Ellen is a senior research economist in the Education sector at IFS. Ellen's research focuses on pupil well-being and attainment, including the impact of a pupil's month of birth and parents' marital status on these outcomes. Ellen has also contributed to a number of large-scale policy evaluations, including the impact of the provision of universal free school meals and an early intervention literacy programme, and is currently leading the evaluation of the Achieve Together pilot that targets resources for teachers in disadvantaged schools. Related to schools and teachers, Ellen has investigated whether parents' preferences for primary schools mean that school choice and competition have the potential to improve academic standards in schools, and is currently leading research into the costs and benefits of different initial teacher training routes. This project combines information on the recruitment and retention of teachers trained through different routes with the costs of benefits associated with their training.