The children's rights watchdog in Northern Ireland said that bullying, outdated policies, and poor levels of attendance meant that traveller children were not achieving their potential in education.
Source: Jennifer Hamilton, John Bell, Fiona Bloomer and Jane Holohan, Adequacy and Effectiveness of Educational Provision for Traveller Children and Young People in Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People (028 9031 1616)
Links: Report | NICCY press release
Date: 2007-Dec
A paper examined the effects of child poverty on educational attainment in Wales. Although child poverty had been significantly reduced throughout Wales, it still affected more than 1 in 4 children. Disadvantaged children were not enjoying the rate of progress experienced by their more privileged peers.
Source: David Egan, Combating Child Poverty in Wales: Are effective education strategies in place?, Joseph Rowntree Foundation (01904 629241)
Links: Paper | JRF press release
Date: 2007-Dec
A new book examined the 'racially punitive' culture of school exclusions – in particular the way in which exclusions worked against children of Afro-Caribbean backgrounds.
Source: Sandra Richards, The Way we See It, Trentham Books (01782 745567)
Links: Summary
Date: 2007-Dec
Researchers found that intergenerational income mobility for children born in the period 1970-2000 had 'stabilized', following the sharp decline that occurred for children born in 1970 compared with those born in 1958. The United Kingdom remained very low on the international rankings of social mobility when compared with other advanced nations. Parental background continued to exert a very powerful influence on the academic progress of children.
Source: Jo Blanden and Stephen Machin, Recent Changes in Intergenerational Mobility in Britain, Sutton Trust (020 8788 3223)
Links: Report | Summary | LSE press release | Surrey University press release | BBC report | Telegraph report | FT report | Guardian report
Date: 2007-Dec
The government published its response to an independent report (published in August 2007) that highlighted the barriers preventing some black boys from fulfilling their full potential. It announced a national 'role modelling' programme aimed at boosting the number of positive black role models.
Source: REACH: An independent report to government on raising the aspirations and attainment of black boys and young black men – Government response, Department for Communities and Local Government (0870 1226 236)
Links: Response | DCLG press release
Date: 2007-Dec
A paper examined how the staff of an inner-city school defined academic success, how these views shaped their practice, and the often damaging implications for the success of black pupils.
Source: Nicola Rollock, Failure by Any Other Name? Educational policy and the continuing struggle for black academic success, Runnymede Trust (020 7377 9222)
Date: 2007-Dec
A report highlighted the considerable diversity of the primary pupil population in England, and warned against 'simplistic' assumptions about children's differences and needs on the basis of the statistical categories currently in use.
Source: Mel Ainscow, Jean Conteh, Alan Dyson and Katherine Runswick-Cole, Children in Primary Education: Demography, culture, diversity and inclusion, Research Survey 5/1, The Primary Review/Faculty of Education/University of Cambridge
Links: Report | Summary | Review press release
Date: 2007-Dec
An article examined the reasons why children from poorer backgrounds did not, on average, do as well academically at school as those from more advantaged backgrounds. The family, income, and material resources were highly significant, although schools also played an important role.
Source: Anne West, 'Poverty and educational achievement: why do children from low-income families tend to do less well at school?', Benefits, Volume 15 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2007-Nov
A report summarized attainment by schoolchildren in England 2006-07, broken down by pupils' characteristics – gender, ethnicity, eligibility for free school meals, special educational needs, and English as an additional language. Boys on free school meals were the lowest-achieving group, regardless of ethnicity – fewer than one-third (31 per cent) got five 'good' GCSE grades. (GCSE = General Certificate of Secondary Education)
Source: National Curriculum Assessment, GCSE and Equivalent Attainment and Post- 16 Attainment by Pupil Characteristics, in England 2006/07, Statistical First Release 38/2007, Department for Children, Schools and Families (0870 000 2288)
Links: SFR | DCSF press release | NUT press release | Liberal Democrats press release | Guardian report | BBC report
Date: 2007-Nov
A report said that three-quarters of secondary school parents, and two-thirds of primary school parents, found it difficult to meet the costs of items such as school uniforms and school trips. Only one-quarter of families thought that their school made it clear that low-income families could be helped with, or exempted from, many costs.
