A chapter in the 2011-12 British Social Attitudes Survey report examined what the public thought about secondary school choice, and how much parental freedom and educational equality mattered. People generally believed that parents had a right to choose their children's schools: but in practice they viewed children attending their local schools as important. There was mixed public support for the different measures some parents took to improve their child's chances of gaining places at particular schools: a majority approved of helping children to revise for tests (90 per cent) or paying for a private tutor (67 per cent) – but only 36 per cent approved of moving house to be near a higher-performing school, and only 6 per cent approved of renting a second address or using a relative's address.
Source: Sonia Exley, 'Parental freedom to choose and educational equality' (in Alison Park, Elizabeth Clery, John Curtice, Miranda Phillips, and David Utting (eds.), British Social Attitudes 28: 2011-2012 Edition), SAGE Publications
Links: Chapter
Date: 2011-Dec
An article examined gender differences in cognitive assessments at age 5 across ethnic groups in a sample of English children from the Millennium Cohort Study. Although girls generally performed better than boys, general trends masked some differences across ethnic groups. Gender gaps at the mean were largest for black, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi children; and smallest for white children. They were also larger for the teacher-rated assessments than for the survey-administered tests.
Source: Kirstine Hansen and Elizabeth Jones, 'Ethnicity and gender gaps in early childhood', British Educational Research Journal, Volume 37 Number 6
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Dec
An article said that the system for measuring pupil performance in England, together with the reduction of the curriculum to a ?one-size-fits-all? model of teaching, ignored the heterogeneous complexity of groups within society.
Source: Bill Boyle and Marie Charles, 'Education in a multicultural environment: equity issues in teaching and learning in the school system in England', International Studies in Sociology of Education, Volume 21 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Dec
A think-tank report said that at the start of school children from low-to-middle-income families were 5 months behind children from higher-income families in terms of vocabulary skills – an important measure of cognitive development – and also had more behaviour problems.
Source: Jane Waldfogel and Elizabeth Washbrook, On Your Marks: Measuring the school readiness of children in low-to-middle income families, Resolution Foundation
Links: Report | Technical appendix | Resolution press release | BBC report
Date: 2011-Dec
A chapter in the 2011-12 British Social Attitudes Survey report examined whether being educated privately affected people's political attitudes and values. Differences were found between the views of those educated privately and those educated in state schools that could not be explained by differences in where they had come from (for example, parental income) and where they were (for example, existing income). 60 per cent of state-educated people agreed that there was 'one law for the rich, and one law for the poor', compared with 44 per cent of those who had been privately educated. 63 per cent of those educated privately saw themselves as middle or upper-middle class, compared with only 24 per cent of those educated by the state.
Source: Geoffrey Evans and James Tilley, 'Private schools and public divisions: the influence of fee-paying education on social attitudes' (in Alison Park, Elizabeth Clery, John Curtice, Miranda Phillips, and David Utting (eds.), British Social Attitudes 28: 2011-2012 Edition), SAGE Publications
Links: Chapter | Guardian report
Date: 2011-Dec
A report examined which developed (OECD) countries deliberately attempted to reproduce social stratification through educational policies, and which countries put greater emphasis on intervening in the stratification process. It challenged a 'one-policy-fits-all approach' that advocated education policy reforms designed to increase equal opportunities in education. The context of each country needed to be considered before the implementation of such policies.
Source: Miroslav Beblavy, Anna-Elisabeth Thum, and Marcela Veselkova, Education Policy and Welfare Regimes in OECD Countries: Social stratification and equal opportunity in education, Working Document 357, Centre for European Policy Studies (Brussels)
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Dec
An article examined the relationship between home learning and parents' socio-economic status, and their impact on young children's language/literacy and socio-emotional competence. Socio-economic disadvantage, and lack of maternal educational qualifications in particular, remained powerful in influencing competencies in children aged 3 and at the start of primary school.
