Revised practice guidance for Sure Start children's centres said that managers should do more to get marginalized families to use their services. There should be a greater emphasis on outreach and home visiting.
Source: Sure Start Children's Centres Practice Guidance, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Guidance | DfES press release | Children Now report
Date: 2006-Dec
A study highlighted wide disparities between peer-group ability in different schools, using data on the population of pupils entering secondary school in England from 1996 to 2002. But, contrary to popular opinion, almost nothing had changed over these years in terms of the way pupils of different age-11 abilities were sorted into different secondary schools.
Source: Stephen Gibbons and Shqiponja Telhaj, Are Schools Drifting Apart? Intake stratification in English secondary schools, Research Report CEE02-06, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Brief
Date: 2006-Dec
An audit report said that most Sure Start children s centres failed to identify the most disadvantaged families in their areas and offer them support. Only a minority actively targeted 'hard-to-reach' groups.
Source: Sure Start Children s Centres, HC 104 (Session 2006-07), National Audit Office, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | NAO press release | DfES press release | NCH press release | Guardian report | BBC report | Children Now report
Date: 2006-Dec
A report presented the findings of research using data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children which explored development at two time points - firstly, behaviour and learning at age 5 (the entry into school); and secondly, continued cognitive development at age 7. In terms of the context in which children grew up, the home environment, and the neighbourhood and pre-school peer group, were the main influences on cognitive development at age 5. Their parents? education levels and family characteristics (such as family size and their mother?s age) were the background variables that most strongly related to children?s cognitive development at the age of 5. By the time children were 7, the impact of new variables (such as schooling) appeared to be having an influence on their cognitive development (thereby reducing the effect of the background and contextual variables).
Source: CMPO Research Team/University of Bristol, Up to Age 7: Family background and child development up to age 7 in the Avon Longitudinal Survey of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), Research Report , Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report | Brief | Non-technical summary report
Date: 2006-Nov
A report examined the ways in which Sure Start local programmes had helped parents to feel that they had an increased sense of control over their lives. There was substantial evidence that SSLPs had empowered individual parents, so that they felt less isolated, more valued (especially as mothers), and more confident in their parenting activities.
Source: Fiona Williams and Harriet Churchill, Empowerment in Sure Start Local Programmes, Research Report NESS2006FR018, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Date: 2006-Nov
An article examined the issue of engagement in antenatal parent education for women living in deprived areas, focusing on the findings of a local evaluation of a Sure Start parent education programme. The Sure Start service had been beneficial for those involved, and resulted in improved levels of engagement: but it only reached a small proportion of the eligible population. The article also discussed the issue of professional resistance from mainstream services.
Source: Charlotte Pearson and Miranda Thurston, 'Understanding mothers' engagement with antenatal parent education services: a critical analysis of a local Sure Start service', Children & Society, Volume 20 Number 5
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Nov
A paper estimated the chances of poor and non-poor children getting places in good schools, analyzing the relationship between poverty, location, and school assignment. Children from poor families were significantly less likely to go to good schools. The lower chance of poor children attending a good school was essentially unaffected by the degree of choice.
Source: Simon Burgess and Adam Briggs, School Assignment, School Choice and Social Mobility, Working Paper 06/157, Centre for Market and Public Organisation/University of Bristol (0117 954 6943)
Links: Working paper
Date: 2006-Nov
A discussion paper examined the key issues of governance and management which had emerged during the first phase of the roll-out of children's centres and extended schools.
Source: The Governance and Management of Extended Schools and Sure Start Children's Centres, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Discussion paper | Letter
Date: 2006-Nov
A report examined outreach and home visiting services in Sure Start local programmes. The prime aim of outreach services in most SSLPs had been to gain the confidence of families, to assess with them what they would find most helpful, and to get them to participate regularly in the relevant Sure Start services.
Source: Mog Ball and Lisa Niven, Outreach and Home Visiting Services in Sure Start Local Programmes, Research Report NESS2006FR017, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Date: 2006-Nov
A survey found that 89 per cent of higher education institutions rated their progress in widening participation in the previous four years as strong or very strong.