Source: Adding Up: The range and impact of school costs on families, Citizens Advice (020 7833 2181) and others
Date: 2007-Nov
A study examined the extent to which poverty affected younger children's experience of school, and looked at life in primary schools in Northern Ireland from a child-centred perspective. How most children experienced school was determined by the level of disadvantage they faced. Poorer children in the study accepted that they were not going to get the same quality of schooling, or the same outcomes, as better-off children. Children and parents identified the main costs of school as uniform (including shoes), lunches, and school trips.
Source: Goretti Horgan, The Impact of Poverty on Young Children's Experience of School, York Publishing Services for Joseph Rowntree Foundation, available from York Publishing Services Ltd (01904 430033)
Links: Report | JRF Findings | JRF press release | Ulster University press release | BBC report
Date: 2007-Nov
A study examined the factors that encouraged high post-16 participation by minority ethnic groups. High-quality evidence was found for the positive effects of a faculty/student mentoring strategy in improving academic performance and retention.
Source: Carole Torgerson, Beng Huat See, Graham Low, Kath Wright and Stephen Gorard, What Are the Factors that Drive High Post-16 Participation of Many Minority Ethnic Groups, and What Strategies Are Effective in Encouraging Participation?, EPPI-Centre/Social Science Research Unit/Institute of Education/University of London (020 7612 6050)
Links: Report | Summary | Technical note
Date: 2007-Nov
A new book summarized the results of the national evaluation of Sure Start programmes. It examined the nature of the communities in which the programmes were situated, and how they changed over time; the early effects on children and families; and identified the specific features that helped to determine whether or not individual programmes benefited children and families.
Source: Jay Belsky, Jacqueline Barnes and Edward Melhuish (eds.), The National Evaluation of Sure Start: Does area-based early intervention work?, Policy Press, available from Marston Book Services (01235 465500)
Links: Summary
Date: 2007-Nov
A study found that pupils in schools in the Excellence in Cities (EiC) Programme, on average, made more progress than similar pupils in non-EiC schools. (The Excellence in Cities Programme provided additional resources and guidance for schools in the most disadvantaged communities between September 1999 and March 2006.)
Source: National Foundation for Educational Research, National Evaluation of Excellence in Cities 2002-2006, Research Report RR017, Department for Children, Schools and Families (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report
Date: 2007-Nov
A survey found that almost two-thirds of students from private schools who applied to the most prestigious universities were admitted – estimated to be more than five times the national average.
Source: Press release 26 November 2007, Independent Schools Council (020 7766 7070)
Links: ISC press release | Telegraph report | BBC report
Date: 2007-Nov
A report said that nearly two-thirds of children and young people at risk of social exclusion had undetected speech, language, and communication needs.
Source: Melanie Cross, Language and Social Exclusion, I CAN (0845 225 4071)
Links: I CAN press release
Date: 2007-Nov
A report said that pupils from lower socio-economic backgrounds had a higher probability of being placed in lower sets, irrespective of their prior attainment.
Source: Mairead Dunne et al., Effective Teaching and Learning for Pupils in Low Attaining Groups, Research Report RR011, Department for Children, Schools and Families (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report | Brief | Guardian report
Date: 2007-Oct
Schools in England were given new advice stressing that uniforms should be reasonably priced and widely available.
Source: DCSF Guidance to Schools on School Uniform and Related Policies, Department for Children, Schools and Families (0845 602 2260)
Links: Guidance | DCSF press release | Liberal Democrats press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Telegraph report
Date: 2007-Oct
Researchers examined reforms to the system of higher education finance in England, first announced in 2004 and revised in 2007. It used lifetime earnings simulated by the authors to consider the probable distributional consequences of the reforms for graduates. It also considered the costs of the reforms for taxpayers, and how the reforms were likely to shift the balance of funding for higher education between the public and private sectors. Individuals from the lowest part of the parental income distribution would typically find a substantial net reduction over their lifetime in the cost of their higher education, due to the new grants and bursaries. On the other hand, individuals from the middle to high parts of the parental income distribution would typically end up seeing the costs of their higher education increase.