Source: Dimitra Hartas, 'Families? social backgrounds matter: socio-economic factors, home learning and young children?s language, literacy and social outcomes', British Educational Research Journal, Volume 37 Number 6
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Dec
A paper examined various forms of educational inequality, and reviewed the available evidence for England about the impact of school-level policies on achievement and their potential for reducing the socio-economic gap. There was evidence to suggest that policies could be effective in reducing (or reinforcing) socio-economic gaps in educational achievement.
Source: Stephen Machin and Sandra McNally, The Evaluation of English Education Policies, DP131, Centre for Economic Performance (London School of Economics)
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Dec
An article examined the assumption that 'macro level' political variables such as welfare state systems and immigration regimes shaped the conditions encountered by young immigrants, and thus had an impact on their school performance. The results showed that native students benefited from social-democratic welfare states and immigration-friendly integration regimes, whereas immigrant students underperformed under these types of regimes.
Source: Flavia Fossati, 'The effect of integration and social democratic welfare states on immigrants? educational attainment: a multilevel estimate', Journal of European Social Policy, Volume 21 Number 5
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Dec
A new book examined polices in European countries that were aimed at preventing the reproduction of social and educational inequalities. It considered the limits and possibilities of educational reform.
Source: Marc Demeuse, Daniel Frandji, David Greger, and Jean-Yves Rochex (eds.), Educational Policies and Inequalities in Europe, Palgrave Macmillan
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Dec
An article examined higher education expansion in Scotland. In contrast to the general pattern of stable inequality observed in most nations, overall social inequalities in Scottish higher education enrolment had declined over time. However, this decline had not occurred in all sectors, being limited to the lowest-status institutions.
Source: Cristina Iannelli, Adam Gamoran, and Lindsay Paterson, 'Scottish higher education, 1987-2001: expansion through diversion', Oxford Review of Education, Volume 37 Issue 6
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Dec
A paper said that higher education expansion in Europe had brought about an increase in background-related inequality. This had mainly occurred in the previous decade, and had been concentrated in the bottom half of the background distribution.
Source: Francesco Vona, Does the Expansion of Higher Education Reduce Educational Inequality? Evidence from 12 European countries, Working Paper 2011-12, OFCE Sciences-Po and Sapienza University of Rome
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Dec
A new book examined where, when, and how minority-ethnic groups missed out on educational opportunities in European countries.
Source: Ian Law and Sarah Swann, Ethnicity and Education in England and Europe: Gangstas, geeks and gorjas, Ashgate Publications
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Dec
A study examined the emergence of inequality during the early years, based upon a comparative analysis of children at the age of about 5 years in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Significant inequalities in child capacities emerged even in these early years in all four countries: but the disparities were notably greater in the USA and UK.
Source: Bruce Bradbury, Miles Corak, Jane Waldfogel, and Elizabeth Washbrook, Inequality During the Early Years: Child outcomes and readiness to learn in Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, and United States, Discussion Paper 6120, Institute for the Study of Labor (Bonn)
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Nov
An article examined constraints on parental choice of primary school in England caused by geographical location, which arose due to the reliance on geographical proximity as the key oversubscription criterion for allocating school places. Higher socio-economic status pupils were more likely than others to be accepted into (nearer) more advantaged schools. The large differences in the range of schools genuinely available to different families, coupled with the use of proximity as a tie-break device, continued to be a significant barrier to reducing inequality of access in the English school system.
Source: Simon Burgess, Ellen Greaves, Anna Vignoles, and Deborah Wilson, 'Parental choice of primary school in England: what types of school do different types of family really have available to them?', Policy Studies, Volume 32 Issue 5
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Nov
A study compared mobility trends across 10 countries, including the United Kingdom (and England). Gaps in school readiness in England between less advantaged children and their more advantaged counterparts were larger than those in similar nations such as Canada and Australia, but smaller than those in the United States. Disparities in early child outcomes persisted into adolescence, with comparatively large attainment gaps observed in England.
