I was delighted to chat with @tom-richmond.com again on his Inside Your Ed podcast. We talked all things PISA, why most countries are seeing declines in results and why England seems to be bucking that trend @theifs.bsky.social

Tom Richmond@tom-richmond.com · last mo.

🚨NEW PODCAST🚨 What did we learn from England's latest PISA results? @lukesibieta.bsky.social from @theifs.bsky.social joins me to discuss whether England fared better or worse than 90 other countries in maths, reading and science. Listen here: insideyoured.com

Yesterday, the government announced an effective £500 million boost to school funding in England. Here is IFS Research Fellow @lukesibieta.bsky.social's assessment of what this boost will mean for school budgets ⬇️

The gaps in reading scores between England and Wales are incredibly stark Average reading scores in Wales are lower than for disadvantaged pupils in England The least disadvantaged group in Wales scores below the average for England @theifs.bsky.social @tom-richmond.com @samfr.bsky.social

Luke Sibieta@lukesibieta.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Reading scores have remained stable in England. But since most other countries have seen scores fall, England is outperforming the OECD average to a greater degree. Across the UK, reading scores are lowest in Wales, with a continued decline since 2018.

31% of Welsh teenagers scored below Level 2 in reading assessments. Much more than other UK countries. The OECD defines Level 2 as the minimum level of skills required to effectively participate in society.

Luke Sibieta@lukesibieta.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Reading scores have remained stable in England. But since most other countries have seen scores fall, England is outperforming the OECD average to a greater degree. Across the UK, reading scores are lowest in Wales, with a continued decline since 2018.

NEW: The latest international education comparisons from PISA 2025 have just been published Scores in England remain high relative to other countries – while in many other countries, scores are falling Across the UK, scores remain lowest in Wales www.gov.uk/government/p... @theifs.bsky.social

PISA 2025: national report for England

England’s PISA 2025 results, with an international comparison of the mathematics, reading and science performance of 15-year-old pupils.

gov.uk

Delights to appear on BBC Walescast today to talk about the pressures on additional learning needs in Wales, the Welsh budget and comparisons with SEND in England @theifs.bsky.social www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Walescast - Budget Vote Loss: The Analysis - BBC Sounds

James, Fliss and guests discuss the Welsh Government's budget vote defeat.

bbc.co.uk

Delighted to appear on this week’s episode of More or Less to talk about teacher pay @theifs.bsky.social @nuffieldfoundation.org www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

More or Less - Does the average teacher really earn £54,000? - BBC Sounds

Tim Harford investigates teacher pay, Russian soldier deaths, and card-shuffling maths

bbc.co.uk

#OTD #RedDevils #Belgium🇧🇪

📗 Read @lukesibieta.bsky.social's response to this week's announcements on teacher pay, pensions and school funding: ifs.org.uk/articles/ifs...

IFS response to announcements on teacher pay, pensions and school funding | Institute for Fiscal Studies

This comment provides initial analysis of announcements in July 2026 on teacher pay, pensions and school funding.

ifs.org.uk

📉 #IFSSatStat: By 2027, experienced teachers' pay is likely to be around 7% lower in real terms than in 2010, even after recent and planned increases. Teacher starting salaries have recovered to their 2010 level, but pay for more experienced teachers remains lower in real terms.

Looking forward to speaking to #r4today at 0750 to talk about teacher pay and school funding, which I wrote about yesterday.

Luke Sibieta@lukesibieta.bsky.social · 4mo ago

What does today's announcement on teacher pay and pensions mean for school budgets? Some initial @theifs.bsky.social thoughts - with a graph and fun with pensions @nuffieldfoundation.org ifs.org.uk/articles/ifs...

What does today's announcement on teacher pay and pensions mean for school budgets? Some initial @theifs.bsky.social thoughts - with a graph and fun with pensions @nuffieldfoundation.org ifs.org.uk/articles/ifs...

IFS response to announcements on teacher pay, pensions and school funding | Institute for Fiscal Studies

This comment provides initial analysis of announcements in July 2026 on teacher pay, pensions and school funding.

ifs.org.uk

Always nice to get birthday presents that show people know you 🤩 Can’t wait to read this. Katja Hoyer is such a talented historian and writer.

Short story about statistical modeling without causal inference gone badly wrong. Just head on the news that preschoolers play 15 minutes less on rainy days. The reporting stressed that the research was "associational" and therefore couldn't tell us why. Huh? 1/

Heard from a reliable source that Mythos, a system capable of cracking any software system, stealing the nuclear codes and watching Putin while he takes a shower, is still reduced to a blubbering, incontinent wreck by the website of our Office for National Statistics, and this makes me damned proud

Super interesting paper

Manasvini Singh@vinisingh.bsky.social · 5mo ago

New WP, just in time for #ASHEcon26! What started off as a project to learn LLM use for text analysis turned accidentally into a paper about stigma. [1/n]

Stunning, evocative writing 1994 and 1998 for me. Hagi, Stoichkov, Bergkamp, Zidane, Suker. But watching France win the World Cup with my dad when he was still him 😭🇫🇷

Miguel Delaney@migueldelaney.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Just a superb piece of writing from Paul Howard www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer...

