FFT Education Datalab — at the forefront of education research

FFT's aim is to help schools make the best possible use of education data to improve education outcomes for all pupils.

That's why we set up FFT Education Datalab, an independent, cutting-edge research team examining the latest education policy, practice and statistics.

Visit FFT Education Datalab

Latest blogposts

Evidence

Data Impact Report

FFT's Tutoring with the Lightning Squad programme improves reading skills for pupils in Years 1 to 6. Read about the benefits in the Data Impact Report.

Read the report

Public data

Regional Attendance Tracker

Using daily attendance figures from over 10,000 Aspire schools, FFT publishes a weekly picture of national and regional attendance in England.

Regional Attendence Tracker

How is data used in schools today?

A survey of current practice

How frequently do senior leaders request assessment data? What type of data do they receive? How are targets and flightpaths created? When do schools talk to students about future attainment?

You might be surprised how little we actually know about data use in schools today.  So, with the help of Teacher Tapp, we’ve surveyed over 3,000 staff in schools. The results, as you might expect, are fascinating.  We’ve included a few key insights here but you’ll find far more detail in our new report – ‘How is data used in schools today? A 2019 survey of current practice’.

Find out more

Schools Like Yours

Where YOU define the ‘similar’ in similar schools

Schools Like Yours, the comparison tool from FFT Education Datalab lets you identify schools similar to yours, but allows YOU to define what similar means. Similar size? Similar pupil-teacher ratios? Similar funding? Similar staffing profile? Or a combination of all of these factors and many more.

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Build your own similarity index from a list of over 30 factors including:

  • School context - pupil numbers, FSM, EAL
  • School performance - attainment, progress, prior attainment
  • Pupil absence - absence, persistent absence
  • School workforce - number of teachers, pupil-teacher ratio, QT status, age, average salary, staff sickness
  • Finance - per pupil funding
  • Geographical distance

Plus:

  • Weight similarity factors according to their importance
  • Filter options to focus your search
  • Available at KS2 and KS4
Go to Schools Like Yours

FFT Education Datalab

We are proud to have set up FFT Education Datalab, who produce independent, cutting-edge research on education policy and practice.

An expert team of researchers

FFT Education Datalab brings together an expert team of academics, researchers and statisticians specialising in the analysis of large-scale administrative and survey datasets.

Led by FFT’s chief statistician, Dave Thomson, the team produce research and analysis that can be used by policymakers to inform education policy, and by schools to improve practice.

They complete commissioned research for organisations who wish to evaluate their impact, or who need quantitative analysis to supplement their own policy work.

The team also blog regularly, using data to explore the latest developments in education.

Delivering TALIS

FFT was part of the DfE team delivering the OECD's Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2018.

TALIS is the first and only international survey that focuses on the teaching practices and the working conditions of teachers and their headteachers in England and over 40 other countries.

The international survey of teachers & school leaders

FFT partnered with UCL Institute of Education and RAND Europe to form the National Centre delivering the TALIS survey in 2018.

TALIS has taken place every five years since it was first carried out in 2008. England participated for the first time in 2013, focussing on lower secondary (KS3) teachers and their headteachers.

For TALIS 2018, England surveyed primary (KS1 & KS2) and lower secondary (KS3) school teachers and their headteachers.