An article investigated some factors that influenced the relative progress of pupils aged 14-16 attending comprehensive schools from two English local education authorities. It was found that the quality of teaching was better in neighbourhoods of low child poverty. In addition, it was found that child poverty was also related to relative progress over Key Stage 4.
Source: John Bell, 'Beyond the school gates: the influence of school neighbourhood on the relative progress of pupils', Oxford Review of Education, Volume 29 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2003-Dec
An interim evaluation was published of the Evaluation of Excellence in Cities (EiC) Primary Extension. EiC teachers were more likely than non-EiC teachers to think that changes within their school had benefited disaffected or disruptive pupils. (EiC is a programme designed to focus additional resources on the needs of around 1,000 schools in core urban areas.)
Source: Kate Ridley, Lesley Kendall, Tom Benton, David Teeman and Anna Macaulay, Evaluation of Excellence in Cities Primary Extension: Interim report, National Foundation for Educational Research (01753 747281)
Links: Report (Word file)
Date: 2003-Dec
The schools inspectorate said that the provision of education for Traveller pupils needed to be dramatically improved. It estimated there were 10-12,000 Traveller children of secondary age who were not registered at school. The average attendance rate for Traveller pupils was around 75 per cent - well below the national average and the worst attendance profile of any minority ethnic group.
Source: Provision and Support for Traveller Pupils, HMI 455, Office for Standards in Education (07002 637833)
Links: Report (pdf) | OFSTED press release
Date: 2003-Dec
A report examined the consequences for students of the abolition of grants, their complete replacement with loans, and the introduction of tuition fees in 1998. There had been an escalation of student debt with the abolition of student grants; students from poor families were more likely to be in debt and leave university with the largest debt. Financial help from parents had dropped by 18 per cent on average since 1998-99 in real terms. There had also been a sharp rise in the number of students working during term time; those most dependent on work were from the poorest families. Commenting on the survey, the government said that it showed a rise in students standard of living since 1998-99; and that many students were personally contributing to the upfront fee despite the fact that their parents had been assessed as capable of paying - suggesting that many parents and students would benefit from the proposed abolition of upfront fees from 2006.
Source: Claire Callender and David Wilkinson, 2002/03 Student Income and Expenditure Survey: Students' income, expenditure and debt in 2002/03 and changes since 1998/99, Research Report 487, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260) | Press release 18 November 2003, Department for Education and Skills (0870 000 2288)
Links: Report (pdf) | Brief (pdf) | PSI press release | DfES press release | Guardian report
Date: 2003-Nov
Research found that ethnic minority children tended to lose out when they joined reception classes because the school's culture and codes of behaviour were often different from those they experienced at home.
Source: Liz Brooker, Starting School: Young children and learning cultures, Open University Press (01280 823388)
Links: Summary
Date: 2003-Nov
The schools inspectorate said that schools were providing a 'good education' for asylum-seeker pupils. Staff funded by the ethnic minority achievement grant generally made a vital contribution towards supporting asylum-seeker pupils and their families. They also provided valuable advice, training and teaching support for class teachers. Schools in inner-city areas serving diverse communities were often more proficient in managing the admission of the asylum-seeker pupils, because they were more used to dealing with high levels of pupil mobility and had staff with experience and expertise in teaching pupils with English as an additional language. Teachers said the report confirmed that the children concerned were best educated in mainstream schools.
Source: The Education of Asylum-seeker Pupils, HMI 453, Office for Standards in Education (07002 637833) | Press release 22 October 2003, Association of Teachers and Lecturers (020 7930 6441)
Links: Report (pdf) | Ofsted press release | ATL press release | Guardian report
Date: 2003-Oct
The government announced details of its 'Aiming High' national strategy, designed to raise the academic achievement of minority ethnic pupils. The strategy included focused work in 30 secondary schools.
Source: Press release 24 October 2003, Department for Education and Skills (0870 000 2288)
Links: DfES press release | ALG press release | Guardian report
Date: 2003-Oct
The schools inspectorate said that three initiatives to tackle barriers to achievement by pupils in disadvantaged areas (education action zones, excellence clusters and the 'excellence in cities' programme) were producing promising work, but that better monitoring and evaluation were needed.
Source: Education Action Zones: Tackling difficult issues in round 2 zones, HMI 1711, Office for Standards in Education (07002 637833) | Excellence Clusters: The first ten inspections, HMI 1732, Office for Standards in Education | Excellence in Cities: City Learning Centres - Evaluation of the first year, HMI 1655, Office for Standards in Education
Links: Report 1711 (pdf) | Report 1732 (pdf) | Report 1655 (pdf) | Ofsted press release | DfES press release | Community Care article
Date: 2003-Oct
The Northern Ireland Executive announced that education action zones were to be established to help tackle disadvantage in local communities. It said the zones would be child-centred, multi-agency responses based in local schools and working with the local community to improve services.