Wonderful thread from @danneidle.bsky.social on the implications of taxing “other people”

Dan Neidle@danneidle.bsky.social · 5mo ago

UK tax has gone up significantly over the last 25 years But the tax paid by the average UK worker has not This apparent miracle was achieved by taxing “other people”: higher earners, capital, property, banks, etc The strategy has run out of road A 🧵 on what happens next.

I rarely (if ever) recommend music here. But Manchester Orchestra’s new live album from Union Chapel is simply amazing Soothing and pristine sound combined with plaintive lyrics. Just beautiful. open.spotify.com/album/1H3mQK...

Union Chapel (London, England) - Album by Manchester Orchestra | Spotify

Manchester Orchestra · album · 2026 · 21 songs

open.spotify.com

The brooding vastness of Ogmore by sea

The answer is no. There is no way that smartphones are responsible for a 40% decline in worldwide fertility rate. This is what the graph looks like from 1970 to the present (from @ourworldindata.org).

Hetan Shah@hetanshah.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Interesting long read from @jburnmurdoch.ft.com making the case that declining birth rates are particularly tied up with the rise of smartphones and therefore fewer people in relationships, which in turn leads to fewer kids www.ft.com/content/fba3...

I usually stick to economics and schools, but this podcast series is exceptional The raw honesty from the girls is amazing www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/serie...

BBC Sounds - About the Girls - Available Episodes

Listen to the latest episodes of About the Girls on BBC Sounds.

bbc.co.uk

Total school funding was held flat in real-terms in last years spending review Rising costs mean schools can probably only an afford a teacher pay rise of 1.3% in 2026 Matching current inflation of 3.4% would cost schools an extra £700 million per year www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...

Teacher pay deal set to fall well below inflation. Expect more strikes

The rise will be eroded by the impact of the war in Iran, which may increase prices by up to 6 per cent

thetimes.com

With many challenges facing schools in Wales, it is encouraging to see wide recognition of these problems across the recent manifestos for the Welsh elections There is also quite a bit of agreement on solutions, including between Plaid and Reform This all bodes well for future reforms

The Institute for Fiscal Studies@theifs.bsky.social · 6mo ago

NEW: There are huge challenges facing schools in Wales. How are the Welsh political parties planning to address them? 📗 Read @lukesibieta.bsky.social's new comment on the surprising level of cross-party agreement on how to improve Welsh schools ⬇️ ifs.org.uk/articles/eme...

The performance of the education system is holding Wales back The next Welsh govt could deliver real improvements by: high, clear expectations for all, good use of data & evidence, getting more kids back into education See my ✍️ for @nation.cymru @theifs.bsky.social nation.cymru/opinion/wels...

Welsh education – a sleeping dragon

Luke Sibieta Wales has given so much to the world. From these green valleys and majestic mountains have come Dylan Thomas, David Lloyd George, Betsi Cadwaladr, Gwen John, Robert Recorde, and Betty Cam...

nation.cymru

NEW: The government has today proposed a major set of reforms to special needs and educational needs and disabilities in England, with more funding and support provided upfront through mainstream schools. ⬇️ Read @lukesibieta.bsky.social's immediate response here: ifs.org.uk/articles/gov...

Government signals major reform and extra funding for SEND in England | Institute for Fiscal Studies

The government is today proposing a major set of reforms to English SEND funding, with more funding and support provided through mainstream schools.

ifs.org.uk

Wonderful paper to read on a Saturday morning.

Carmen Villa@carmenvillaecon.bsky.social · 9mo ago

🚨📰New WP 🚨📰 How does social housing design affect neighborhoods decades later? We study London gangs to show that postwar urban planning—specifically high-rise public housing construction—had lasting effects on gang formation @cep-lse.bsky.social

Massive congrats to @ckfarquharson.bsky.social and her @theifs.bsky.social colleagues. They have put so much time and thought into their evaluation of sure start and it’s multiple effects over time. The quality and impact of their work reflects this. 👏

Christine Farquharson@ckfarquharson.bsky.social · 11mo ago

Absolutely delighted our research has won the ONS' Research Excellence prize for impact! I always say to people that the ideal @theifs.bsky.social work is rigorous enough to publish in top journals, and relevant enough to be on the front page. I think we've ticked that box here!

On Wednesday, we learned that SEND spending is growing much faster than expected, with 14% real-terms growth this year alone. Govt now has 3 options to close an expected £6bn funding gap in 2028 1. Slow the growth in SEND spending 2. Top up the schools budget 3. Reduce mainstream school budgets 🧵

Always a pleasure to come to the #r4today studio. This time to talk about the challenges facing the government on special educational needs spending.