Source: Widening Participation: A Review, Higher Education Funding Council for England (0117 931 7317)
Links: Report | HEFCE press release | DfES press release | UCU press release | Guardian report | BBC report
Date: 2006-Nov
Provisional statistics provided information for 2005-06 on key stage national curriculum assessments, GCSE and equivalent attainment, and post-16 achievements of young people in England by different pupil characteristics - specifically gender, ethnicity, eligibility for free school meals, special educational needs, and English as a first language. Pakistani, Bangladeshi and black pupils made the greatest improvement in GCSE results. (GCSE = General Certificate of Secondary Education)
Source: National Curriculum Assessment, GCSE and Equivalent Attainment and Post-16 Attainment by Pupil Characteristics in England 2005/06 (Provisional), Statistical First Release 46/2006, Department for Education and Skills (0870 000 2288)
Links: SFR | DfES press release | BBC report (1) | BBC report (2)
Date: 2006-Nov
The government announced that it would bring forward an amendment to the Education and Inspections Bill, in order to enable local authorities to ensure that up to 25 per cent of places in new faith schools were open to families of different or no faith where there was a local demand. But it dropped the amendment after it was rejected by the House of Lords.
Source: Press release 18 October 2006, Department for Education and Skills (0870 000 2288)
Links: DfES press release | BHA press release | BBC report | Guardian report | FT report
Date: 2006-Oct
An evaluation report examined the effectiveness of a project designed to raise achievement by African-Caribbean pupils. The project had been successful in raising attainment and improving progress of African-Caribbean pupils in some schools, leading to a reduction in the performance gaps; and in putting race equality issues on the pilot schools agenda, specifically in terms of raising awareness of African-Caribbean achievement issues.
Source: Leon Tikly, Jo Haynes, Chamion Caballero, John Hill and David Gillborn, Evaluation of Aiming High: African Caribbean Achievement Project, Research Report 801, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report | Brief | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Oct
A study found that private school fees had become significantly less affordable for the average worker over the previous five years. In 2005 average private school fees were equal to 35 per cent of average gross earnings, compared to 30 per cent in 2000. The organization representing private schools called the report 'muddled and misleading'.
Source: Press release 9 October 2006, Halifax Financial Services (pressoffice@HBOSplc.com) | Press release 9 October 2006, Independent Schools Council (020 7766 7070)
Links: HFS press release | ISC press release | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Oct
An article examined the impact of gender and race on young people's perceptions of the educational and labour market opportunities available to them after they completed their compulsory schooling. Young people from non-white backgrounds were more reliant on `official' sources of guidance (as opposed to friends and families) for their labour market knowledge.
Source: Vanessa Beck, Alison Fuller and Lorna Unwin, 'Safety in stereotypes? The impact of gender and race on young people's perceptions of their post-compulsory education and labour market opportunities', British Educational Research Journal, Volume 32 Number 5
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Oct
The government announced a new requirement for Sure Start children's centres to evaluate the services that they provided, to ensure they were responsive to the needs of the most disadvantaged groups; and a new requirement for every centre to run a home visiting and outreach programme for parents of all new babies.
Source: Press release 5 October 2006, Department for Education and Skills (0870 000 2288)
Links: DfES press release | NCH press release | Daycare Trust press release | 4Children press release | Children Now report
Date: 2006-Oct
A report examined the extent to which schools populations reflected the profile of the local communities in which they were located. Voluntary-aided schools tended to admit lower proportions of pupils eligible for free school meals, with special educational needs, and with lower key-stage test scores (at age 11), than the proportions within their local communities.
Source: Tamsin Chamberlain, Simon Rutt and Felicity Fletcher-Campbell, Admissions: Who Goes Where? Messages from the statistics, National Foundation for Educational Research (01753 747281)
Date: 2006-Sep
A report said that the government's drive to recruit more university students from disadvantaged backgrounds was failing because academic achievement was strongly linked to family background. The policy was not reaching those teenagers who might have left school at 16 with no qualifications and with no interest in higher education at all. A linked discussion paper examined the implications of the report for higher education policy and strategic management.
Source: Stephen Gorard et al., Review of Widening Participation Research: Addressing the barriers to participation in higher education, Higher Education Funding Council for England (0117 931 7317) | David Watson, How to Think About Widening Participation in UK Higher Education, Higher Education Funding Council for England
Links: Report | Discussion paper | HEA press release | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Sep
An article examined links between pupil mobility and pupil/school characteristics at all levels of compulsory schooling in England. Mobile pupils were more socially disadvantaged than non-mobile pupils. When children moved school, they were more likely to end up in a school with better key stage performance than the one they had left: but this improvement was significantly more marked for children from better-off backgrounds.
