PhD student Ian Widdows shares his experiences of his internship with UKRI, engaging with the government on policy-making. Like all researchers, I want my research to make a difference. When I first considered the possibility of writing a research proposal for a PhD, I was powerfully motivated by a desire to make things better. My research is into secondary school performance measures in England - their effectiveness, effects and an exploration of alternative approaches. In part this comes from having spent 28 years working in secondary schools. During that time I formed some strong opinions about the way that schools are judged. I feel that things really need to change and I want my research to contribute to the debate. Over the years, I have made many contacts already working in this field, including academics, data scientists, school and school trust leaders, consultants and senior representatives of teaching unions. I have been part of numerous working parties look...
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