England, Wales and Northern Ireland are bottom of the class in upper secondary mathematics education

Fewer than one in five students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland study any kind of maths after GCSE, representing the lowest levels of participation in a comparative study of 24 countries published by the Nuffield Foundation today. Levels of participation are higher in Scotland, where just under half of students study maths after S4, but still below the average.

“Any reforms of the public sector pensions will require trade-offs between adequacy and affordability” says Pensions Policy Institute

The future reform of the public sector pension schemes will require a trade-off to be made between competing policy objectives, according to a report published today by the Pensions Policy Institute, and funded by The Nuffield Foundation.

Social care questions for over 65s

The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) has launched a brand new survey question module on social care for older people. 

Mirrlees Review of tax system recommends radical changes

Britain’s tax system is ripe for reform in ways that could significantly increase people’s welfare and improve the performance of the economy, according to a landmark review chaired by the Nobel laureate Sir James Mirrlees for the Institute for Fiscal Studies and funded by the Nuffield Foundation.

The Mirrlees Review, the findings of which are launched today, argues that a coherent vision for the tax system is needed, and lays out a comprehensive set of proposals for tax reform.

Language intervention provides educational benefits for pre-school children

A pre-school language intervention programme can significantly improve the educational lives of children with poorly developed speech and language skills, according to new research by psychologists at the University of York.

Public Survey of the Mandatory Life Sentence for Murder

New research suggests that public support for the mandatory sentence of life imprisonment for murder is much more limited than has traditionally been assumed.

Furthermore, public opinion on the sentencing of murderers seems to be based on a limited understanding of the current system, according to the survey by Professor Barry Mitchell, of Coventry University Law School, and Professor Julian Roberts, from the Law Faculty at the University of Oxford.

Winter fuel payments or cold weather payments?

The £200 winter fuel payment (WFP) paid universally to older people does increase fuel expenditure among older households, but does not protect all older households from the impact of very cold weather, according to new research published by the Institute for Fiscal Studies and funded by the Nuffield Foundation. 

Bursary students in bumblebee discovery

Several of the Nuffield Foundation's Science Bursary students have been instrumental in a discovery that could help maintain bumblebee populations. Field observations of the common snapdragon, Antirrhinum majus, at the John Innes Centre shows gardeners could attract bumblebees by growing plants with red flowers or flowers with stripes along the veins.

Government should do more to help people who use online health services

New website and mentoring service to support students with children