Source: Press release 9 October 2003, Department of Education/Northern Ireland Executive (028 9127 9391)
Links: NIE press release
Date: 2003-Oct
A study (based on the Reading area) found that the cost of moving to the best possible secondary school catchment area would be an increase of 23,750 - or 18 per cent - in house prices. Moving from the worst to the best possible primary school area would have increased the house price by 42,550 or 33 per cent. But there were no real price differences for houses in the catchment areas of average schools compared to those assigned to the very worst schools.
Source: Paul Cheshire and Stephen Sheppard, Capitalised in the Housing Market or How We Pay for Free Schools: The impact of supply constraints and uncertainty, Royal Geographical Society (020 7591 3000)
Links: RGS press release (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2003-Sep
A study investigated how far men were being encouraged to take part in Sure Start local programmes. Staff in a large majority of programmes reported low levels of father involvement in programme activities. But most fathers felt welcomed at services provided by the programmes, and continued to use them when they had seen a positive benefit to themselves or their children.
Source: Nigel Lloyd, Margaret O Brien and Charlie Lewis, Fathers in Sure Start Local Programmes, NESS/SF/004, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Summary (pdf)
Date: 2003-Sep
A paper examined ethnic segregation in secondary schools in England in 2001. Levels of ethnic segregation were high, with considerable variation both across local authorities and across different minority ethnic groups. Ethnic segregation was only weakly related to income segregation.
Source: Simon Burgess and Deborah Wilson, Ethnic Segregation in England's Schools, Discussion Paper 03/086, Centre for Market and Public Organisation/University of Bristol (0117 954 6943)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2003-Sep
A local survey of parents of children aged 5-12 found that school costs bore most on those families least available to afford it, exposing children to the risk of social exclusion: 1 in 5 parents surveyed (in Oxford) said their children had gone without an item of school clothing because they were not able to meet the cost.
Source: Emily Tanner et al., The Costs of Education: A local study, Child Poverty Action Group (020 7837 7979)
Links: CPAG press release
Date: 2003-Sep
A report contained a summary of quantitative evidence from an evaluation of the education maintenance allowance transport pilots. No consistent, significant impact was found on the education decisions of eligible young people. (The pilots were introduced in September 2000, designed to encourage young people from low-income households to remain in post-16 education, by assisting with the costs of travel to and from an education provider.)
Source: Kim Perren, Sue Middleton and Carl Emmerson, Education Maintenance Allowance Transport Pilots: Quantitative findings from year 1 and 2, Research Report 471, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report (pdf) | Brief (pdf)
Date: 2003-Sep
The second and final report was published of the evaluation of the education maintenance allowance 'vulnerable' pilots. The authors recommended a number of administrative improvements, such as fast-track applications for vulnerable students. (The pilots, introduced in 2000, extended the scope of the main EMA pilots by focusing on young people - in four areas - believed to be especially vulnerable to economic and social exclusion.)
Source: Barbara Dobson et al., Education Maintenance Allowance Pilots for Vulnerable Young People and Childcare Pilots: Implementation and reported impacts in the first two years, Research Report 470, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report (pdf) | Brief (pdf)
Date: 2003-Sep
Researchers analysed secondary school admissions criteria in England. They found that in a significant minority of schools - notably those that were their own admission authorities (voluntary-aided and foundation schools) a variety of criteria were used which appeared to be designed to select certain groups of pupils and so exclude others. These included children of employees; children of former pupils; partial selection by ability/aptitude in a subject area or by general ability; and children with a family connection to the school.
Source: Anne West and Audrey Hind, Secondary School Admissions in England: Exploring the extent of overt and covert selection, Centre for Educational Research/London School of Economics (020 7955 7809) and Research and Information on State Education Trust
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary
Date: 2003-Aug
A paper examined changes over time in the extent of educational inequality defined as educational attainment by people from higher, relative to lower, income backgrounds. The data showed a sharp rise in educational inequality over time, with the rapid expansion of higher education disproportionately benefiting children from relatively affluent backgrounds.
Source: Jo Blanden, Paul Gregg and Stephen Machin, Changes in Educational Inequality, Working Paper 03/079, Centre for Market and Public Organisation/University of Bristol (0117 954 6943)
Links: Paper (pdf)
Date: 2003-Aug
The schools inspectorate said that pupils with special medical needs were benefiting from improvements in the education services provided by local education authorities. A good quality of teaching and learning had been found in the 12 authorities included in the study: pupils were well behaved and had a positive attitude towards their work.
