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Research & publications
It is only by understanding the root causes of educational inequalities that the Trust can identify and promote effective
solutions, so research is an important and growing part of our work. Our scope in this area is broad, ranging from early years to university
access, and reflects the varied obstacles facing young people from non-privileged backgrounds. Some research is conducted in house in response
to specific issues or events, while other projects – particularly more in-depth and specialist studies – are commissioned from
external bodies, expert in the relevant field.
The documents are in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format which can be read using the free Adobe Acrobat Reader utility.
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Research Publications
2010
2009
2008
2007
| Title |
Size |
File type |
Date |
Ipsos MORI Teachers' survey 2007
Survey of 500 teachers reveals that only half would generally recommend their brightest students to apply to Oxbridge. |
(2.49 kb) |
PDF 
|
December 2007 |
Recent Changes in Intergenerational Mobility in the UK (summary) and main report
Social mobility in the UK remains at the low level it was for those born in 1970, with recent generations of children's educational outcomes still overwhelmingly tied to their parents' income, according to the latest Sutton Trust research.
Summary (152 Kb)
Main Report (190 Kb)
|
(152 Kb)
(190 Kb) |
PDF
|
December 2007 |
Room to Play – shopping centre project
2nd year evaluation.
|
(1.12 mb) |
PDF |
November 2007 |
Room to Play – shopping centre evaluation
Summary of the first two years of evaluation. |
(356 Kb) |
PDF |
November 2007 |
Retention and Widening Participation in the Faculties of Sciences and Engineering, University of Glasgow
Research project exploring the relationship between students' entry qualifications and progress in certain Science and Engineering courses at Glasgow University, within the agendas of retention and widening participation.
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(152 Kb) |
PDF |
October 2007 |
University Admissions by Individual Schools
This study documents the extent to which a few highly socially and academically selective schools dominate admissions to the country's leading research universities. It also suggests that the differences in the admissions rates cannot be attributed solely to the schools' average A-level results and that other factors are at work.
|
(204 Kb) |
PDF |
February 2008 |
Blair's Education - an international perspective
This report looks at the UK's record in education over the last ten years compared with other countries. It recommends that the Government should establish an independent body to monitor school performance.
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(376 Kb) |
PDF |
June 2007 |
Ballots in School Admissions
A survey of the use of ballots in admissions to universities and schools overseas, and a poll of public attitudes to school admissions in the UK. The research suggests that ballots may be an acceptable means of deciding which pupils gain entry to oversubcribed schools, when used in conjunction with other admissions criteria.
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(194 Kb) |
PDF |
May 2007 |
Creating a high aspiration culture for young people in the UK
Research study undertaken by Ipsos MORI and funded in partnership with HM Treasury which examines parents' aspirations for themselves and their children through a series of surveys and focus groups. The research shows that expectations - in terms of likely career outcomes and qualifications - are strongly linked to class, with parents from lower social groups being more likely to believe their child will leave education at 16 and end up in a job that does not reflect their abilities and interests.
|
(1,661 Kb) |
PDF |
January 2007 |
2006
| Title |
Size |
File type |
Date |
University Fundraising - An Update
This report analyses the extent and scale of fundraising activity in UK universities. It finds that while progress has been made in recent years, the UK HE sector continues to lag seriously behind its US counterpart, in terms of funds raised, annual alumni giving rates and levels of endowment. The report goes on to propose a number of measures for improvement, including a government matched funding scheme of between £1 and £5 million for each university.
|
(159 Kb) |
PDF |
December 2006 |
Independent school education found to boost grades and earnings in adulthood
Research by the Institute of Education which shows that students of similar intelligence and background in private schools achieve better grades, and earn more in adulthood, than their peers in state schools. However, the report also finds problems with initiatives like the Assisted Places Scheme, in that working class children often felt intimated by the socially-exclusive environment of their private schools.
|
(248 Kb) |
PDF |
July 2006 |
Summary of the Sutton Trust Shopping Centre Project: Room to Play
|
(40 Kb) |
PDF |
June 2006 |
Evaluation of the Sutton Trust Shopping Centre Project: Room to Play
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(1,102 Kb) |
PDF |
June 2006 |
Over half country's top journalists went to private schools
A survey of the educational backgrounds of the country's leading news journalists, which reveals that the majority have attended independent schools and almost half went to Oxbridge.
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(182 Kb) |
PDF |
June 2006 |
FIVE YEARS ON - Open Access to Independent Education
An extensive evaluation of five years of Open Access at The Belvedere School, Liverpool, which shows that under the scheme the school has not only achieved its best ever results at GCSE, but has also become more representative of its local area, with the social mix of the intake now reflecting the Merseyside population. Importantly, interviews with parents, pupils and teachers also show that the school is a happy place, with girls of diverse backgrounds getting on well together and achieving excellent outcomes.
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(1,313 Kb) |
PDF |
May 2006 |
The Social Composition of Top Comprehensive Schools - Rates of Eligibility for Free School Meals at the 200 Highest Performing Comprehensives
This report - a follow up to the Trust´s October 2004 study - finds that pupils on free school meals are underrepresented at the top 200 comprehensives compared to both local and national averages. It finds that schools which are responsible for their own admissions are less representative of their neighbourhoods than those under local authority control, but the latter are found in relatively affluent areas. It concludes that a more robust and rigorously enforced admissions Code of Practice is urgently needed.
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(136 Kb) |
PDF |
January 2006 |
MORI Teachers Survey 2006
This document contains the summary report, computer tabulations and topline results (in the form of a 'marked-up' questionnaire) from the 2005 Teachers' Omnibus, carried out by Market & Opinion Research International (MORI). This year's survey was the fourth wave of a multi-client survey which is conducted on a broadly annual basis. Questions were placed on the study on behalf of the Sutton Trust. A similar study was carried out for the Sutton Trust as part of the Wave 3 (Autumn 2004) MORI Teachers' Omnibus, and we provide comparisons with those findings where applicable.