Source: What Prospects for Mobility in the UK? A cross-national study of educational inequalities and their implications for future education and earnings mobility, Sutton Trust
Links: Summary | Telegraph report
Date: 2011-Nov
A paper estimated the effect of neighbours' characteristics and prior achievements on teenage students' educational and behavioural outcomes, using Census data on secondary school students in England. There was evidence that peers in the neighbourhood had no effect on test scores: but they did have a small effect on behavioural outcomes, such as attitudes towards schooling and anti-social behaviour.
Source: Stephen Gibbons, Olmo Silva, and Felix Weinhardt, Everybody Needs Good Neighbours? Evidence from students outcomes in England, Discussion Paper 5980, Institute for the Study of Labor (Bonn)
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Oct
A study examined young people's aspirations in deprived urban areas. It challenged the view that low aspirations among young people and their families in disadvantaged areas explained their educational and work outcomes. Barriers to achievement varied significantly among deprived areas, and policy to increase social mobility needed to be tailored accordingly. Better information was required to support young people in understanding how schooling, post-compulsory education, and work fitted together.
Source: Keith Kintrea, Ralf St Clair, and Muir Houston, The Influence of Parents, Places and Poverty on Educational Attitudes and Aspirations, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Date: 2011-Oct
A study examined the relationship between the drop in children's educational attainment during the 'transition phase' (around age 11) between primary and secondary schools, with a particular focus on child poverty. Children living in poverty had a higher likelihood of experiencing a poor transition.
Source: Philip Wilson, A Rapid Evidence Assessment: Investigating the Drop in Attainment during the Transition Phase with a Particular Focus on Child Poverty, Welsh Government
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Oct
A think-tank report said that the typical beneficiaries of capping student fees at £6,000 per year (as proposed by the Labour party) would be graduates in their 50s earning £72,500 per year. The policy was regressive, because virtually no one in the bottom half of the earnings distribution, and virtually no one under the age of 35, would stand to gain from it.
Source: Tim Leunig, An Analysis of Labour's Proposed £6,000 Undergraduate Degree Cap, CentreForum
Links: Report | Guardian report | Times Higher Education report
Date: 2011-Sep
A new book examined Sure Start, a flagship programme of the former Labour governments (1997-2010). It looked at how Sure Start was set up, the numerous changes it went through, and how it had changed the landscape of services for young children in England.
Source: Naomi Eisenstadt, Providing a Sure Start: How government discovered early childhood, Policy Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Sep
The watchdog for access to higher education said that the 'large majority' of universities and colleges in England were meeting their statistical targets on promoting access by under-represented groups; and that it had 'complete confidence' that institutions would wish to redouble their efforts to protect and improve access after the trebling of fees. A quarter of institutions had missed targets for access.
Source: Access Agreement and Widening Participation Strategic Assessment Monitoring: Outcomes for 2009-10, Office for Fair Access/Higher Education Funding Council for England
Links: Report | OFFA press release | Russell Group press release | Teach First press release | Universities UK press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Public Finance report
Date: 2011-Sep
A report examined ways of promoting the social inclusion of young people from minority-ethnic backgrounds through the education system. There was a need to prioritize the objectives of racial and ethnic equality and multiculturalism in educational experiences and institutional arrangements.
Source: Ian Law and Sarah Swann, Social Inclusion Through Education in the United Kingdom: Policy recommendations, EDUMIGROM Project (Ethnic Differences in Education and Diverging Prospects for Urban Youth in an Enlarged Europe), European Commission
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Aug
A study examined ethnic differentiation in schools, and their environments in multi-ethnic communities, in 9 member states of the European Union (including the United Kingdom). It highlighted the factors behind the 'continuous production and reproduction of ethnic distinctions' that worked to the detriment of young people from minority-ethnic backgrounds.
Source: Julia Szalai (ed.), Contested Issues of Social Inclusion Through Education in Multiethnic Communities Across Europe, European Commission
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Aug
A paper examined the relationship between child mental health and personal/family characteristics; and between child mental health and educational progress. Maternal education and mental health, family income, and major adverse life events, were all significant in explaining child mental health; and child mental health was found to have a large influence on educational progress. There was a strong tendency for observers to understate the problems of older children and adolescents.
