Congratulations!!

Hope you treat it like a sports trophy and raise it above your head shouting your team.

Maybe of interest:

@woessman.bsky.social
@annavignoles.bsky.social
@hhsievertsen.bsky.social
@samfr.bsky.social
@timleunig.bsky.social
@nuffieldfoundation.org
@lindseymacmillan.bsky.social

9/9

Maybe of interest:

@dynarski.bsky.social
@camilleterrier.bsky.social
@matthewakraft.com
@barbarabiasi.com
@gzamarro.bsky.social
@kirabojackson.bsky.social
@hesseloosterbeek.bsky.social
@cohodes.bsky.social
@aaronsojourner.org
@joshua-goodman.com
@combeju.bsky.social
@odegroote.bsky.social

8/9

We also have a full report on methods, data, modelling and full results, a satisfying 110 pages long:
www.bristol.ac.uk/media-librar...

Many thanks for funding to Nuffield Foundation www.nuffieldfoundation.org

Hosted by Uni of Bristol Economics.
7/9

We consider many objections to the policy (see blog).

Just one: family background definitely more important than school;

BUT narrowing differences in family background is very hard for policy, so that route near-impossible. This policy reform is feasible and cheap and works.

6/9

This reform strikes a good balance between equity (more equal access to effective schools) and community (pupils and families in a school live nearby). Access to highly effective schools will raise GCSE scores for FSM-eligible pupils, reduce the attainment gap and ultimately impact inequality.

5/9

Very effective: the average effectiveness of schools to which FSM-eligible pupils are assigned under this reform is 16% higher than baseline.
Under the reform, almost all FSM-eligible pupils get their first choice.

Very targeted: 94% of all pupils are assigned to the same school as baseline

4/9

We propose a feasible, cheap, and effective reform to school admissions:

priority in school admissions for pupils eligible for Free School Meals (FSM), up to 15% of seats per school.

We also modelled two other reforms but the FSM Quota reform was best: very effective and very targeted.

3/9

Using unique universal data on catchment areas, we pin down how geographic admissions priorities disadvantage poorer communities.

While effective schools are often nearby, their catchments do not cover these neighbourhoods, reducing choice and later attainment.

2/9

Go on … switch it … what could possibly go wrong ??? (Note that I disclaim any responsibility)