Dear readers,

In an important month for the Sutton Trust, we published two brand new pieces of impactful research.

The first piece, The Good Life?, produced in partnership with Co-op explores the relationship between social mobility and happiness. It finds that wellbeing and life satisfaction remains closely tied to the social status you’re born into. Social mobility does help to close most of this gap, but even those have moved up the ladder don’t quite reach the high wellbeing levels of those who come from wealthier families. The report demonstrates that getting ahead professionally doesn’t always guarantee happiness, and that opportunity is about much more than just pay, promotions, and property.

The second piece, Room to Grow, was funded by the Nuffield Foundation. It takes a closer look at the school-based nurseries programme, a major government policy aiming to improve children's development and increase childcare places. We found that progress on opening new school-based nurseries is far behind the Government’s original plans for expansion. There are many benefits of school-based nurseries, particularly for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, but there’s still a mountain to climb in creating new places and targeting them in the right areas.

Elsewhere, we have launched a brand-new package of free resources to help schools change their admissions policies. The Fair School Admissions Hub is a one-stop shop for increasing social diversity in schools, offering school leaders practical tools to help make their schools more inclusive and accessible.

And lastly, I’m delighted to say that applications for our free Sutton Trust Online (STO) programme are now open! STO is our digital platform offering a wide range of exclusive resources, virtual events and tailored guidance to help young people explore, apply to, prepare for and succeed at university, or in an apprenticeship, and beyond. Head to our website to find out about our eligibility criteria and how to apply.

With my best wishes,
Tracey Tynan,
Director of Communications & Advocacy at the Sutton Trust

Is there a link between social mobility and happiness?

Our new research with Co-op examines whether getting ahead professionally makes you happier.

We found that people who move into higher status jobs than their parents are substantially happier than those who remain in lower socio-economic groups, reiterating the power of social mobility.

This boost in wellbeing is likely explained by a combination of higher incomes and financial stability. Differences in access to higher education and levels of home ownership, as well as better health and increased leisure time, play a role. But employment status is the biggest factor.

However, the research did uncover a ‘happiness gap’ between people born into different social classes. We found that people's childhood social class continues to have a significant impact on their wellbeing and life satisfaction as an adult, even when they climb the social ladder. This might be down to some of the pressures and trade offs they have to make along the way, such as moving to a new area.

The report also found that higher education continues to have a positive impact on people’s long-term happiness and wellbeing. Graduates have greater happiness and wellbeing than non-graduates.

And there is a connection between community belonging and wellbeing. Those who have a very strong sense of belonging were more than 13 times more likely to have high wellbeing than those with very weak belonging.

Government falling behind on school-based nurseries target

The Department for Education intends to create 3,000 new or expanded nurseries on school sites in England, using spare space.

But our new report, produced alongside the Social Market Foundation and funded by the Nuffield Foundation, has found a sizeable gap between the Government’s policy intentions and progress on opening new school-based nurseries.

It revealed that there is limited appetite among schools to set up on-site nurseries if they don’t already have one, with our polling of school leaders highlighting several barriers to joining the scheme. For those citing financial barriers, the cost of staff to child ratios (73%), ongoing staff costs (67%), and the capital costs of converting school space (65%) are key blockers delivering the scheme.

School nurseries have the potential to be particularly impactful for children from disadvantaged backgrounds and those with SEND. Existing school-based nurseries are more likely than other providers to serve these groups, as well as offering higher quality provision with better-qualified staff.

The school-based nursery programme is a promising initiative, but it’s now facing a reality check on its implementation. To harness the benefits of this policy, the Government needs to provide more support to schools, and make sure it is targeted towards those who need it most.

If you want to learn more about the role of school-based nurseries in improving access and closing the disadvantage gap, come along to our panel event 4th June.

Launching the Fair School Admissions Hub!

The Fair School Admissions Hub is designed to give school leaders everything they need to reform their admissions policies.

It features research summaries, case studies on fair admissions, and a practical online course that guides school leaders through reviewing their admissions policies and implementing reforms.

We have also produced a brand-new interactive tool, the Pupil Premium Admissions Simulator. This unique resource allows school leaders to input the details and demographics of their applicant pool and experiment with different approaches to implementing a pupil premium priority into their admissions, helping visualise the impact that this could have on their intake.

Additionally, in a brand new podcast series our School Engagement Lead, Charlotte O'Regan, speaks directly with school leaders who are proactively working on the ground to change their admissions. Together, they explore the strategies they’ve implemented and give practical advice for other schools looking to get started.

Visit the Hub to find out more about all of our work in this area, why this issue matters, and what we’re doing to create change on the ground in schools.

Apply for our flagship digital programme!

Applications for our FREE Sutton Trust Online (STO) programme are now open!

From expert-led guidance on personal statements to admissions prep and professional skills development, STO gives students the tools they need to succeed - wherever they’re from.

Students are able to customise their homepage to receive personalised content that will help them build a strong skillset for successfully navigating post-18 life.

They will also have access to a set of bespoke support, including a tool offering step-by-step guidance to help them write an outstanding personal statement, STO Chat (where they can speak to our alumni and student ambassadors), and a host of expert-led webinars delivered by our leading university partners and organisations.

Students on STO may also have the opportunity to apply for a free Up Learn scholarship, giving them access to online tuition to support their A-level studies.

If you know state-educated student in Year 12 (England and Wales), Year 13 (Northern Ireland), or S5 (Scotland), encourage them to apply now!

News & opinion

School-based nurseries programme exposes contradictions at the heart of policy making

Our report on the Government’s school-based nurseries expansion outlines the scale of the challenge they face in hitting their targets on children’s development and increasing childcare places. Our Research and Policy Manager and one of the report authors, Erica Holt-White, unpacks the research in more detail.

Addressing the aspiration gap

The Government has published the interim Milburn review on Young People and Work, which examines the increase in the number of young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET). Our Research and Policy Manager, Kevin Latham, offers our take on the findings.