Source: David Johnston, Carol Propper, Stephen Pudney, and Michael Shields, Child Mental Health and Educational Attainment: Multiple observers and the measurement error problem, Working Paper 2011-20, Institute for Social and Economic Research (University of Essex)
Links: Working paper | Abstract
Date: 2011-Aug
A survey found that 250,000 people on benefits risked being priced out of education from September 2011, under coalition government plans to force adults receiving 'inactive' benefits (which included income support and housing benefit) to pay education course fees. Of those affected, 75 per cent – 185,000 in total – were women.
Source: Press release 7 July 2011, Association of Colleges
Links: AOC press release | UCU press release
Date: 2011-Jul
A paper discussed indicators of access to cultural resources, education, and skills for use in a survey of poverty and social exclusion.
Source: Glen Bramley and Kirsten Besemer, Indicators of Access to Cultural Resources, Education and Skills for the PSE Survey, Working Paper 5, Poverty and Social Exclusion in the UK Project
Links: Paper
>Date: 2011-Jul
An article used qualitative data from three urban authorities to investigate how far children's centres differed from Sure Start local programmes, and how far they were more recognizably similar to one another than were Sure Start local programmes. Although children's centres differed from Sure Start local programmes in significant respects, they also differed from one another.
Source: Jane Lewis, Jonathan Roberts, and Cathy Finnegan, 'Making the transition from Sure Start local programmes to children's centres, 2003-2008', Journal of Social Policy, Volume 40 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Notes: Sure Start local programmes were an area-based early intervention scheme for children under 5 in England, set up in 1998: they were replaced in 2003 by children's centres – a universal, mainstream service under the control of local authorities.
Date: 2011-Jul
A report said that racist attitudes and behaviours were common among both pupils and teachers in schools in England: but many school leaders were not engaging with the issue of race equality, and were often unaware of the attitudes that existed among their pupils.
Source: The Barriers to Challenging Racism and Promoting Race Equality in England's Schools, Show Racism the Red Card
Links: Report | SRRC press release | NASUWT press release
Date: 2011-Jul
The education inspectorate in Wales said that further education colleges needed to do more to ensure that learners from deprived areas realized their potential. Only a small number of colleges and work-based learning providers compared the achievements of students from different backgrounds; and they made too little use of data on enrolment to analyze whether they were offering the right courses to attract learners from deprived areas.
Source: The Impact of Deprivation on Learners Attainment in Further Education and Work-Based Learning, HM Chief Inspector of Education and Training in Wales
Links: Report | HMCIETW press release
Date: 2011-Jul
The report was published of an 'independent' adviser on access to higher education in England. It made a series of recommendations designed to improve equality of access. All schools in England should offer university scholarships to pupils from families on very low incomes.
Source: Simon Hughes MP (Advocate for Access to Education), Report to the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister from the Advocate for Access to Education: The Hughes Report , Cabinet Office
Links: Report | DBIS press release | Liberal Democrats press release | Million+ press release | NIACE press release | 1994 Group press release | NUT press release | OFFA press release | UCU press release | Universities UK press release | Voice press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Public Finance report
Notes: Simon Hughes is deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, one of the partners in the coalition government.
Date: 2011-Jul
An article examined whether neighbourhoods had an influence on educational attainment; whether 'community level' aspirations were a mechanism by which neighbourhoods affected individual aspirations; and whether there was evidence that aspirations were lower in poor neighbourhoods. The available evidence did not lead to firm conclusions.
Source: Ruth Lupton and Keith Kintrea, 'Can community-based interventions on aspirations raise young people's attainment?', Social Policy and Society, Volume 10 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Jul
The education inspectorate in Wales said that schools needed to get better at identifying and supporting learners from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Source: Tackling Poverty and Disadvantage in Schools: Working with the community and other services, HM Chief Inspector of Education and Training in Wales
Links: Report | HMCIETW press release | BBC report
Date: 2011-Jul
A paper examined the extent to which early school leaving (at age 16) might be due to variations in parental background. The results provided only limited support for policies that alleviated income constraints at age 16 in order to alter schooling decisions: but they did suggest that policies that increased permanent income would lead to increased participation (especially for daughters).
