Nuffield Foundation

What does growing up today mean – and how does policy, practice and society develop a new social contract with young people to support their journeys to adulthood? Over the past two years, the Nuffield Foundation’s Grown up? Journeys to adulthood programme has explored how today’s young people (aged 14-24) are navigating increasingly complex transitions into adult life.

This project will explore how the UK’s post-Brexit migration policies shape inequality, belonging, and public perceptions. Since Brexit, the UK has reconfigured its migration system, restricting access to long-term settlement and turning to temporary visas for migrant workers and people seeking international protection. This reliance on migrants from Commonwealth and former colonial territories has reshaped the institutional architecture of racial diversity in the UK.

This project will investigate how the UK’s racial diversity is likely to change over coming decades, and whether that may influence how values, beliefs and identities evolve. The UK’s racial diversity has increased significantly in recent decades, largely due to migration from former British colonies and the growth of UK‑born minority populations. At the same time, public anxiety about demographic change is growing.

Four major new research projects will investigate how migration is shaping the UK’s future. Supported by £1.5 million from the Nuffield Foundation’s Racial Diversity UK (RDUK) fund, the studies will examine key questions around demographic change, post-Brexit settlement and belonging, temporary migration pathways, and public attitudes towards climate-linked migration, generating robust, independent evidence to inform policy and public debate.

The Essential Employment Skills Fund (EESF) is now open for projects that will build robust evidence on how best to support young people to develop the skills they need to move into work. We’re inviting applications to evaluate programmes supporting 16-24 year olds to develop the skills, behaviours and attributes needed to access and progress in work. The fund is looking to build stronger evidence about what works, support learning across the sector and help scale effective approaches.

Introduction One of the main reasons young people from disadvantaged backgrounds face greater challenges in accessing good work is fewer opportunities to develop the essential skills that are needed in employment. Skills development needs to be better integrated across the education and training system and youth support services, underpinned by robust evidence of effective approaches.

The Nuffield Foundation has appointed Matt Whittaker to the newly created senior leadership role of Executive Director for Research, Grants and Programmes. Matt joins from PBE, a think tank that uses economics to improve lives, where he has been Chief Executive. He will play a key role in shaping and delivering the Foundation’s research priorities, leading its grants and programmes team and working closely with the wider leadership. Matt will take up the role in late September.

This project will investigate the core knowledge, skills, and values that early years qualifications (EYQs) should provide to ensure high-quality practice and improved outcomes for children. Why is this important? Qualifications certify learning, assure quality, and signal value to employers and higher education. However, EYQs often fall short, with concerns about variability between different qualifications, rigour, and trust in quality.

This project will investigate how video content impacts preschoolers’ executive functions and develop evidence-based strategies for equitable digital media experiences. The intensity of childhood screen exposure is increasing year-on-year. In 2024, UK children watched approximately 3 hours of video content per day, 20% of their waking life. Content is increasingly streamed online, with children viewing 28% of video content via YouTube.

This project will explore how multi-agency working can better address the needs of children and young people (CYP) at the intersection of education, social care, and criminal justice systems. Improving outcomes for CYP involved with education, social care, and the criminal justice system is a government priority. Links between poor educational outcomes, care experiences, and criminal justice system involvement are well established.