Source: Lorraine Dearden, Emla Fitzsimons, Alissa Goodman and Greg Kaplan, Higher Education Funding Reforms in England: The Distributional Effects and the Shifting Balance of Costs, Working Paper W18/07, Institute for Fiscal Studies (020 7291 4800)
Date: 2007-Oct
A report examined the factors behind the very low rates of participation in higher education in four selected parliamentary constituencies. It said that universities and colleges needed to continue to develop a strong understanding of the wider communities in which they operated, in order to develop more focused and relevant interventions which would reach young people from lower social class backgrounds.
Source: Lynn Reed, Peter Gates and Kathryn Last, Young Participation in Higher Education in the Parliamentary Constituencies of Birmingham Hodge Hill, Bristol South, Nottingham North and Sheffield Brightside, Higher Education Funding Council for England (0117 931 7317)
Links: Report | HEFCE press release | Guardian report
Date: 2007-Oct
A report on the economic performance of the United Kingdom said there had been recent improvements in standards in the most disadvantaged schools, but that pupils in the middle and lower half of the distribution continued to perform particularly poorly relative to students in countries with the best performing education systems. Overall, socio-economic gaps in the education system remained large – possibly because local authorities and schools were not distributing deprivation funds as intended by the central government, resulting in outcomes which could be seen as inequitable.
Source: Anne-Marie Brook, Petar Vujanovic and Marketta Henriksson, Economic Survey of the United Kingdom 2007, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (+33 1 4524 8200)
Links: Summary | Times report | Telegraph report
Date: 2007-Sep
A report said that Sure Start children's centres could be effective in delivering child and family services in England: but they needed to gear up their efforts to help parents overcome practical and other barriers to employment, and to bring about lasting change in their communities.
Source: Margaret Lochrie, Children's Centres: Ensuring that families most in need benefit, Capacity (020 8977 1688) and Esm?e Fairbairn Foundation
Links: Report | Summary | Capacity press release
Date: 2007-Sep
A report said that children from low-income households were up to nine months behind their peers in educational achievement before they even started school, and were as much as two years behind their peers by the age of 14.
Source: Donald Hirsch, Chicken and Egg: Child poverty and educational inequalities, Child Poverty Action Group (020 7837 7979)
Links: Report | CPAG press release | ATL press release | BBC report | Community Care report
Date: 2007-Sep
A series of linked studies examined the experiences and attitudes of children from different backgrounds, as part of a programme of research into the links between education and poverty. Children in poverty faced greatly reduced educational prospects and future life chances. Children were aware of such outcomes from an early age, and their own stereotyping reinforced these differences. To break this cycle, it would be necessary to address the attitudes and experiences that lay behind social differences in education.
Source: Donald Hirsch, Experiences of Poverty and Educational Disadvantage, Joseph Rowntree Foundation (01904 629241) | Mary Kellett and Aqsa Dar, Children Researching Links Between Poverty and Literacy, York Publishing Services for Joseph Rowntree Foundation, available from York Publishing Services Ltd (01904 430033) | Carlo Raffo et al., Education and Poverty A critical review of theory, policy and practice, York Publishing Services for Joseph Rowntree Foundation | Liz Sutton, Noel Smith, Chris Dearden and Sue Middleton, A Child's-eye View of Social Difference, York Publishing Services for Joseph Rowntree Foundation | Felicity Wikeley, Kate Bullock, Yolande Muschamp and Tess Ridge, Educational Relationships Outside School: Why access is important, York Publishing Services for Joseph Rowntree Foundation | Jo Frankham, Deon Edwards-Kerr, Neil Humphrey and Lorna Roberts, School Exclusions: Learning partnerships outside mainstream education, York Publishing Services for Joseph Rowntree Foundation | Pat Thomson and Lisa Russell, Mapping the Alternatives to Permanent Exclusion, York Publishing Services for Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Links: Hirsch (overview report) | Kellett | Findings | Raffo | Findings | Sutton | Findings | Wikeley | Findings | Frankham | Findings | Thomson | Findings | JRF press release | Bath University press release | Community Care report | BBC report (1) | BBC report (2) | Guardian report
Date: 2007-Sep
The sex equality watchdog said that social class was the biggest factor affecting educational attainment. Understanding its interplay with gender and ethnicity was 'absolutely key' to bridging the divides between the 'haves' and the 'have nots' in schools. Although girls were significantly outperforming boys in English overall, disadvantaged girls trailed behind their wealthier male peers. Ethnicity and gender were major factors in the achievement gap: but social class was, in fact, the biggest factor determining success.