Source: Arnaud Chevalier, Colm Harmon, Vincent O Sullivan, and Ian Walker, The Impact of Parental Earnings and Education on the Schooling of Children, Discussion Paper WP2011/12, Geary Institute (University College Dublin)
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Jul
Researchers examined the extent to which pre-school, compulsory education, and home learning experiences could reduce educational inequality. They explored why and when certain children succeeded 'against the odds' while others fell further behind; and when and why some children fell behind despite their privileged circumstances.
Source: Iram Siraj-Blatchford, Aziza Mayo, Edward Melhuish, Brenda Taggart, Pam Sammons, and Kathy Sylva, Performing Against the Odds: Developmental trajectories of children in the EPPSE 3-16 study, Research Report RR128, Department for Education
Date: 2011-Jul
A report examined economic issues arising out of the evaluation of the impact of Sure Start local programmes in England. On average, the programmes cost around £1,300 per eligible child per year at 2009-10 prices. By the time children reached the age of 5, the programmes had already delivered economic benefits of between £279 and £557 per eligible child. The economic benefits of early childhood interventions could be high (and much higher than for interventions with similar levels of expenditure on adults): but they typically did not emerge until at least 15 years after the intervention began.
Source: National Evaluation of Sure Start Team (led by Pam Meadows), National Evaluation of Sure Start Local Programmes: An Economic Perspective, Research Report RR073, Department for Education
Date: 2011-Jul
A report said that just 5 schools (4 of them private) sent more children to Oxford and Cambridge Universities than 2,000 others combined.
Source: Degrees of Success: University chances by individual school, Sutton Trust
Links: Report | Sutton Trust press release | Russell Group press release | UCU press release | Universities UK press release | Guardian report | Public Finance report
Date: 2011-Jul
Researchers examined the educational strategies of black middle-class people. Black middle-class parents prioritized education, and were actively involved in their children's schooling. They seldom made explicit mention of racism as a barrier to their children's educational success, even if there was evidence for it: using the term 'racism' was likely to be met with resistance and antagonism by teachers, tutors, and school staff. Educational achievement was seen as a key means of both supporting their children to be socially mobile and, it was hoped, acting as a possible barrier against racism in their children's future.
Source: Carol Vincent, Nicola Rollock, Stephen Ball, and David Gillborn, The Educational Strategies of the Black Middle Classes, Institute of Education (University of London)
Links: Report | IOE press release
Date: 2011-Jul
The government began consultation on a new statement of the 'core purpose' of Sure Start children's centres. It defined their core purpose as:
• Child development and school readiness – supporting emotional, physical, and social development so that children started school confident and able to learn.
• Parenting aspirations and parenting skills – helping parents to maximize their skills and give their children the best start.
• Child and family health and life-chances – promoting good physical and mental health for children and their parents, including addressing risk factors early on.
Source: The 'Core Purpose' of Sure Start Children's Centres, Department for Education
Links: Consultation document | DE press release | Liberal Democrats press release | Daycare Trust press release | 4Children press release
Date: 2011-Jul
A report summarized the key findings from an analysis of the 165,000 disadvantaged pupils (those eligible for free school meals) in those English primary and secondary schools that did not meet government floor standards in national exams. Exam results for the poorest pupils in primary schools not meeting floor standards had got worse over the previous 3 years. White British pupils seemed to pose the biggest challenge.
Source: The Education Endowment Foundation: Its Target Students and Schools, Education Endowment Foundation
Links: Report | EEF press release | BBC report
Date: 2011-Jul
A report for the equal rights watchdog said that careers education and guidance were failing some young people – particularly disabled people, women, and people from ethnic minorities – either because it did not meet their needs or because it did not effectively challenge stereotypical thinking.
