Press coverage

On 18 June 2019, Reform Director Charlotte Pickles appeared on TalkRadio to speak with Mike Graham about the complex and changing face of disadvantage in the UK, following a speech for Reform on the same topic by Damian Hinds MP, Secretary of State for Education.

She addressed the lag in educational outcomes for white, working-class children in Britain, linking this phenomenon to the educational difficulties experienced in the rural and coastal areas where the white working-class population tends to be concentrated. She also emphasised that the issue goes far beyond a lack of good schools, pointing out that even in areas with a high concentration of 'outstanding' schools, other factors (such as lack of cultural exposure and poor home life) can negatively influence outcomes.

You can listen back to the full interview here.

On Monday 17 June, the Rt Hon Damian Hinds MP, Secretary of State for Education, gave a major speech on disadvantage and social mobility, hosted by Reform.

The speech received coverage in Daily Mail, The Guardian, The Independent, The Telegraph, BBC News, Local Gov and Schools Week.

You can read a full transcript of the Secretary of State's speech here.

On 13 June 2019, the Ministry of Justice released statistics showing that knife crime has reached a nine-year high. Commenting on the figures, Reform Director Charlotte Pickles said:

“The tragic rise in knife crime requires urgent action. But, as these figures show, tougher sentences are not the answer. Politicians focusing on law enforcement are mistaken; you cannot arrest your way out of this. Instead of pledging thousands more police offices, if candidates vying to become Prime Minster really want to stem this violence they must also focus on the root causes - poverty, school exclusion, poor mental health and drugs."

This was covered on the BBC, The Times and Police Professional among other publications. 

On 5 June 2019, Reform held a digital health conference where Simon Stevens, Chief Executive of NHS England, gave opening remarks. The event received coverage in the Health Service Journal, the Evening Standard, DigitalHealth, the Telegraph and The Times. 

Charlotte Pickles, Director of Reform, appeared on Politics Live to discuss the latest policy news including Trump's state visit to the UK and dealing with the past in Northern Ireland.  

Dr Luke Heselwood, Senior Researcher at Reform, wrote a piece for the Times Education Supplement, on the different education spending pledges being made by Conservative leadership candidates. 

"In the latest instalment of the "I can outspend you" campaigning, Boris Johnson,Michael Gove and Matt Hancock have pledged to stump up more cash for schools." 

Read the full piece here. 

On Thursday 30 May, The Augar Review into post-18 education published its findings; among its recommendations was a call for tuition fees to be capped at £7500. Dr. Luke Heselwood, Senior Researcher at Reform, said: 

"Slashing tuition fees is a red herring and the taxpayer will ultimately pay the cost. It will not result in better quality courses, improved access for disadvantaged students or stop students leaving university with large levels of debt. Universities need to stop pushing poor-quality courses and start delivering value for the money students pay.”

This statement was covered in FE News.

On Tuesday 21 May, Oxford University announced a new outreach programme, aimed at improving access for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Dr. Luke Heselwood, Senior Researcher at Reform and author of 'Gaining Access', said:

"Oxford University already spends over £4.5 million a year on improving access, considerably more than other top Universities. This begs the question: why is their record so bad? Offering 50 new foundation places by 2023 is welcome, but it’s a drop in the ocean when 40% of Oxford students are from a private school, compared to 7% in the country. Disadvantaged students who get high enough grades to attend a top University are less likely to apply to one. Oxford’s efforts may be better spent targeting them.”

This statement was covered by BBC News, Schools Week and FE News.

Aidan Shilson-Thomas, Researcher at Reform, wrote an op-ed for Public Finance, arguing that local authorities should be granted more secure funding streams in order to develop effective homelessness prevention strategies.

'"To allow local authorities to shift their focus to prevention, they need the security to plan for the future. However, Reform heard that short funding cycles do not allow this to happen."

Read the full piece here.