Source: Stephen Machin, Shqiponja Telhaj and Joan Wilson, 'The mobility of English school children', Fiscal Studies, Volume 27 Issue 3, Institute for Fiscal Studies (020 7291 4800)
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Sep
An article examined the findings from the reports of the National Evaluation of Sure Start, published in November 2005. It said that the research evaluation had been well conducted, but that the findings were inconclusive.
Source: Michael Rutter, 'Is Sure Start an effective preventive intervention?', Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Volume 11 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Sep
A paper examined data on the ethnic identity for every student in the entry cohorts for all English primary and secondary schools between 1997-98 and 2003. Analysis indicated that there had been some increase in segregation levels in some cities, but only to the expected extent given the changing relative size of the ethnic minority populations there. Segregation was relatively high there, but had only increased if the minority groups share of the entry cohorts had been increasing.
Source: Ron Johnston, Simon Burgess, Richard Harris and Deborah Wilson, Sleep-Walking Towards Segregation? : The Changing Ethnic Composition of English Schools, 1997-2003 - An entry cohort analysis, Working Paper 06/155, Centre for Market and Public Organisation/University of Bristol (0117 954 6943)
Links: Working paper
Date: 2006-Sep
A report examined the seemingly marked increase year-on-year in the number of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller families opting for 'elective home education', and the adequacy and quality of provision.
Source: The Situation Regarding the Current Policy, Provision and Practice in Elective Home Education for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Children, Research Report RW77, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Aug
A report examined young people's knowledge of the educational maintenance allowance in Northern Ireland, along with how much its existence influenced their decisions about staying on in education. A majority of respondents had heard of the EMA. For 30 per cent of respondents, the existence of the EMA did influence their decision to stay in education - this was especially true for those students from families who were not financially well-off.
Source: Katrina Lloyd and Paula Devine, To Stay or Not to Stay: That is the Question, ARK/School of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work/Queen s University Belfast (028 9097 3034)
Links: Report | UU press release | CiNI press release
Date: 2006-Aug
A report examined changes in 260 Sure Start Local Programme areas between 2000-01 and 2003-04. There were fewer children aged 0-3 living in homes completely dependent on benefits in SSLP areas (down 3.8 per cent to 40.4 per cent) - this was a significantly greater drop than in England as a whole (where the figure fell by 1.2 per cent to 22 per cent). There was also a greater reduction in relation to children aged 0-17 living in households in receipt of income support.
Source: Jacqueline Barnes et al., Changes in the Characteristics of SSLP Areas between 2000/01 and 2003/04, Research Report NESS/2006/FR/016, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Date: 2006-Jul
An article examined the relative impact on pupil performance of 'collective teacher efficacy' (the collective perception in a school that teachers make an educational difference to their pupils) and the socio-economic circumstances of pupils.
Source: Karen Parker, Elizabeth Hannah and Keith Topping, 'Collective teacher efficacy, pupil attainment and socio-economic status in primary school', Improving Schools, Volume 9 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Jul
A paper said that the under-representation in higher-status higher education institutions of those from less advantaged social class and ethnic origins was, to a very large degree, the result of corresponding inequalities in admissions chances - much of which was not accounted for by class and ethnic differences in candidate merit .
Source: Vikki Boliver, Social Inequalities of Access to Higher Status Universities in the UK: The role of university admissions decisions, Working Paper 2006-07, Department of Sociology/University of Oxford (01865 86170)
Links: Paper
Date: 2006-Jul
A report said that 28.2 per cent of first-year degree students starting courses in 2004-05 came from lower socio-economic groups, a fall from 28.6 per cent the previous year. The proportion of teenagers who went to university from state schools or colleges also fell slightly - from 86.8 per cent in 2003-04 to 86.7 per cent in 2004-05.
Source: Performance Indicators in Higher Education in the UK 2004/05, Higher Education Statistics Agency (01242 255577)
Links: Report | HESA press release | UUK press release | ISC press release | Guardian report | BBC report
Date: 2006-Jul
An article reported a study which found no overall differences in school attainment between users of Sure Start programmes and non-users. However, in one of the four local areas examined, users' outcomes were consistently worse.
Source: Justine Schneider, Alan Ramsay and Shelagh Lowerson, 'Sure Start graduates: predictors of attainment on starting school', Child: Care, Health and Development, Volume 32 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Jul
An article reported previously published research which found that although the Sure Start programme was benefiting some poor families, the most deprived families did worse in areas covered by the scheme.
