifelong learning, through our Spotlight on the Lifelong Loan Entitlement. The paper will follow on from our Workforce Skills paper which began to consider this.