Source: Christine Skelton, Becky Francis and Yordanka Valkanova, Breaking Down the Stereotypes: Gender and achievement in schools, Working Paper 59, Equal Opportunities Commission (0161 833 9244)
Links: Working Paper | EOC press release
Date: 2007-Sep
A report said that the number of pupils at the top 30 state comprehensive schools who went on to Oxford or Cambridge University was just one-third of what might be expected based on A-level results. 100 elite schools, largely private, accounted for one-third of Oxbridge admissions, and more than one-sixth of admissions to the top 13 universities.
Source: University Admissions by Individual Schools, Sutton Trust (020 8788 3223)
Links: Report | ISC press release | Cambridge University press release | BBC report | Telegraph report | Guardian report
Date: 2007-Sep
A survey found that the costs of paying for a 'free' state school education were proving too high for 3 out of 4 parents. Spiralling costs for school uniforms coupled with demands for money for school trips, photographs, and even books could add up to more than £1,000 per year.
Source: Press release 29 August 2007, Citizens Advice (020 7833 2181)
Links: Citizens Advice press release
Date: 2007-Aug
A think-tank report said that the £2.4 billion which was given each year to schools in England to teach pupils from disadvantaged homes should be doubled. Funding should follow the individual pupil, and the most disadvantaged pupils should attract more funding than others: this would enable more resources to flow directly to schools with disadvantaged intakes, and would for the first time give successful schools a clear incentive to admit pupils from deprived backgrounds.
Source: Paul Marshall with Sumi Rabindrakumar and Lucy Wilkins, Tackling Educational Inequality, CentreForum (020 7340 1160)
Links: Report | BBC report | FT report | Telegraph report
Date: 2007-Jul
A report by a committee of MPs said that government plans for a network of Sure Start children's centres in every community in England by 2010 might be at risk, because of a shortage of trained staff and doubts over local authorities' capacity to deliver them. Only one-third of Sure Start centres were pro-actively seeking out 'hard-to-reach' families.
Source: Sure Start Children's Centres, Thirty-eighth Report (Session 2006-07), HC 261, House of Commons Public Accounts Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | Guardian report | Community Care report
Date: 2007-Jul
A think-tank said that the government's newly announced reforms to student loans and grants would increase financial support for students in higher education from families with incomes above £17,500, but not for those from families with incomes below that level. People who did not participate in higher education would not benefit from the reforms, but would have to help finance them through the taxes they paid. If the government wanted to increase the number of students from poorer backgrounds who participated in higher education, it would probably be better to spend money trying to further improve school results rather than increasing subsidies for those who did make it to university.
Source: Press release 23 July 2007, Institute for Fiscal Studies (020 7291 4800)
Links: IFS press release | NUS press release | BBC report | FT report | Guardian report
Date: 2007-Jul
A report used data from the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England to examine the reasons for differences in the educational attainment of different ethnic groups.
Source: Steve Strand, Minority Ethnic Pupils in the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE), Research Report RR002, Department for Children, Schools and Families (0845 602 2260)
Date: 2007-Jul
A study examined the awareness and experience of the education maintenance allowance among young people in Scotland. Awareness and understanding was poor among those aged 14-15. The majority of EMA recipients had planned to stay on at school, regardless of the financial allowance.
Source: York Consulting LLP, Young People?s Awareness and Experience of Educational Maintenance Allowances (EMAs) and Their Impact on Choices and Pathways, Scottish Executive (web publication only)
Links: Report | BBC report
Date: 2007-Jul
The education inspectorate in Wales examined the use made by schools of a grant scheme designed to raise attainment by disadvantaged pupils. Most schools had a clear picture of the link between economic disadvantage and underachievement.
Source: The Impact of RAISE Funding: An interim report, HM Chief Inspector of Education and Training in Wales (029 2044 6446)
Links: Report | HMCIETW press release
Date: 2007-Jul
A paper examined low achievement at key stage 4 (age 16) in schools in England, and its correlates. The way in which student characteristics were related to achievement in the lower part of the distribution of achievement often differed from the way they were related to achievement in the remainder of the distribution. Sorting of students into low-quality and high-quality schools and neighbourhoods played an important part in explaining low achievement. Higher per pupil expenditure reduced the chances of low achievement by a small amount.
