At just under £8 billion, spending on schools and childcare is the second-largest area of public service spending in Scotland, behind spending on health. While councils rather than the Scottish Government itself determine how much to spend on schools, they do so in the context of a funding and...

This report analyses the Scottish Government's Budget for 2025-26, with chapters on tax strategy, school spending, public sector pay and more.

At just under £8 billion, spending on schools and childcare is the second-largest area of public service spending in Scotland, behind spending on health. While councils rather than the Scottish Government itself determine how much to spend on schools, they do so in the context of a funding and...

This report brings together the findings of a comprehensive programme of work that IFS has led on the short- and medium-term impacts of Sure Start on children's outcomes. At the time this research started, there was little evidence on whether Sure Start had benefited children, especially beyond...

The upcoming Spending Review will involve some very difficult decisions on public service spending, with virtually no headroom against the government's fiscal rules. The government has set out plans for overall departmental spending to grow by about 1.2% per year in real terms between 2025-26...

The special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system in England has faced unprecedented pressure over the past decade, and without substantial reform it will likely become unmanageable for local authorities over the coming years. Fundamentally, this is due to the rocketing number of...

In this report, we analyse the financial health and challenges facing colleges in England. This covers all further education colleges, including sixth form colleges. There are currently 218 colleges in England, which offer a wide range of academic and vocational programmes to both young people...