Source: Jay Belsky, Edward Melhuish, Jacqueline Barnes, Alastair Leyland and Helena Romaniuk, 'Effects of Sure Start local programmes on children and families: early findings from a quasi-experimental, cross sectional study', British Medical Journal, 24 June 2006
Links: Article | Abstract | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Jun
A report said that there had been some narrowing of attainment gaps between the most and least deprived schools, but less narrowing of gaps between deprived and non-deprived pupils.
Source: Trends in Attainment Gaps: 2005, Department for Education and Skills (web publication only)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Jun
A report presented the latest statistics and research on minority ethnic pupils in the education system. Minority ethnic pupils were more likely to experience deprivation than White British pupils - especially Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Black African and Black Caribbean pupils.
Source: Ethnicity and Education: The evidence on minority ethnic pupils aged 5 16, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Jun
A report (by a private university) described as "a great success" a scheme (in Liverpool) designed to show how access to leading independent schools could be opened up to children from low-income backgrounds.
Source: Alan Smithers and Pamela Robinson, Five Years On: Open access to independent education, Centre for Education and Employment Research/University of Buckingham (01280 820338)
Links: Report | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2006-May
A paper examined links between pupil mobility and pupil and school characteristics at all levels of compulsory schooling in England. Mobile pupils were more socially disadvantaged than non-mobile pupils, and were significantly less likely to have a good prior education record.
Source: Stephen Machin, Shqiponje Telhaj and Joan Wilson, The Mobility of English School Children, DP67, Centre for the Economics of Education/London School of Economics (020 7955 7285)
Date: 2006-May
A report said that local authority policies relating to gender equality in Scottish schools were, in the main, couched within a broader approach to social justice and social inclusion - there was a danger that gender became "lost or fudged" within the broader inclusion agenda. Schools and local authorities should give specific attention to the issue in light of forthcoming legislation on equality.
Source: Rae Condie, Alastair McPhee, Christine Forde, Jean Kane and George Head, Review of Strategies to Address Gender Inequalities in Scottish Schools, Scottish Executive (web publication only)
Links: Report | Literature review | Summary | BBC report
Date: 2006-May
The number of children attending private schools increased slightly in the year to January 2006, by 1,359 (0.3 per cent) to 505,450.
Source: ISC Census 2006, Independent Schools Council (020 7766 7070)
Links: Report | ISC press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2006-May
A survey found that three-quarters of a sample of further education providers said that fees had not reduced their enrolments: but enrolments in adult and community learning had proved more sensitive to fee rises.
Source: Adrian Perry and Mick Fletcher, The Impact of New Fee Policies in Further Education, Learning and Skills Network (020 7297 9000)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-May
The Prime Minister reportedly said that both the Sure Start scheme for children under 5, and policies for children in care, had failed socially excluded groups. He said that the government had "not yet found a way of bringing the shut-out into mainstream society".
Source: The Guardian, 16 May 2006
Links: Guardian report (1) | Guardian report (2)
Date: 2006-May
A briefing paper examined social-class inequalities in educational attainment and participation in England and Scotland. The overall level of inequality, across different levels of attainment, fell slightly in England and remained stable in Scotland between the mid-1980s and the end of the 1990s. In both countries social-class differences in entry to higher education could largely be attributed to class differences in achieving the qualifications for entry. General levels of attainment and participation were higher in Scotland: despite greater inequalities, working-class Scots outperformed their English peers.
Source: David Raffe, Linda Croxford, Cristina Iannelli, Marina Shapira and Cathy Howieson, Social-Class Inequalities in Education in England and Scotland, Special Briefing 40,Centre for Educational Sociology/University of Edinburgh (0131 651 6238)
Links: Briefing
Date: 2006-May
A report by a committee of MSPs expressed concern about a growing divide between successful and underachieving pupils in Scotland's schools. It called for work to identify at an earlier age those children likely to become disillusioned with formal education, and practical steps to lighten the assessment and examination load on pupils and teachers.
Source: Pupil Motivation, 3rd Report 2006, SP Paper 537, Scottish Parliament Education Committee, available from Blackwell's Bookshop (0131 622 8283)
Links: Report | BBC report
Date: 2006-Apr
The government announced that it had exceeded its target agreed in the 2002 spending review for Sure Start children's centres to provide services to at least 650,000 children under five and their families by 31 March 2006. On that day there were 836 Sure Start children's centres offering integrated services to around 657,000 children.