Source: Geeta Kingdon and Robert Cassen, Understanding Low Achievement in English Schools, CASEpaper 118, Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion/London School of Economics (020 7955 6679)
Links: Paper
Date: 2007-Jun
An article examined the perceptions of statutory-service providers about their experience of working with Sure Start professionals. Although interviewees welcomed the additional input provided by Sure Start for the most vulnerable families, a number of tensions arose over key divergences between the philosophical positions of statutory providers and Sure Start. The most important tension was over Sure Start's philosophy of targeting resources on an entire geographical area. This was seen as antithetical to statutory providers? case-by-case approach, and raised questions about access and equity for families living outside Sure Start's boundaries. Sure Start's concentration on young children, and the time-limited nature of their services and activities, frustrated statutory providers who had a broader family focus and a longer-term perspective. The perceived under-resourcing of statutory services in comparison to Sure Start, and statutory providers? responsibility for 'selling' Sure Start services, strained a sense of equality between agencies and professionals, and undermined a sense of a shared agenda.
Source: Alison Edgley and Mark Avis, 'The perceptions of statutory service providers of a local Sure Start programme: a shared agenda?', Health and Social Care in the Community,Volume 15 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2007-Jun
A report said that the level of satisfaction by parents with the services provided by Sure Start children's centres was 'very high'. Learning and socializing were seen as the main benefits to children of attending the centres. Suggestions for improvement frequently related to: changing or extending the times when provision was available (particularly at ?non-core? times such as evenings and weekends), and requests for more courses and training opportunities. More childcare was also requested, especially for a broader range of age groups.
Source: Kate Ridley-Moy, Sure Start Children?s Centres Parental Satisfaction Survey: Report and Annexes 2007, Research Report RW108, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report
Date: 2007-Jun
A report examined changes in the characteristics of Sure Start local programme areas in rounds 1 to 4. Over the five-year period, improvements in SSLP areas were detected, and often the level of change was significantly greater than that seen in England as a whole. However, few of these changes could be linked in a straightforward way to Sure Start activities.
Source: Jacqueline Barnes et al., Changes in the Characteristics of SSLP Areas Between 2000/01 and 2004/05, Research Report NESS/2007/FR/021, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Date: 2007-Jun
A report examined variations in the way Sure Start local programmes were implemented (their proficiency) and in their impact on the children and parents (their effectiveness). Proficient and effective SSLPs took a holistic approach to implementing the Sure Start vision: they built on the strengths of inherited provision, and were creative in improving and setting up services.
Source: Angela Anning, Jane Stuart, Michelle Nicholls, Joanna Goldthorpe and Anita Morley, Understanding Variations in Effectiveness amongst Sure Start Local Programmes, Research Report NESS/2007/FR/024, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Date: 2007-Jun
A paper examined the transitions from primary to secondary school for children moving between state schools in England. The experiences of pupils from low-income families at age 11 might be quite different, on average, from those of their peers: their peer groups were more fractured, and they tended to find themselves more concentrated within lower-performing secondary schools. Primary schools which had high academic test scores had bifurcated flows: 'poor' and 'non-poor' pupils were dispersed across different secondary schools, with the former more likely to attend a low-performing secondary school.
Source: Simon Burgess, Ron Johnston, Tomas Key, Carol Propper and Deborah Wilson, The Formation of School Peer Groups: Pupils? transition from primary to secondary school in England, Working Paper 07/172, Centre for Market and Public Organisation/University of Bristol (0117 954 6943)
Links: Working paper
Date: 2007-Jun
A study reportedly found that 53 per cent of the 500 most influential people working in politics, the media, medicine, law, and business had attended fee-paying private schools (compared with just 7 per cent of the general population). The significance of private schooling for career success had declined only slightly during the previous 20 years.
Source: Research by Sutton Trust, reported in The Guardian, 29 June 2007
Links: Guardian report
Date: 2007-Jun
An article said that the type of neighbourhood in which a pupil lived was a more reliable predictor of a pupil's GCSE performance than any other information held about that pupil on the Pupil Level Annual School Census database. A school's league position therefore bore only an indirect relationship to the quality of school management and teaching. (GCSE = General Certificate of Secondary Education)
Source: Richard Webber and Tim Butler, 'Classifying pupils by where they live: how well does this predict variations in their GCSE results?', Urban Studies, Volume 44 Number 7
Links: Abstract
Date: 2007-Jun
A report said that increased school choice did little to enhance the educational opportunities of black and ethnic minority pupils. Many BME parents found the complexities in applying to selective schools off-putting, and this could lead to further segregation.