Source: The Education of Pupils with Medical Needs, HMI 1713, Office for Standards in Education (07002 637833)
Links: Report (pdf) | OFSTED press release
Date: 2003-Aug
A report said that integrated (formerly 'new') community schools in Scotland were perceived to have promoted more inclusive approaches for vulnerable pupils, and to have improved the recording and identification of vulnerable groups, particularly looked after and accommodated children. They had also improved pupils' attitudes to school, and had a marked impact on the curriculum in the areas of health education and promotion. But they had variable success in engaging families. (New community schools were established in 1999 to expand the range of services offered to young people in disadvantaged areas, with the intention of both raising attainment and promoting social inclusion.)
Source: Pamela Sammons, Sally Power, Karen Elliot, Pamela Robertson, Carol Campbell and Geoff Whitty, Key Findings from the National Evaluation of the New Community Schools Pilot Programme in Scotland, Insight 7, Scottish Executive (0131 244 0092)
Links: Report (pdf) | Report | SE press release
Date: 2003-Aug
A study found that out-of-school care had a positive social and educational impact on children. It focused on four groups - older children (8-14), children from minority ethnic groups, children in deprived areas, and children with special educational needs.
Source: John Barker et al., The Impact of Out of School Care: Qualitative study examining the views of children, families and playworkers, Research Report 446, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: No link
Date: 2003-Jul
The first official report was published on the characteristics of Sure Start local programme areas in rounds 1-4, based on the fiscal year 2000-01. Sure Start local programme areas were found to experience some of the worst deprivation in England, with more than double the national averages of low income, unemployment and child poverty. (The first 260 local programmes were rolled out in 4 stages or 'rounds', with each round having approximately 60-70 local programmes.)
Source: Jacqueline Barnes et al., Characteristics of Sure Start Local Programme Areas: Rounds 1 to 4, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary (pdf)
Date: 2003-Jul
The government published a summary of responses to a consultation exercise on raising the educational achievement of minority ethnic pupils. There was general agreement that additional long-term funding was needed in order to narrow achievement gaps.
Source: Aiming High: Raising the achievement of minority ethnic pupils - Consultation summary, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report of responses (Word file) | Consultation document (pdf)
Date: 2003-Jul
A report summarised recent research and statistics on the position of different ethnic groups in education and training (in England). Black Caribbean and black African children, and children for whom English was an additional language, made relatively greater progress during pre-school than white children or those for whom English was a first language. Indian and Chinese pupils were more likely to achieve the expected level compared with other ethnic groups at all key stages. On average, black, Bangladeshi and Pakistani pupils performed less well than white pupils throughout compulsory schooling. Many children from minority ethnic groups were from lower socio-economic groups: but while socio-economic factors explained a large part of inequality of attainment, there were still differences in attainment between ethnic groups among those pupils who were eligible for free school meals.
Source: Gargi Bhattacharyya, Liz Ison and Maud Blair, Minority Ethnic Attainment and Participation in Education and Training: The Evidence, Research Topic Paper RTP01-03, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2003-Jul
Researchers reported favourably on the 'schools plus' pilots involving schools in disadvantaged neighbourhoods. The pilots were designed to test the effectiveness of the team approach in developing schools plus activities, including developing study support and out of school hours learning programmes; working with a wider range of parents, and developing family learning programmes; and developing links between the schools and their communities.
Source: Catherine Shaw, Becoming Seamless : Evaluation of the Schools Plus teams pilot project, Research Report 447, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report (pdf) | Brief (pdf)
Date: 2003-Jul
Researchers found that up to a third of children under 16 with caring responsibilities experienced educational difficulties. These included regular absence, persistent lateness, poor academic performance, tiredness and being victims of bullying. These problems often had a knock-on effect in later life.
Source: Young Carers and Education, Carers UK (020 7490 8818)
Links: Summary
Date: 2003-Jun
A research study found evidence of an achievement gap between the results of ethnic minority pupils in Wales and those of pupils as a whole. Wide variations in attainment were found between different groups: Indian and Chinese pupils tended to achieve better than the national average, while those from African-Caribbean, Pakistani and Bangladeshi backgrounds achieved significantly less well than the national average.
Source: English As An Additional Language Association of Wales, Building Partnerships and Breaking Down Barriers, Welsh Assembly Government (029 2082 6079)
Links: WAG press release | CRE press release
Date: 2003-Jun
A study examined how a disadvantaged background affected young people s experience of higher and further education. It confirmed that disadvantaged young people were not enjoying an equal level of success within higher education: not only were such young people less likely to reach degree status, but even those who did were likely to have suffered from a number of barriers which may have hindered their progress and deterred them from continuing any further.
