We started 2018 by publishing HEPI’s most substantial ever piece of work. Back in January 2018, we published a report by London Economics, commissioned jointly by HEPI and Kaplan International Pathways, which showed the contribution of international students to the UK. More...

It was in the Browne Report in 2010.  The Browne team recognised that the government would need some kind of mechanism for controlling its exposure on student finance and proposed that a UCAS-tariff cut-off score would be set after the main application deadline in January each year so that the lower threshold for admission to higher education would vary with demand. More...

The last few UK governments have consistently upped investment and support in the area. A raft of celebrities – from Stephen Fry to J.K. Rowling – have spoken out about their diagnoses. Depression and anxiety, once completely taboo subjects, are now common hashtags across Instagram and the subject of advertising by a raft of brands from Ford to Lloyds Bank. More...

Imagine the following scenario.

• First, a Prime Minister lacking a clear parliamentary majority feels obliged by electoral forces to bring a particular policy to Parliament for MPs to vote on.
• This policy is a notable u-turn from her previous position.
• The new policy is also an uneasy compromise. It does not satisfy proponents of the status quo in or beyond Parliament.
• Nor does it satisfy the demands of the Opposition, even though they had previously called for comparable changes.
• The Opposition say, if they were in power, they would implement a different bolder new policy that successfully balances objectives that others claim are irreconcilable.
• The Prime Minister ploughs on, saying there is no alternative and convinced her new policy will eventually pass and relieve pent-up political tension.
• But parliamentarians from different political parties reject the policy. Instead, the country is left to choose between the status quo or a radically different proposal. More...

The Secretary of State for Education’s speech on vocational education rightly highlights the importance of technical skills at a higher level. Improving progression to high level skills that have vocational or technical element is a critical priority if we are to address our productivity challenges. More...

The 17th day of December is a fairly momentous day in history.
According to a website called infoplease, France first recognised America then, the first heavier-than-air plane was flown by the Wright brothers and NAFTA was signed. More...