Source: Debbie Weekes-Bernard, School Choice and Ethnic Segregation: Educational decision-making among black and minority ethnic parents, Runnymede Trust (020 7377 9222)
Links: Report | BBC report
Date: 2007-Jun
A report examined the impact of changes to fee policies on recruitment to adult education. Little proof was found of a link between the 30 per cent increase in fees recommended by the government and the decline in numbers enrolling for publicly subsidized courses in colleges.
Source: Richard Boniface et al., The Impact of Fee Policies on Recruitment to LSC-funded Provision, Learning and Skills Council (0870 900 6800)
Links: Report | Guardian report
Date: 2007-Jun
An article examined the effect of social background and ethnicity on educational performance in an area with traditionally poor levels of attainment. Social background effects together with school composition effects had a considerable impact on school performance.
Source: Chris Hamnetta, Mark Ramsden and Tim Butler, 'Social background, ethnicity, school composition and educational attainment in East London', Urban Studies, Volume 44 Number 7
Links: Abstract
Date: 2007-Jun
Researchers (drawing on the Millennium Cohort Study) said that many children from disadvantaged backgrounds were already up to a year behind more privileged children in educational terms by the age of 3.
Source: Kirstine Hansen and Heather Joshi (eds.), Millennium Cohort Study Second Survey: A User?s Guide to Initial Findings, Centre for Longitudinal Studies/University of London (020 7612 6875)
Links: Report | CLS Briefings | CLS press release | CPAG press release | Guardian report | Community Care report
Date: 2007-Jun
An article highlighted wide disparities between peer-group ability in different secondary schools in England. Almost nothing had changed over the period from 1996 to 2002 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', Urban Studies, Volume 44 Number 7
Links: Abstract
Date: 2007-Jun
A study found that minority ethnic teachers felt that the requirements of the national curriculum hindered their ability to support the learning of minority ethnic pupils, and compromised their professional expertise.
Source: Mark Cunningham and Linda Hargreaves, Minority Ethnic Teachers? Professional Experiences: Evidence from the Teacher Status Project, Research Report 853, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Date: 2007-Jun
A report said that the government's education policy had failed to improve social mobility for the poorest groups. Children born in the 1950s had a better chance of escaping poverty than those born in 1970. The decline in social mobility seen during the 1970s and 1980s had subsequently flattened off.
Source: Stephen Machin and Jo Blanden, Recent Evidence on Changes in Intergenerational Mobility: Interim Findings, Sutton Trust (020 8788 3223)
Links: Sutton Trust press release | NUT press release | Conservative Party press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2007-Jun
An article examined the roles of ability, education, and non-cognitive skills in explaining why intergenerational mobility was low and falling. Educational attainment was becoming increasingly socially graded, with a strengthening of the relationship between family income and children?s achievement. Inequality in access to higher education was a key driver of the decline in intergenerational mobility.
Source: Jo Blanden, Paul Gregg and Lindsey Macmillan, 'Accounting for intergenerational income persistence: non-cognitive skills, ability and education', Economic Journal, Volume 117 Issue 519
Links: Abstract | RES press release
Date: 2007-Jun
A study examined the factors associated with low educational achievement (leaving school aged 16 with no or very limited qualifications). Nearly half of all low-achievers leaving school were white British males. Boys generally outnumbered girls among low-achievers by three to two. Eligibility for free school meals was strongly associated with low achievement: but significantly more so for white British pupils than other ethnic groups.
Source: Robert Cassen and Geeta Kingdon, Tackling Low Educational Achievement, York Publishing Services for Joseph Rowntree Foundation, available from York Publishing Services Ltd (01904 430033)
Links: Report | JRF Findings | JRF press release | LSE press release | NUT press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2007-Jun
A report examined the policy and practice issues that arose from the operation of Sure Start local programmes in areas where there were significant black and minority ethnic populations. Experiences and practice varied widely. SSLPs that were successful understood and worked closely with local community organizations. Some SSLPs had been discouraged from pursuing relationships with certain minority groups and abandoned the attempt, effectively excluding some already very marginalized communities.
