They Behave For Me What can educational statistics tell us about the classroom and policy? With Natasha Plaister
Dec 5, 2025
Natasha Plaister, a statistician at FFT Education Datalab, dives deep into educational data analysis. She discusses the challenges of understanding disadvantaged attainment gaps and how factors like prior attainment and gender impact outcomes. Natasha highlights the misinterpretation of regional data and emphasizes the importance of 'basics' for future pathways. Furthermore, she explores the gender gap in STEM subjects and the shortage of specialized physics teachers, unveiling the complexities behind student choices and educational policies.
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Make Research Digestible
- FFT Education Datalab turns complex national data into accessible, short research pieces for practitioners.
- Natasha emphasises clear communication alongside quantitative analysis to reach teachers and policymakers.
Benchmark With 'Schools Like Ours'
- Use FFT's 'Schools Like Ours' to compare a school with demographically similar peers.
- Adjust similarity weights (SEN, EAL, cohort size) to get more meaningful benchmarking.
Unconventional Route Into Statistics
- Natasha retrained from humanities into statistics via evening courses to work with education data.
- Her path shows non-linear career routes into educational statistics are possible but demanding.