Tag: Learning
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Does physical punishment help children behave better, or make things worse?
This UK study on more than 10,000 children found no evidence that physical punishment benefits children’s behaviour, learning, or wellbeing. Instead, children who experienced physical punishment were more likely to have behavioural and emotional difficulties, lower literacy scores, poorer GCSE results, and higher levels of risky or antisocial behaviour during adolescence. More than one in…
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Young carers: the forgotten young people in the NEET conversation
Young carers are far more likely than their peers to spend extended periods not in education, employment or training (NEET), with over twice the risk of being in this position for two or more years. This highlights how caring responsibilities can disrupt the move from school into work or further study. The gap persists even…
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Briefing Note on Young People’s Experiences and Views of ‘NEET’ as a Category
Katherine E. Smith, Anna Gkiouleka, Katharine Timpson | Equalise Briefing Note on Young People’s Experiences and Views of ‘NEET’ as a Category |DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20138207
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Can adverse life experiences increase the risk of dementia later in life?
This study explored whether adverse experiences across the lifecourse are linked to a higher risk of dementia in later life. Researchers found that experiencing more adversity during adulthood was associated with a greater risk of developing dementia, with each additional adverse experience increasing risk. Two experiences stood out in particular: childhood abuse was linked to…
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How does being a young carer affect school attendance and achievement?
Young carers in England are already falling behind at school, and the gap continues to widen as they get older. This study shows that by the end of primary school, young carers are more likely to underperform academically, and by the end of secondary school they achieve fewer qualifications and are more likely to miss…
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Reading for pleasure – policy response
The Equalise Learning theme submitted written evidence to the Education Committee Inquiry on Reading for Pleasure on 7th January 2026. Executive summary The response was prepared by the Equalise Learning theme with contributions from: We would be pleased to speak further about our response. Please contact Yvonne Kelly (y.kelly@ucl.ac.uk).
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What are the long‑term mental health effects of experiencing racism in adolescence?
Experiencing racism in adolescence can have lasting effects on mental health. This study followed young people in England from their late teens into adulthood and found that those who experienced racism at age 17 were more likely to report higher levels of psychological distress by age 25. However, racism in adolescence was not clearly linked…
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New indicators to analyse how social roles relate to health
Researchers used data from the ALSPAC study to track six key adult roles, across education, employment, and parenthood, among people aged 16 to 31. They developed a method to reliably measure whether someone was in or out of each role each year of the analysed period. The patterns they found, such as when people left…
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Do caring responsibilities limit young people’s chances of educational success after 16?
Young carers face significant disadvantages in post‑16 education in England. By the end of secondary education, they achieve fewer qualifications overall and are much less likely to meet key benchmarks such as gaining three or more A‑levels or equivalent qualifications. Importantly, these gaps persist even after accounting for socioeconomic background, showing that caring responsibilities themselves…
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How does young caring influence educational attainment?
Young carers face serious educational disadvantages that begin in primary school and continue through secondary education. By the end of secondary school, young carers achieve fewer GCSEs overall, are less likely to reach key benchmarks, and are less likely to gain top grades than their non‑carer peers. These gaps appear early: at primary school age,…
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How is families’ mental health affected by adverse childhood experiences?
Children in the same family often share difficult early life experiences, but most research looks at just one child at a time. This study found that when a firstborn child experienced adversity, like family violence, parental mental health issues, or substance misuse, during the first 1000 days of life, their siblings were also more likely…
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Do teen friendships and family ties shape body weight into adulthood?
This study followed teenagers in the US into adulthood to see how their social connections influenced changes in body weight over time. Adolescents with stronger friendships tended to have healthier, more stable weight patterns as they grew older, while those with stronger family connections showed greater increases in body weight. These patterns were similar across…