Source: House of Commons Hansard, Written Ministerial Statement 18 April 2006, columns 2-3WS, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Hansard
Date: 2006-Apr
A think-tank paper said that a mother's education had important intergenerational effects on the level of education achieved by her children. The effects were transmitted via a number of channels, including: additional income through having higher qualifications; increased mother s maturity through having children at a later point in her life; and mating effects a better education made it more likely the children would meet a better-educated spouse.
Source: Pedro Carneiro, Costas Meghir and Matthias Parey, Intergenerational Effects of Mother's Schooling on Children's Outcomes: Causal links and transmission channels, Institute for Fiscal Studies (020 7291 4800)
Links: IFS press release
Date: 2006-Apr
A study found greater ethnic segregation in schools considerably so for primary schools, and more so for some ethnic groups relative to others than in neighbourhoods.
Source: Ron Johnston, Simon Burgess, Deborah Wilson and Richard Harris, School and Residential Ethnic Segregation: An analysis of variations across England s local education authorities, Working Paper 06/145, Centre for Market and Public Organisation/University of Bristol (0117 954 6943)
Links: Working paper
Date: 2006-Apr
Statistics were published on initial higher education participation rates for English-domiciled people aged 17-30. The 2004-05 provisional figure was 42 per cent, no change from the final figure of 42 per cent for 2003-04, and down from 43 per cent in 2002-03.
Source: Participation Rates in Higher Education: Academic Years 1999/2000 - 2004/2005 (Provisional), Statistical First Release 14/2006, Department for Education and Skills (0870 000 2288)
Links: SFR
Date: 2006-Apr
A new book said that children who did not pass the 11-plus examination were condemned to lower standards of education than if they went to a comprehensive school in an area where there was no selection.
Source: Mark Hewlett, Richard Pring and Margaret Tulloch (eds.), Comprehensive Education: Evolution, Achievements and New Directions, University of Northampton Press (01604 492337)
Links: Summary | TES report | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Apr
A government report presented new analysis and evidence on the extent of educational social class attainment gaps at all stages of the education system, and explored the key drivers of any gaps. It also reviewed the government's policies across the age range, and considered what contribution they might be making to narrowing the attainment gap, as well as increasing attainment for all pupils.
Source: Social Mobility: Narrowing Educational Social Class Attainment Gaps, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report | CPAG press release
Date: 2006-Apr
A think-tank report said that the number of young people available to go into higher education in England would decline sharply in the period to 2020: but the fall would be mainly in the social groups least likely to go to university.
Source: Bahram Bekhradnia, Demand for Higher Education to 2020, Higher Education Policy Institute (01865 284450)
Links: Report | BBC report
Date: 2006-Mar
A report said that improving the educational achievements of looked-after children called for foster carers to be better empowered and equipped by fostering services. It highlighted the need for guidance that clarified the authority of foster carers to make decisions with regard to the educational needs of the children they fostered, and for registration of foster carers with a body such as the General Social Care Council.
Source: Improving the Educational Achievements of Looked-after Children, Fostering Network (020 7620 6400)
Links: Report | Fostering Network press release
Date: 2006-Mar
An article said that 'tracking' - early selection of students into different schools based by ability - increased educational inequalities, and also tended to reduce average performance.
Source: Ludger Woessmann and Eric Hanushek, 'Does educational tracking affect performance and inequality? Differences-in-differences evidence across countries', Economic Journal, March 2006
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Mar
An article examined attempts to widen access to higher education by applicants from under-represented socio-economic groups and educational backgrounds. Some key approaches were described and discussed in the light of the concept of affirmative action. The article also examined the legal support for widening participation.
Source: Lois Bibbings, 'Widening participation and higher education', Journal of Law and Society, Volume 33 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Mar
An article said that primary school performance (measured by test scores) significantly increased nearby property prices: but only the best 1 in 10 schools generated higher than average prices close by, and prices were higher close to popular, over-capacity schools.
Source: Stephen Gibbons and Stephen Machin, 'Paying for primary schools: admission constraints, school popularity or congestion?', Economic Journal, March 2006
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Mar
A paper provided a critique of previous measures of education segregation, and suggested an alternative approach. It also provided new empirical evidence on changes in the extent of socio-economic segregation (measured by levels of free school meals entitlement) in English schools during the previous fifteen years.
