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The Sutton Trust @suttontrust.bsky.social · 3h

🗨️ "The truth is that experience isn’t free...It costs more than anyone with a financial safety net will ever understand."

Read about the problems with the prominence of unpaid work in creative careers ⤵️

Unpaid work is killing class diversity in the creative industries - The Sutton Trust

Our alum, Bethany, discusses the prominence of unpaid work in the creative professions.

www.suttontrust.com

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The Sutton Trust @suttontrust.bsky.social · 1d

Have your say: www.gov.uk/government/c...

Making Work Pay: call for evidence on unpaid internships

We are seeking evidence and views on unpaid internships and internships paid below the National Minimum Wage (NMW), and other roles which may be unpaid or paid below the NMW.

www.gov.uk

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The Sutton Trust @suttontrust.bsky.social · 1d

The deadline to submit evidence to inform what action the Government should take to put an end to unpaid internships is this Thursday ⤵️

The Sutton Trust @suttontrust.bsky.social · Jul 17

🚨 Call for evidence on banning unpaid internships 🚨

Today, the Department for Business and Trade has announced a new call for evidence to inform what action the Government should take to put an end to unpaid internships!

This a very positive announcement ⤵️

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The Sutton Trust @suttontrust.bsky.social · 3d

💬 "We hope to see a further extension of grants to all students from low income backgrounds in the future."

This week, the Government announced the introduction of maintenance grants for students from low income households, on priority courses ⤵️

Sutton Trust response to Government announcement on maintenance grants - The Sutton Trust

Maintenance grants will be re-introduced for disadvantaged students on priority courses.

www.suttontrust.com

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The Sutton Trust @suttontrust.bsky.social · 4d

💬 "Breaking the link between background and opportunity does not start at the school gate, it starts in the nursery doorway."

More on the crucial role that affordable, high-quality childcare plays in fighting inequality ⤵️

Access to early education is the first line of defence against inequality - The Sutton Trust

Discussing the importance of improving access to early education and childcare.

www.suttontrust.com

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The Sutton Trust @suttontrust.bsky.social · 5d

We had our biggest presence ever at this week’s Labour Party’s annual conference – the second since they came to power in 2024.

Read about what we learned from attending the conference and hosting two panel events ⤵️

www.suttontrust.com/news-opinion...

A change in the tide? Reflections from Labour conference 2025 - The Sutton Trust

Our key takeaways from this year's Labour party conference and our two events.

www.suttontrust.com

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The Sutton Trust @suttontrust.bsky.social · 7d

🥳 Our sixth annual alumni celebration took place last week!

It was a pleasure to see so many of our alumni together in one room, and our team were delighted to hear about the excellent work that they have been doing.

Learn about the award winners ⬇️

Celebrating our alumni – 2025 alumni awards - The Sutton Trust

Who are the winners and runners-up of our 2025 alumni awards?

www.suttontrust.com

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Reposted by The Sutton Trust

Smart Thinking @smartthinking.bsky.social · 7d

What was the most read in September? Congrats to @suttontrust.bsky.social HJS @thefabians.bsky.social @pbe.co.uk @instituteforgovernment.org.uk @uniofbathipr.bsky.social @re-state.bsky.social @niesrorg.bsky.social @resfoundation.bsky.social who all had reports feature in this month's top 10! 🎉

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The Sutton Trust @suttontrust.bsky.social · 7d

Our former Head of Research and Policy, @beckymontacute.bsky.social is currently giving evidence to the UK COVID-19 Inquiry 🔎

Tune in live to learn about the impact of the pandemic on children and young people 👇

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOYc...

UK Covid-19 Inquiry Live Stream

YouTube video by UK Covid-19 Inquiry

www.youtube.com

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The Sutton Trust @suttontrust.bsky.social · 8d

🗨️ "It’s absolutely the right ambition to aim for greater parity between academic, technical and apprenticeship routes for young people."

Our response to Keir Starmer's speech at #LabourPartyConference in Liverpool ⤵️

www.suttontrust.com/news-opinion...

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Reposted by The Sutton Trust

The Sutton Trust @suttontrust.bsky.social · 9d

🚨 Policy win on maintenance grants! 🚨

@bphillipsonmp.bsky.social has announced that the Government will introduce maintenance grants for students from low income households, on priority courses.