Source: Jo Hutchinson, Heather Rolfe, Nicki Moore, Simon Bysshe, and Kieran Bentley, All Things Being Equal? Equality and diversity in careers education, information, advice and guidance, Research Report 71, Equality and Human Rights Commission
Links: Report | EHRC press release
Date: 2011-Jul
The education inspectorate in Wales said that there had been a 'marked improvement' in the provision of practical help and support to pupils with disabilities in mainstream schools and pupil referral units.
Source: Review of Disability Equality Schemes and Practices in Schools and Pupil Referral Units, HM Chief Inspector of Education and Training in Wales
Links: Report | HMCIETW press release
Date: 2011-Jun
A report evaluated the implementation of a programme that provided free early education to disadvantaged children aged 2 in England.
Source: Jennifer Gibb, Helena Jelicic and Ivana La Valle, Sally Gowland, Rachel Kinsella, Patricia Jessiman, and Rachel Ormston, Rolling out Free Early Education for Disadvantaged Two Year Olds: An implementation study for local authorities and providers, Research Report RR131, Department for Education
Date: 2011-Jun
A new book examined the position and experiences of disabled people in the education system.
Source: Steve Haines and David Ruebain (eds.), Education, Disability and Social Policy, Policy Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Jun
An article examined the links between inequality in academic performance and juvenile conviction rates for various types of crime. Above and beyond the effects of absolute access to resources, young people who grew up in school cohorts marked by higher levels of disparity in educational achievement might be more prone to commit violent crime and racially motivated offences than those with less disparity: but this association was not found for property-related offences.
Source: Ricardo Sabates, Leon Feinstein, and Anirudh Shingal, 'Inequality in academic performance and juvenile convictions: an area-based analysis', British Journal of Educational Studies, Volume 59 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Jun
A paper examined whether young people aged 15 from disadvantaged backgrounds were less likely to expect to complete university than their advantaged peers. It looked at developed (OECD) nations, paying particular attention to the United States of America and the United Kingdom. Young people from less fortunate families were not as likely to make early plans for university as their affluent peers: but the extent to which these findings differed across countries was rather modest, with little evidence to suggest that the UK (unlike the USA) stood out from other countries.
Source: John Jerrim, Disadvantaged Children's 'Low' Educational Expectations: Are the US and UK really so different to other industrialized nations?, Working Paper 11-04, Department of Quantitative Social Science, Institute of Education (University of London)
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Jun
A paper examined the relevance of family background (in particular parental education) and gender on differential educational achievement. Parents' education attainments were found to be strong predictors of the education of their offspring. In particular, maternal education was the main determinant in relation to the decision whether to stay on beyond compulsory education.
Source: Javier Valbuena, Family Background, Gender and Cohort Effects on Schooling Decisions, Discussion Paper 1114, School of Economics (University of Kent)
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Jun
A paper said that the academies programme in England was failing some disadvantaged pupils – precisely the group that it was supposed to cater for. There was evidence that the entry of higher-ability pupils to academies had been made possible by a reduction in intake numbers at the lower end of the attainment distribution – leading to an increase in stratification within the schooling system, and implying a worsening of education inequality.
Source: Joan Wilson, Are England s Academies More Inclusive or More Exclusive ? The impact of institutional change on the pupil profile of schools, DP125, Centre for the Economics of Education (London School of Economics)
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Jun
A report examined the outcome of a programme designed to tackle the 'cultural barrier' of low aspirations and scepticism about education that prevented some disadvantaged pupils from succeeding at school.
Source: Christopher Chapman, Denis Mongon, Daniel Muijs, Julian Williams, Maria Pampak, Daniel Wakefield, and Sara Weiner, Evaluation of the Extra Mile, Research Report RR133, Department for Education
Date: 2011-Jun
A report examined ways of improving performance outcomes for black and minority-ethnic students in higher education.