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(134 Kb) |
PDF |
January 2006 |
2005
| Title |
Size |
File type |
Date |
Politicians' Backgrounds
This study looks at the educational profile of members of the Houses of Lord and Commons. It finds that almost one third of MPs and two-thirds of the Lords have been to independent schools, compared to 7% in the wider population, and that 27% of the Commons and 42% of the Lords were educated at Oxbridge.
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(174 Kb) |
PDF |
December 2005 |
Rates of Eligibility for Free School Meals at the Top State Schools
This study looks at the proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM) at the top 200 secondary state schools (6% of schools), and the levels of FSM eligibility in the postcode sectors in which the schools are sited. The study finds that the overall rate of FSM eligibility at the top schools is 3.0%, compared to a national secondary school average of 14.3%. |
(133 Kb) |
PDF |
October 2005 |
No More School Run - Proposal for a national yellow bus scheme in the UK
A report based on an analysis of the school run by the Boston Consulting Group, which argues for the radical expansion of home-to-school transport, to address a range of environmental, economic and social issues. |
(140 Kb) |
PDF |
June 2005 |
No More School Run Summary
A summary of the above report proposing a national yellow bus scheme in the UK. |
(65 Kb) |
PDF |
June 2005 |
Attitudes to Higher Education and Part-Time Degrees among 16-18 Year Olds
Qualitative research conducted in partnership with Birkbeck College to ascertain young people's views of Higher Education generally and part time study in particular. Findings indicate that students' knowledge of HE access routes and student finances is often poor, many would prefer to study full time regardless of a heavier debt burden, but there is a cohort of non-traditional students who would benefit from part time degrees. |
(775 Kb) |
PDF |
May 2005 |
MORI Schools Survey 2005: Student Omnibus
A survey undertaken by MORI of pupils in 300 state secondary schools, which found that around one in six pupils had received private tuition at some point in their school career, rising to almost one quarter in year 11. Additionally, young people living in single parent households were found to be more likely to express concern about getting into debt during Higher Education than young people living in two-parent households. |
(311 Kb) |
PDF |
May 2005 |
MORI Schools Survey 2005: Student Omnibus
Topline results of the survey. |
(73 Kb) |
PDF |
May 2005 |
The educational backgrounds of the UK's top solicitors, barristers and judges
A comparison of the educational backgrounds of leading barristers, judges and solicitors between 1988/89 and the present. |
(85 Kb) |
PDF |
May 2005 |
Intergenerational Mobility in Europe and North America
A study of eight European and North American countries comparing the life chances of children born in the 1950s, 1970s and 1980s, carried out by researchers from the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Updated with addendum June 2005. |
(228 Kb) |
PDF |
April 2005 |
State school admissions to our leading universities
An updated analysis of university access by the Sutton Trust based on the 2002/3 figures generated by the Higher Education Funding Council. |
(71 Kb) |
PDF |
March 2005 |
2004
2003
| Title |
Size |
File type |
Date |
MORI Teachers' Survey 2003
A survey of almost 4,000 state school teachers conducted in Autumn 2003, which shows support amongst teachers for the award of university places after young people receive their A level results; a majority of teachers favouring the introduction of a SAT test for university applicants; but teachers split regarding the replacement of A levels with a broader baccalaureate-style system. |
(205 Kb) |
PDF |
December 2003 |
MORI Teachers' Survey 2003
The topline results of the survey. |
(38 Kb) |
PDF |
December 2003 |
Nobel Prizes: The Changing Pattern of Awards
An analysis of where Nobel Prize winners were based, showing the increasing dominance of American universities. |
(1.8 Mb) |
DOC  |
September 2003 |
University Endowments - A US/UK Comparison
British universities lack the massive endowments of their American rivals, hampering their efforts to remain world class. |
(112 Kb) |
PDF |
May 2003 |
MORI Schools Survey 2003: Student Omnibus
Students continue to have high aspirations and enjoy school, according to a MORI poll commissioned by the Sutton Trust. |
(128 Kb) |
DOC |
May 2003 |
MORI Schools Survey 2003: Student Omnibus
Marked-up questionnaire. |
(277 Kb) |
DOC |
May 2003 |
Home to School Transport Survey February 2003
Evidence submitted by the Sutton Trust to the House of Commons Transport Select Committee Inquiry into Home to School Transport. |
(216 Kb) |
DOC |
February 2003 |
Teacher Qualifications Survey
A comprehensive study of teachers' qualifications, showing that private school students are much more likely to be taught by teachers with degrees from the top universities and PhDs. |
(1.6 Mb) |
DOC |
January 2003 |
2002
| Title |
Size |
File type |
Date |
Supporting students applying to higher education
In spring 2001, the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) carried out a survey, commissioned jointly by The Sutton Trust and the National Association of Head Teachers, of teachers/lecturers in schools and colleges in England seeking information on the support and advice provided for students who may wish to apply to higher education. |
(126 Kb) |
PDF |
June 2002 |
MORI Schools Survey 2002: Student Omnibus
Over two thirds of young people say they are likely to go into higher education, according to a MORI poll commissioned by the Sutton Trust. |
(154 Kb) |
DOC |
May 2002 |
MORI Schools Survey 2002: Student Omnibus
Marked-up questionnaire. |
(106 Kb) |
DOC |
May 2002 |
2001
2000
| Title |
Size |
File type |
Date |
Entry to Leading Universities
An influential study, which exposed the massive under-representation of state school and working class students at our leading universities. |
(75 Kb) |
PDF |
May 2000 |
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