The Education Foundation is the UK’s first cross party, cross sector education think tank. It is an independent not-for-profit organisation funded, in its startup stage, by a combination of: projects with schools and small to medium sized businesses involved in the education and design sector.
The Foundation aims to influence the public as well as the political debate over education. It will be UK based but global in influence and reach. It will be a centre for education innivation, a network of school, college and university leaders, an incubator of projects and a focal point for new ideas and policies accessible across the UK and internationally.
Through maintaining a focus on education reform – from early years through to schools, colleges and higher education – the Foundation aims to improve the quality of debate about what works in education and what will make the biggest difference on the ground.
The need for a dedicated education thinktank and reform organisation has never been greater than it is at present. The government is investing 6% of GDP into education and yet the UK is still 20th in the world, according to recent OECD PISA rankings.
There have been notable reform efforts taking place across the system, yet we must continue to be even more ambitious. We must work to raise the level of debate about education and find solutions and connections in an area that is too often polarised.