This is a very positive step in the right direction, but there's still further to go ⤵️

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The Sutton Trust @suttontrust.bsky.social · 8d

As we take questions from the audience, catch up with the Sutton Trust's research and recommendations for closing the attainment gap here: www.suttontrust.com/our-research...

Closing the attainment gap - The Sutton Trust

Our second General Election policy briefing focuses on the attainment gap.

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The Sutton Trust @suttontrust.bsky.social · 8d

He goes on to say that children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are also more likely to have caring responsibilities.

Closing the attainment gap needs to be a national mission and we need to see clarity of strategy and purpose from the Government.

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The Sutton Trust @suttontrust.bsky.social · 8d

Finally, the Sutton Trust's Director of Research and Policy @carlcullinane.bsky.social looks into the numbers behind the attainment gap.

He talks about when SEND and socioeconomic disadvantage occur together, with families from lower income backgrounds less likely to get an EHCP and unlock support.

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The Sutton Trust @suttontrust.bsky.social · 8d

Severe school absence (when pupils miss at least 50% of school) has become an entrenched issue, affecting around 150,000 young people.

This is a priority for the @childrenscomm.bsky.social when visiting children, understanding how they are affected by poverty and how this drives the attainment gap.

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The Sutton Trust @suttontrust.bsky.social · 8d

@childrenscomm.bsky.social Dame Rachel de Souza talks about her journey and commitment to closing the attainment gap.

She says that progress began to stall from 2017 when investment in wider children's services decreased, an issue compounded by the COVID pandemic from 2020 onwards.

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The Sutton Trust @suttontrust.bsky.social · 8d

@danielkebedeneu.bsky.social also says that school funding is another fundamental issue, saying that the UK is spending its lowest proportion of GDP on education for 25 years.

This feeds into challenges with teacher recruitment and retention, as well as the quality of school buildings.

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The Sutton Trust @suttontrust.bsky.social · 8d

NEU General Secretary @danielkebedeneu.bsky.social highlights that key to addressing educational inequality is addressing child poverty.

While there have been welcome moves in expanding access to free school meals and capping the cost of school uniform, we need to recognise the scale of the issue.

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The Sutton Trust @suttontrust.bsky.social · 8d

The Labour Party's Opportunity Mission Champion @sarahsmithlab.bsky.social says that inclusion and high standards do not have to be at odds with each other.

If we support schools and school leaders to create a system that prioritises disadvantaged pupils, everyone benefits.

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The Sutton Trust @suttontrust.bsky.social · 8d

This morning at Labour Party Conference, our panel is looking at the attainment gap and asking why disadvantaged pupils are behind their peers.

Chaired by @nickharrison73.bsky.social, we are joined by @sarahsmithlab.bsky.social, @childrenscomm.bsky.social, and @danielkebedeneu.bsky.social

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The Sutton Trust @suttontrust.bsky.social · 9d

To find out more, check out our Elitist Britain 2025 report here: www.suttontrust.com/our-research...

Elitist Britain 2025 - The Sutton Trust

Landmark research on the educational backgrounds of Britain's most powerful people.

www.suttontrust.com

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The Sutton Trust @suttontrust.bsky.social · 9d

Thank you to all of our panellists for joining us today, and to our Chair Ian Walsh

The Sutton Trust @suttontrust.bsky.social · 9d

@upreach.bsky.social CEO Nick Bent asks why social mobility has been a neglected part of the inclusion agenda.

Panellists reflect on the current state of the UK labour market and the complexity of measuring class, and defining what 'working class' is.

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The Sutton Trust @suttontrust.bsky.social · 9d

Taking audience questions, @socialmobilityf.bsky.social CEO Sarah Atkinson highlights efforts to get employers to monitor race and disability pay gaps, and asks why this hasn't been extended to the class pay gap.

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The Sutton Trust @suttontrust.bsky.social · 9d

However, in a media ecosystem dominated by private school alumni, the focus is not on this but instead on private school VAT.

Lewis speak about his experience as a young Newsnight producer and says that the situation most likely hasn't changed in the years since, because of journalist's priorities.

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