Source: Gary Craig et al., Sure Start and Black and Minority Ethnic Populations, Research Report NESS/2007/FR/020, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Date: 2007-Jun
A paper said that free school meal (FSM) status did not always do a good job as a proxy for a child's true socio-economic status (SES). In general using FSM status reduced the bias caused by omitting SES altogether by only 10-25 per cent. Biases arising from using FSM status instead of true SES were 'significant and sometimes large'.
Source: Graham Hobbs and Anna Vignoles, Is Free School Meal Status a Valid Proxy for Socio-Economic Status (in Schools Research)?, DP84, Centre for the Economics of Education/London School of Economics (020 7955 7285)
Date: 2007-Jun
A report said that applications to university had not dropped as a result of the introduction of tuition fees. The number of applicants had continued to rise steadily after a 'modest blip' in 2005 and 2006.
Source: Variable Tuition Fees in England: Assessing their impact on students and higher education institutions - A second report, Universities UK (020 7419 5435)
Links: Report | UUK press release | NUS press release | Guardian report
Date: 2007-Jun
A paper said that pupils in urban schools tended to have lower attainment compared to pupils in more rural schools, in line with their socio-economic status. However, moving to a more urban area had a small positive effect on progress. Although pupil attainment in dense urban places was low on average, this was not because urban environments disadvantaged pupils, but because disadvantaged pupils with low average attainments attended the most urbanized schools.
Source: Stephen Gibbons and Olma Silva, Urban Density and Pupil Attainment, DP80, Centre for the Economics of Education/London School of Economics (020 7955 7285)
Date: 2007-May
An annual survey found that pupil numbers in private (ISC member) schools increased by 7.2 per cent in 2007, to 509,093 - despite a 5.9 per cent rise in fees.
Source: Sam Freedman, ISC Census 2007, Independent Schools Council (020 7766 7070)
Links: Report | ISC press release | BBC report | FT report
Date: 2007-May
A new book presented findings from studies evaluating Sure Start programmes in north-east England.
Source: Nigel Malin and Gillian Morrow, Evaluating Sure Start, Whiting and Birch (020 8244 2421)
Links: Summary
Date: 2007-May
An article examined the extent to which the government's extended schools programme had the capacity to ameliorate educational inequality in urban contexts. The evidence was 'at best inconclusive'.
Source: Carlo Raffo and Alan Dyson, 'Full service extended schools and educational inequality in urban contexts - new opportunities for progress?', Journal of Education Policy, Volume 22 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2007-May
An article examined the academic performance of pupils in secondary modern schools, and the funding of the schools. Students were academically disadvantaged by attending secondary modern schools, which in most cases did not receive sufficient additional funding to offset the depressing effects on attainment of the increased social segregation arising from a selective system.
Source: Rosalind Levacic and Alan Marsh, 'Secondary modern schools: are their pupils disadvantaged?', British Educational Research Journal, Volume 33 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2007-Apr
Two linked reports said that deprived and mobile pupils were among those least likely to benefit from increased government spending on schooling. Government funding guidelines did not relate directly to the individual needs of pupils, and it was very difficult to determine how effectively those in most need were being helped.
Source: Smarter Funding for Schools with Deprived Pupils, London Councils (020 7934 9999) | Smarter Funding for Schools with Mobile Pupils, London Councils
Links: Report (1) | Report (2) | London Councils press release
Date: 2007-Apr
Researchers examined the cultural, social, and economic factors that produced low participation rates in higher education (as low as 1 in 20) for one area of south Bristol.
Source: Lynn Raphael Reed, Chris Croudace, Neil Harrison, Arthur Baxter and Kathryn Last, Young Participation in Higher Education: A sociocultural study of educational engagement in Bristol South parliamentary constituency, Faculty of Education/University of the West of England (0117 328 4208)
Links: Report | Summary | UWE press release
Date: 2007-Apr
A trade union report said that the poor academic performance of Afro-Caribbean boys at school was pushing hundreds towards a life of crime. Black fathers should take greater responsibility for their children's education to stop teenage boys turning to gun crime and gang culture.
