Robustness of Free School Meals (FSM) indicator as a measure of socio-economic circumstances over time 

With changes to eligibility rules and use of Free School Meals (FSM) over time how reliable does FSM continue to play as an indicator of socio-economic circumstances? This project will utilise FSM data collected in schools, and Census data, building on previous work within the ADR-Wales Education Research Theme, that has considered associations between FSM and other socio-economic indicators, for example from the Millenium Cohort Study and Census 2011 data.  

 Curriculum change and the impact on learner outcomes  

The Foundation Phase (FP) was fully rolled out in 2010/11, which means the first full cohort completed their GCSEs in 2020/21. However, as this was during the COVID-19 pandemic analysis needs to carefully consider what impact the FP has had on later outcomes. The new Curriculum for Wales was rolled out in 2022 and provides a significant change to systems and processes in Wales, including changes to examinations and assessment. It is important that education data is used to explore the implementation and long-term impact of these significant reforms. 

Right place, right time, right support: exploring additional learning needs provision and educational outcomes in Wales 

Understanding how additional learning needs provision supports the educational outcomes of those with health conditions is important for planning and implementing an effective support system. Research suggests that children with health conditions are more likely to experience negative education outcomes, including more exclusions, lower attendance, and poorer attainment. However, little is known about the importance of timing and implementation of support on educational outcomes.