School
Report
2023
Educators pioneering change: a spotlight on education in 2023
The Pearson School Report provides an in-depth, independent look at the education system, from the people who work at its core – and is the latest step in our mission to collaborate, listen and learn from each other to drive forward positive change.
What 6,000 teachers told us…
Last year, thousands read the insights and experiences of England’s educators in our inaugural Pearson School Report.
We’ve released the second report in the series, which takes an in-depth look at life in schools in 2023 – from the collective perspective of over 6,000 educators and, new for this year, 1,000 students too. We dive into how educators are pioneering change and share their invaluable insights...
Challenges & opportunities ahead...
Pastoral issues
Three-quarters of teachers are confident in their ability to support pupils with the pastoral issues they face.
Barriers
Mental health, attendance, and support for students with SEND are expected to be the biggest barriers to student learning over the next six months.
Pressures
Budget pressures, teacher and school leader workload, and teacher recruitment and retention are the top three challenges facing schools over the next 12 months.
On diversity, equity and inclusion...
Celebrating diversity
9 in 10 schools have taken steps to support diversity and inclusion.
Pupil engagement
Of those who’ve taken steps to make their school more diverse and inclusive: a quarter have seen increased pupil engagement levels.
Representation
1 in 10 teachers believe the education taught in schools today reflects the diversity of pupils’ lives and backgrounds.
Environmentally conscious schools…
Sustainably minded
70% of teachers think the current education system is not developing sustainably minded citizens of the future.
Driving change
Quality-assured, age-appropriate resources, and making climate education a legal requirement would most help teachers to drive positive environmental change through education.
Taking action
9 in 10 schools are taking some action to help protect the planet.
When it comes to embracing digital innovation...
Positives
1 in 3 teachers say that in the last two years, new technologies have aided student engagement and improved accessibility for learners with SEND.
Future of assessment
4 in 7 secondary teachers expect to see an increased use of onscreen high-stakes assessment in the next decade.
Digital divide
Only half of secondary schools have access to reliable Wi-Fi across their whole school (in comparison to 60% of primary schools).
Spotlight on students’ views...
Priorities
94% of students say being happy and mentally and physically healthy is important to them.
Global citizenship
86% of students say being prepared for their future in a global world i.e. understanding and learning about different cultures is important to them.
Digital
91% of students agree that technology plays a big role in their lives now and will continue to.
Views from the sector...
On diversity, equity and inclusion...
“Much has been done but things need to become properly embedded rather than just focused on for a special month/day. However,this will take time and teachers seem positive about helping to make these changes."
Secondary Middle Leader
On sustainability and environmental education...
"Students who have previously struggled with learning or attendance flourish as they gain a sense of meaning coming in early to feed our school goats and chickens.
There are also fewer exclusions and suspensions as children connect with nature each day through our outdoor curriculum and are made to feel comfortable."
Primary School Teacher
Digital learning and innovation...
“It’s brilliant to see that most students (62%) want to learn more life skills at school. A quarter of teachers even want to see life skills assessed, and – perhaps more practically – over one in five think digital badges should be awarded to recognise life skills."
Pete Read, CEO of Persona Education
Our pledge
We’re committed to exploring four key areas in depth with the education community and beyond this year. Through free roundtable discussions, digital events, guidance, partnerships and internal reviews, we’ll seek out further engagement, conversation and – most importantly – change across the education community in response to the following questions:
- How can we help every school to shape sustainable and brighter futures?
- How can we accelerate progress to ensureall learners and educators feel included ineducation?
- How can we collectively tackle the digital divide?
- How can we facilitate further collaboration around key challenges and shine a light on pioneering solutions being implemented and explored by the education community?
Want to share your views on education today? Get in touch with us on social media and tag your posts with #PearsonSchoolReport:
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