Policy@Manchester Articles

Expert insight, analysis and comment on key public policy issues

Policy@Manchester Articles
Expert insight, analysis and comment on key public policy issues

Reading for pleasure: from policy aspiration to classroom reality

author headshot By Filed Under: Growth and Inclusion, Health and Social Care Posted:

Children who read for pleasure achieve higher academic outcomes, experience better wellbeing and show greater long-term social mobility. Yet national and international evidence shows that enjoyment of reading among children in England is declining. Rebecca Simpson Hargreaves argues that if policymakers want to sustain literacy gains and reduce educational inequality, reading for pleasure must be […]

Image of young people sitting in a row on their phones and laptops

Getting ready for the 6G revolution

Emad Alsusa headshot By Filed Under: All posts, On Critical Technologies, Science and Technology Posted:

As the world continues to embrace what 5G networks can do, the next frontier in wireless communication – 6G – is rapidly moving from theoretical concept to active research and development. Expected to be standardised later this decade and rolled out in the 2030s, 6G promises a giant leap forward, enabling unprecedented speeds, near instantaneous […]

Rows of semiconductor/chip technology

Britain’s chip strategy: smart focus, but does it pack enough punch?

Headshot of John Goodacre By Filed Under: All posts, On Critical Technologies, Science and Technology Posted:

Semiconductors, or microchips, are akin to tiny silicon brains inside everything – from your phone and car to NHS scanners and the nation’s power grid. They are essential, yet Britain’s role in making them has been uncertain. In 2023, the Sunak government unveiled its National Semiconductor Strategy, identifying where the UK can compete in the market. […]

How the Policing White Paper can deliver for police productivity

Bart van Ark By and Filed Under: All posts, British Politics, Urban Posted:

The Public Accounts Committee recently painted a concerning picture of policing in England and Wales. Forces are drawing down reserves, spending a greater proportion of revenue on financing debt, and operating under an outdated funding formula. Into this fragile landscape comes the new Policing White Paper. It promises a radical structural overhaul, including a new […]

A diagnostics laboratory, with two workers in white coats operating laboratory equipment.

Getting genomics right: why data standards must underpin the UK’s international competitiveness

By Filed Under: Health and Care, Health and Social Care, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted:

The UK is a leading nation in genomics, with the 10 Year Health Plan outlining a major shift towards a population-wide genomic health service. This strategy could deliver savings and improved patient outcomes for the NHS – but critical to its success is the data that underpins it. Here, Dr Peter Freeman outlines why policymakers […]

School Streets: A win for children, a challenge for communities?

Sarah Mander By and Filed Under: All posts, Health and Social Care, Urban Posted:

School Streets is a scheme where the road outside a school is closed to motorised traffic at drop-off and pick-up times to make it safer, healthier and more pleasant for residents and those using it. Currently, it is estimated there are approximately 1000 School Streets in operation in the UK, the vast majority of which […]

Beyond evolution: rethinking curriculum reform for equity

Liz Gregory author headshot By , and Filed Under: All posts, Education Posted:

The Department for Education (DfE) has published the final report on its independent review of the curriculum, assessment and qualifications system in England. Although recommendations on inclusion, representation, enrichment, clearer transitional phases and a broader curriculum of real-world skills are welcomed, there are still substantive issues related to the breadth of curriculum, an enduring assessment […]

Image of the Manchester skyline on a day with sun and cloud

Unlocking the north-west’s industrial biotechnology potential

A profile picture of Professor Aline Miller By Filed Under: All posts, On Critical Technologies Posted:

Industrial biotechnology is an interdisciplinary field that draws on biological resources to produce and process everyday products such as food, fuels, materials, and medicines. It holds huge potential to revolutionise industry by making production processes more sustainable and so addressing global challenges such as food security, resource scarcity and environmental degradation. In this article, Professor […]

Doctors in white coats walking through a greenhouse. One talking and holding a clipboard.

Designing life: how synthetic genomics could hold the key to sustaining the world

Headshot of Patrick Cai By Filed Under: All posts, On Critical Technologies, Science and Technology Posted:

With climate change affecting our rising demand for sufficient food, affordable medicines, equitable healthcare, sustainable fuels and safe but effective agrochemicals; there is an increasing need to find new ways to produce these goods at scale. In this article, Professor Patrick Cai explores how synthetic genomics can address these global challenges and provides recommendations about how […]

Calling for a unified, evidence-informed, national primary-secondary school transitions strategy

By Filed Under: All posts, Education Posted:

Over the past decade, government reports in England have consistently identified primary–secondary school transitions as poorly managed and a systemic weakness. Dr Charlotte Bagnall shares how her #P-S WELLS research team have combined academic research, with policy and practice consultation to co-develop a unified, evidence-based framework with key recommendations to inform a primary-secondary school transitions […]

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Articles give the views of the author, and are not necessarily those of The University of Manchester.

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