Source: Andy Furlong and Alasdair Forsyth, Losing Out? Socioeconomic disadvantage and experience in further and higher education, Policy Press for Joseph Rowntree Foundation, available from Marston Book Services (01235 465500)
Links: JRF Findings 563
Date: 2003-May
A paper summarised the results of an empirical investigation into the extent of meritocracy in the education system and labour market, based on two cohorts - one born in 1958, and the other in 1970. It was found that the effect of cognitive ability on educational attainment had actually decreased, while the role of parental social class and income in determining educational attainment had increased.
Source: Fernando Galindo-Rueda and Anna Vignoles, Class Ridden or Meritocratic? Economic analysis of recent changes in Britain, DP 32, Centre for the Economics of Education/London School of Economics (020 7955 7285)
Links: Paper (pdf)
Date: 2003-May
Researchers found that education action zones (introduced by the government in 1997 in order to encourage innovatory ways to raise standards) had a 'limited' and 'inconsistent' effect on results in national tests. It said that, while the zones did demonstrate some innovation and positive shifts in parents' perceptions of education, these were not matched by consistent improvements in pupil performance or lasting changes in classroom practice.
Source: Sally Power, Geoff Whitty, Marny Dickson, Sharon Gewirtz and David Halpin, Paving a Third Way? Policy trajectory analysis of education action zones, Economic and Social Research Council (01793 413000)
Links: ESRC press release
Date: 2003-Apr
Researchers found that the United Kingdom was falling behind many other countries in its efforts to create a more cohesive society. Using, for the first time, aggregated data for 15 countries drawn from the World Values Survey, the International Adult Literacy Survey and Interpol crime statistics, the research suggested that educational inequality in the United Kingdom may pose particular problems for social cohesion.
Source: Andy Green, John Preston and Ricardo Sabates, Education, Equity and Social Cohesion: Distributional model, Research Report 7, Centre for Research on the Wider Benefits of Learning/University of London (020 7612 6291)
Links: Report (pdf) | IOE press release
Date: 2003-Apr
The government issued revised educational targets for children in public care in England and Wales. It said that, by 2006, outcomes in English and maths for children aged 11 should be at least 60 per cent as good as those of their peers; and the proportion of those aged 16 who get qualifications equivalent to GCSEs graded A*-C should have risen on average by 4 percentage points each year since 2002. Campaigners criticised the targets, saying that they set 'low and insulting' expectations for the children concerned, and would allow local authorities to avoid improving standards. (GCSE = General Certificate of Secondary Education)
Source: House of Commons Hansard, Written Ministerial Statement 31.3.03, column 39WS (corrected in House of Commons Hansard, Written Ministerial Statement 4.4.03, columns 75-76WS) TSO (0870 600 5522) | Press release 31.3.03, Fostering Network (020 7620 6437)
Links: Hansard 31.3.03 | Hansard 4.4.03 | Fostering network press release
Date: 2003-Mar
The government began a new consultation on meeting the educational needs of black and ethnic minority pupils. It proposed a strategy to publish national data annually on performance by ethnicity; require the schools inspectorate to report on how well schools and local education authorities respond to the requirements of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act; improve the training of school heads, teachers and school staff; and ensure that minority ethnic pupils are not disproportionately excluded from school. The Commission for Racial Equality said that it did not support the idea (canvassed by some black groups) for all-black schools.
Source: Aiming High: Raising the achievement of minority ethnic pupils, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260) | Statement 19.3.03, Commission for Racial Equality (020 7939 0000)
Links: Consultation document (pdf) | DfES press release | CRE statement
Date: 2003-Mar
A report said that educational success in Britain is more determined by social class than in any other country in the industrialised world.
Source: Paul Ennals, The Education and Child Poverty Report, End Child Poverty (020 7843 1913) and National Children's Bureau
Links: Report (pdf) | Guardian article
Date: 2003-Mar
Research found that the current competitive culture of standards, targets and formal curriculum makes it hard for schools to be inclusive and support children with the greatest social and learning needs.
Source: Sheila Macrae, Starting Young: Challenging exclusion in the primary school, Economic and Social Research Council (01793 413000)
Links: Press release
Date: 2003-Feb
Researchers reported favourably on the national e-learning foundation (launched in 2001 to help the government s plans to bridge the digital divide , by providing children from low-income families and in disadvantaged areas with access to portable computers and internet access to learning materials).
Source: Kate Calamatta, Paul Rhodes, Kerry Watson and Teresa Wilde, An Evaluation of the National e-Learning Foundation, Research Report RBX1-03, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Brief (pdf)
Date: 2003-Feb
Research found that schools which select pupils by ability or religion 'are perpetuating a polarisation of society between the haves and have-nots'. Almost a third of England's secondary schools do not reflect the relative wealth or poverty of their local communities.
Source: Press release 31.1.03, The Education Network (020 7554 2810)
Links: Press release | BBC news report
Date: 2003-Jan
