Carl Cullinane

'SEND reforms are a crucial test of the opportunity mission' - LabourList These are substantive reforms - and it does appear that at least some lessons have been learned from previous stand offs with the backbenches.

✍ "If the government are going to achieve their mission of breaking down barriers to opportunity, successful SEND reform is absolutely key."

@carlcullinane.bsky.social discusses the Government's new proposals to reform the SEND system in @labourlist.bsky.social ⤵️

labourlist.org/2026/02/send...

'SEND reforms are a crucial test of the opportunity mission' - LabourList These are substantive reforms - and it does appear that at least some lessons have been learned from previous stand offs with the backbenches.

Wrote about the SEND reforms for @labourlist.bsky.social labourlist.org/2026/02/send...
No doubt the main thing on Labour minds this morning...

On a positive note, it was great to see the @suttontrust.bsky.social 's Fair School Admissions Pledge work recognised! @charleyo.bsky.social has done sterling work with schools, MATs and local authorities across the country on this over the last few years.

well for intakes with high levels of disadvantage and/or SEND should be celebrated and learned from. This is a vital piece of the jigsaw if we're going to halve the attainment gap.

The White Paper and accompanying consultation suggests the govt get this, but they do need to go further.

Context and intake need to be taken into greater account in Ofsted inspections, and an alternative measure of Progress 8 should be introduced when P8 returns in 2027, which adjusts scores for the characteristics of a school intake. You can contextualise without lowering standards. Schools which do

b) substantive reform to an accountability system (both Ofsted and league tables) that currently disincentivises inclusion. The performance measures consultation doesn't look like it goes far enough if we really want to disincentivise schools from curating their intake and off-rolling come exam time

Two areas where the White Paper falls short are in admissions and accountability. If we want a more inclusive system, then there needs to be either a) significant reform to school admissions (in particular requiring oversubscribed schools to prioritise disadvantaged applicants), or

Will be vital that Mission North East & Mission Coastal learn from the best (and not so best) of previous place based initiatives, from the various 'challenges' outside London, to Opportunity Areas, to Education Investment Areas. The combination of sustained national support with local buy in is key

Interesting to see the re-emergence of place based thinking in the White Paper today. In our Opportunity Index, the North East had the lowest average ranking of any English region. Coastal areas, if they were a region, would have been 2nd lowest. Interactive here: www.suttontrust.com/news-opinion...

Following "Educational Excellence Everywhere" (2016), "Schools that Work for Everyone" (2016), and "Opportunity for All" (2022). Looking forward to the next one, "Schools: Everything, Everywhere, All at Once"

🚨New research shows children from disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to benefit from a private tutor than more affluent peers.

This is despite strong evidence that one-to-one and small group tuition improves attainment, with disadvantaged pupils standing to benefit most.

Good piece. Grad tax far from a straightforward answer, but the current situation is a complete mess. Some of the magical thinking of the last decade has been brought back to earth by a combination of the ONS, inflation, and Plan 2 graduates reaching an age where they've become politically relevant.

Delighted that we at @instituteforgovernment.org.uk are once again supporting this annual online event aimed at reaching people currently under-represented in the think tank sector… please share with your networks…

Bafflingly regressive

The increase in tuition fees has been mixed from the point of access and participation

On the one hand the participation rate amg low income students has roughly doubled (to 30%)

On the other hand the participation *gap* btw free school meal pupil & their more advantaged peers hasnt budged (20 pp)

If we want to make places better, we need to create good jobs in them 👇

Creating good jobs (in deprived) areas requires:
- Transport infrastructure
- Creating places that are nice to live in. Culture matters for local growth
- Direct job creation by the state

h/t @drjennings.bsky.social

Yeah agree. I think the tribunal aspect of the current system is very negative. Not everyone has the resources and knowhow to navigate them and the stakes are too high. Any solution has to be centred around getting better support to those who don't have EHCPs.

Yeah agree. I think the tribunal aspect of the current system is very negative. Not everyone has the resources and knowhow to navigate them and the stakes are too high.

But aren't the current two tiers just as arbitrary, and mean a massive cliff edge in support for those who can't get an EHCP? Four tiers seems more nuanced, rather than less?

Great event on regional inequalities and the NEET challenge hosted by @smfthinktank.bsky.social with Alan Milburn and lots of other great speakers, including one of our fantastic Sutton Trust alums!

JFC

Dark times

Great day at the science museum as my stay at home dad era comes to a close.

Chart showing slowdown in productivity growth across rich democracies

Just need to keep repeating this point. Stagnant zero sum economies create political ungovernability. Productivity growth has collapsed in many rich countries since the financial crash on.ft.com/4hwRuoB

The two genders

healthy and happy lives. And equalising access to those things is as important as ever. The work of the Spirit Level and the @equalitytrust.bsky.social shows that inequality is toxic to societies and we shouldn't let up our focus on it.

This doesn't mean we should stop working on it! The challenge for those of us who work in the area is to find ways of communicating ideas more effectively, as well as achieving policy change that does make a difference to people's standards of living. Education and work remain the best pathways to

Britons reject status-driven social mobility - success now means stability, wellbeing and a life lived on your own terms - Social Mobility Commission New report sheds light on public perceptions of social mobility

This is an interesting piece. It shows why social mobility often doesn't get cut through. Our focus groups suggest that people think the country is deeply unfair, but working class people often feel meaningful change is virtually impossible. socialmobility.independent-commission.uk/britons-reje...

Income to replace FSM as trigger for disadvantage funding Government 'will design new model' for allocating the pupil premium and other disadvantage cash

Exclusive: Family income data will replace free school meals eligibility as the trigger for pupil premium and other deprivation funding for schools, the government has said

schoolsweek.co.uk/pupil-premiu...