Source: Gus John, Born to be Great: A charter on promoting the achievement of black Caribbean boys, National Union of Teachers (020 7388 6191)
Links: Report
Date: 2007-Apr
The university admissions body announced that students applying in 2008 would be asked whether their parents held a degree, what occupation their parents held, and whether they had been in council care - as part of an effort to increase the number of students from lower-income backgrounds getting into university.
Source: Press release 15 March 2007, Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (01242 544610)
Links: UCAS press release (1) | UCAS press release (2) | Guardian report | BBC report | FT report
Date: 2007-Mar
A report described a new measure of participation in higher education by socio-economic class, which had been developed by the Department for Education and Skills. It was designed to help measure progress in widening participation at a national level.
Source: Kathryn Kelly and Stephen Cook, Full-time Young Participation by Socio-Economic Class: A new widening participation measure in higher education, Research Report 806, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Date: 2007-Mar
A report examined the exclusion of black pupils from schools in England. It identified concerns about the way the education system treated black pupils and, in particular, the way that a succession of subjective judgements by school staff appeared to impact differently on black pupils. Black pupils were routinely punished more harshly, praised less, and told off more often than other pupils
Source: Getting It. Getting It Right., Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report | DfES statement | NAHT press release | BBC report
Date: 2007-Mar
A report examined the initial impact on higher education of top-up tuition fees, introduced in September 2006. Applications to university remained 'solid' despite the higher fees. Universities had used the extra cash from fees to offer more bursaries and scholarships: but there was no evidence of a correlation between applications and the relative generosity of student support arrangements.
Source: Brian Ramsden and Nigel Brown, Variable Tuition Fees in England: Assessing their impact on students and higher education institutions, Universities UK (020 7419 5435)
Links: Report | UUK press release | UCU press release | NUS press release | Guardian report | BBC report
Date: 2007-Feb
A study in east London found that the six schools in the area which achieved the highest average points score at GCSE recruited pupils widely from within the area (and to a lesser extent outside), whereas the lowest-performing six schools recruited from much more narrowly defined catchment areas.
Source: Tim Butler, Chris Hamnett, Mark Ramsden and Richard Webber, 'The best, the worst and the average: secondary school choice and education performance in East London', Journal of Education Policy, Volume 22 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2007-Feb
A study found that targeted government investment had improved the educational outcomes for secondary school pupils in disadvantaged areas, under the Excellence in Cities programme. The most disadvantaged schools benefited most, and the effect was mainly concentrated among pupils of medium-to-high prior achievement. Initial estimates suggested that the programme could prove to be cost-effective, particularly if targeted where it was most effective.
Source: Stephen Machin, Sandra McNally and Costas Meghir, Resources and Standards in Urban Schools, DP76, Centre for the Economics of Education/London School of Economics (020 7955 7285)
Links: Paper | Abstract | IFS press release
Date: 2007-Feb
Researchers analyzed data which suggested that the attainment of students from minority ethnic communities who completed a first degree programme was markedly lower than that of their white peers. Even after controlling for the majority of factors which would be expected to have an impact on attainment, being from a minority ethnic community was still statistically significant in explaining final attainment, although the gap had been significantly reduced.
Source: Stijn Broecke and Tom Nicholls, Ethnicity and Degree Attainment, Research Report RW92, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2007-Jan
A government booklet said that gradual progress had been made in broadening the socio-economic make-up of the student population: but progress had been too slow and might be levelling off. It set out some thoughts about how to widen participation further, and invited comments.
Source: Widening Participation in Higher Education, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Booklet
Date: 2007-Jan
A report said that equity in the education system could not be achieved in a centrally controlled, target-driven system, in which choice and competition were key. It called for the reorientation of targets in line with the values of equity; and for greater collaboration and networking ? both within the education system, and beyond its established boundaries.
Source: Mel Ainscow et al., Equity in Education: New Directions, Centre for Equity in Education/University of Manchester (0161 275 3464)
Links: Report | Guardian report
Date: 2007-Jan
A new book examined the challenges posed by increasing social diversity for the state's commitment to providing an appropriate education for all. It discussed issues of multiculturalism, the social integration of minorities, religion in education, and the recognition of children's independent rights.
Source: Neville Harris, Education, Law and Diversity, Hart Publishing (01865 517530)
Links: Summary
Date: 2007-Jan