Source: Rebecca Allen and Anna Vignoles, What Should an Index of School Segregation Measure?, DP60, Centre for the Economics of Education/London School of Economics (020 7955 7285)
Links: Paper
Date: 2006-Mar
The Prime Minister said that neither he nor any future prime minister would ever abolish grammar schools in England.
Source: Interview with Tony Blair MP (Prime Minister), The Guardian, 14 February 2006
Links: Guardian report
Date: 2006-Feb
A report examined the level of resources spent by Sure Start local programmes from 1999-2000 to 2003-04, and the way in which those resources were spent. There were large differences in expenditure per child between different local programmes, even when they were fully operational. There was strong evidence of economies of scale: small programmes spent more per head overall, more on non-service costs, and more on each key service than did medium-sized and larger programmes.
Source: National Evaluation of Sure Start, Cost Effectiveness of Implementing SSLPs: An interim report, Research Report NESS2006FR015, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Feb
An article examined the effects of social class and ethnicity on gender differences in General Certificate of Secondary Education attainment for those who left school in 1997, 1999, and 2001 respectively. Both social class and ethnicity exerted a far greater influence on the GCSE performance of boys and girls than gender.
Source: Paul Connolly, 'The effects of social class and ethnicity on gender differences in GCSE attainment: a secondary analysis of the Youth Cohort Study of England and Wales 1997 2001', British Educational Research Journal, Volume 32 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Feb
A study found that 1 in 4 secondary schools in London used some form of selection. Church and foundation schools were between three and four times more likely to adopt covert selection criteria than other secondary schools.
Source: Hazell Pennell and Anne West, Secondary School Admissions in London, Centre for Educational Research/London School of Economics (0171 955 6994)
Links: Report | Summary | LSE press release | BBC report
Date: 2006-Feb
A report said that the relatively lower position of minority ethnic groups in the social class structure explained many of the observed differences in their educational performance. This was particularly the case for Pakistani and Bangladeshi groups.
Source: Catherine Rothon, The Importance of Social Class in Explaining the Educational Attainments of Minority Ethnic Pupils in Britain: Evidence from the Youth Cohort Study, Working Paper 2006-02, Department of Sociology/University of Oxford (01865 86170)
Links: Paper
Date: 2006-Feb
A study reportedly found that Church primary schools in England were less likely than local authority schools to admit children from poorer homes.
Source: Chris Waterman, Natural Selection?, Institute for Research in Integrated Strategies: reported in The Guardian, 13 February 2006
Links: Guardian report | BBC report | Children Now report
Date: 2006-Feb
A paper said that the 'Excellence in Cities' initiative (designed to raise standards in inner-city schools) had had a positive impact on school attendance and performance in mathematics (though not for English). There was marked heterogeneity in the effectiveness of the policy: its greatest impact had been in more disadvantaged schools, and on the performance of middle-high ability students within these schools. The policy appeared likely to be cost-effective.
Source: Stephen Machin, Sandra McNally and Costas Meghir, Excellence in Cities: Evaluation of an Education Policy in Disadvantaged Areas, Institute for Social and Economic Research/University of Essex (01206 873087)
Links: Paper
Date: 2006-Feb
A report examined ways in which local authorities funded schools to meet the extra burdens imposed by social deprivation among their pupils. It set out the social class attainment gap among school pupils, gave evidence on the ways in which additional funding could be used to address this issue, and surveyed current practice among a sample of authorities. The government published a statement calling for each local authority to review the effectiveness of its funding formula in tackling deprivation, with the aim of introducing necessary change from 2008.
Source: Child Poverty: Fair Funding for Schools, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260) and HM Treasury
Links: Report | Annex | Statement
Date: 2006-Jan
An article examined the relationship between overall urban scale and the spatial scale of segregation, and the implications of wider segregation for social outcomes at the individual level. Education was taken as a test case. At given scales, educational outcomes were only partly affected by neighbourhood effects for particular population characteristics.
Source: Ian Gordon and Vassilis Monastiriotis, 'Urban size, spatial segregation and inequality in educational outcomes', Urban Studies, Volume 43 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Jan
A paper provided new evidence about the degree of social segregation in England s secondary schools, employing a cross-national perspective. It challenged the view that England had a very high level of social segregation by international standards. Segregation in England was mostly accounted for by unevenness in social background in the state school sector. Cross-country differences in segregation were associated with the prevalence of selective choice of pupils by schools.
