5 things you might have missed: 21st May

A brief round of up things we’ve seen from the previous week that might be useful to you.

1. Department for Education has published its ‘Areas of Research Interest’

Updated in April 2025, the ‘Areas of Research Interest’ publication sets out areas where DfE is interested in more research and new evidence. Its aim is to to raise awareness of the main DfE research priorities.

2. Social media use in adolescents with and without mental health conditions

The researchers in this paper provide “…critical data and evidence-based insights into how social media and mental health are related across adolescent populations who meet and do not meet diagnostic criteria for a wide range of mental health conditions.”

3. Ongoing research – EP training while Black

Karimah, a trainee educational psychologist is exploring the experiences of Black Trainee Educational Psychologists in England through a psychosocial lens. If you racially identify as black and graduated recently from an England training course you might want to participate.

4. The Sutton Trust Opportunity Index

The Sutton Trust Opportunity Index Report closely examines “how socio-economic background, geography and opportunity interact, with data looking at both parliamentary constituency and regional level in England. From educational attainment, to opportunities in higher education and employment, the research compares the outcomes of young people across the country, with a particular focus on the chances of social mobility for young people from lower income homes.”

5. Education provision for newly arrived displaced adolescents

This research from Refugee Education UK and The Bell Foundation looks at access to education for young people, aged 13-19, who have been forcibly displaced from their homes and who arrive in the UK late in the education system. The research finds that accessing secondary education becomes increasingly difficult the later young people arrive in the UK.

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