Source: Stephen Jenkins, John Micklewright and Sylke Schnepf, Social Segregation in Secondary Schools: How does England compare with other countries?, Working Paper 2006-02, Institute for Social and Economic Research/University of Essex (01206 873087)
Links: Working paper | ISER press release | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Jan
A report said that high-achieving comprehensive schools were socially exclusive. Those schools which were responsible for their own admissions took a low proportion of pupils on free school meals (an indicator of a school's overall social mix), compared to the postcode sectors in which the schools were sited.
Source: The Social Composition of Top Comprehensive Schools: Rates of eligibility for free school meals at the 200 highest performing comprehensive schools, Sutton Trust (020 8788 3223)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Jan
A paper examined whether minority-ethnic pupils were subject to low teacher expectations. There was evidence that some ethnic groups were systematically 'under-assessed' relative to their white peers, while some were 'over-assessed'.
Source: Simon Burgess and Ellen Greaves, Test Scores, Subjective Assessment and Stereotyping of Ethnic Minorities, Working Paper 09/221, Centre for Market and Public Organisation/University of Bristol (0117 954 6943)
Links: Working paper
Date: 2006-Jan
A discussion paper said that pupils who had a wider choice of schools at their place of residence performed no better than those with more limited choice.
Source: Stephen Gibbons, Stephen Machin and Olmo Silva, Competition, Choice and Pupil Achievement, DP56, Centre for the Economics of Education/London School of Economics (020 7955 7285)
Links: Paper
Date: 2006-Jan
Researchers evaluated the bursary strand of a programme aimed at improving access to higher education for able young students from poorer backgrounds. They found that the scheme had met its objectives in terms of reaching the relevant target group, and in terms of helping beneficiaries to meet the costs associated with higher education.
Source: Anne West et al., Evaluation of Aimhigher: Excellence Challenge Synthesis Report - Surveys of opportunity bursary applicants and economic evaluation, Research Report 709, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Date: 2006-Jan
A paper said that education maintenance allowances had significantly raised staying-on rates at school after the age of 16. It had its largest impact on children coming from families from the poorest socio-economic backgrounds.
Source: Lorraine Dearden, Carl Emmerson, Christine Frayne and Costas Meghir, Education Subsidies and School Drop-Out Rates, DP53, Centre for the Economics of Education/London School of Economics (020 7955 7285)
Links: Paper
Date: 2006-Jan
A research report said that although there was an association between the age at which mothers left full-time education and their subsequent educational attitudes and behaviours, this link was not the result of causal effects of post-compulsory education: rather it was due to underlying related differences between those who stayed on in education and those who did not.
Source: Leon Feinstein and Ricardo Sabates, Does Education Have an Impact on Mothers' Educational Attitudes and Behaviours?, Research Brief RCB-01, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Brief
Date: 2006-Jan
A report said that the higher education sector still faced significant challenges in creating equality for all staff and students, despite making some progress over the previous five years. The proportion of black and minority-ethnic students achieving first and upper-second class honours degrees had increased: but the attainment gap between BME and white students continued to widen. The proportion of professors and heads of department who were women had risen from 15.1 per cent to 18.7 per cent: but at that rate of change it could take another 33 years for men and women to be equally represented at this level.
Source: Equality in Higher Education: Statistical Report 2009, Equality Challenge Unit
Links: Report | ECU press release | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Jan
A study found that the 'Aimhigher' initiative appeared to be associated with a positive impact on progression to higher education for some young people, particularly those from more disadvantaged groups.
Source: Marian Morris and Simon Rutt with Palak Mehta, The Longer Term Impact of Aimhigher: Tracking Individuals, Higher Education Funding Council for England (0117 931 7317)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Jan
A report examined the challenges associated with raising educational attainment for deprived children living in New Deal for Communities areas, including their dispersal among local schools, the quality of these schools, and the impact of local levels of residential mobility on attainment.
Source: Adam Whitworth, Kate Wilkinson, David McLennan, Michael Noble and Chelsie Anttila, Raising Educational Attainment in Deprived Areas: The challenges of geography and residential mobility for area-based initiatives, Department for Communities and Local Government (web publication only)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Jan