Source: Jane Berry and Gary Loke, Improving the Degree Attainment of Black and Minority Ethnic Students, Higher Education Academy/Equality Challenge Unit
Links: Report | HEA press release
Date: 2011-May
An article examined the difficulties that some working-class grammar school boys faced in reconciling their identity with educational success.
Source: Nicola Ingram, 'Within school and beyond the gate: the complexities of being educationally successful and working class', Sociology, Volume 45 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-May
A report said that more than 50 per cent of school pupils received private tuition in some European Union countries. Demand for private tutoring principally came from 'high achievers', and was fuelled by pressure on youngsters to do well in exams and by 'social competition'. Private tutoring reflected – and exacerbated – social inequalities: it was mostly about maintaining the competitive advantages of the already successful and privileged. Financial cutbacks had also reduced the extent to which educational institutions could provide individual learning support within school. Private tuition could restrict children's leisure time in a way that was psychologically and educationally undesirable.
Source: Mark Bray, The Challenge of Shadow Education: Private tutoring and its implications for policy-makers in the European Union, European Commission
Links: Report | European Commission press release
Date: 2011-May
A study found that: 1 in 6 black students had experienced racism in their existing institution; one-third did not trust their institution to properly handle complaints; and one-third felt that their educational environment left them unable to bring their perspective as black students to lectures and tutorial meetings.
Source: Mandeep Rupra-Daine and Stephanie Neave, Race for Equality: A report on the experiences of Black students in further and higher education, National Union of Students
Links: Report | NUS press release | Guardian report
Date: 2011-May
A report examined the results of a project that sought to raise literacy standards by improving support for the most vulnerable families.
Source: Emily McCoy, Local Authorities Improving Life Chances: A review of a new approach to raising literacy levels, National Literacy Trust
Links: Report | NLT press release
Date: 2011-May
A new book examined 'against-the-grain' school choices – in particular middle-class parents deliberately choosing ordinary and even 'low performing' secondary schools for their children.
Source: Diane Reay, Gill Crozier, and David James, White Middle-Class Identities and Urban Schooling, Palgrave Macmillan
Links: Summary | UWE press release
Date: 2011-Apr
An article examined the extent of differences in educational attainment between ethnic groups in England. It highlighted the relative educational success of Chinese pupils, and a cause for concern about the attainments of black Caribbean boys. Conclusions about ethnic group differences in attainment needed to be related to individual, family, school, and cognitive contexts.
Source: Ian Plewis, 'Contextual variations in ethnic group differences in educational attainments', Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series A, Volume 174 Issue 2
Links: Article
Date: 2011-Apr
A paper examined whether studies showing a gap in cognitive skill between richer and poorer children from a very early age were affected by a statistical error known as 'regression to the mean' (RTM). There were 'serious methodological problems' plaguing the existing literature, and after applying some simple adjustments for RTM, dramatically different results were obtained.
Source: John Jerrim and Anna Vignoles, The Use (and Misuse) of Statistics in Understanding Social Mobility: Regression to the mean and the cognitive development of high ability children from disadvantaged homes, Working Paper 11-01, Department of Quantitative Social Science, Institute of Education (University of London)
Links: Paper | Guardian report
Date: 2011-Apr
An article examined the educational attainment and progress between ages 11 and 14 of students from the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England. Black Caribbean students were distinctive as the only group making less progress than white British students: this could not be accounted for by any of the measured contextual variables such as socio-economic factors.
Source: Steve Strand, 'The limits of social class in explaining ethnic gaps in educational attainment', British Educational Research Journal, Volume 37 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Apr
A report evaluated the child development grant (CDG) pilot – aimed at encouraging economically deprived and disengaged parents through (cash) incentives to utilize the services offered by their local Sure Start children's centres (in particular those services that had a positive impact on the child's development and family).
Source: Philip Wilson, Louise O Neill, Andrew Cleary, and Toby Cotton, Evaluation of the Child Development Grant Pilot, Research Report RR099, Department for Education
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Apr
An article examined the extent to which episodic and more persistent poverty in early childhood, and the lack of other family resources, disadvantaged children at the start of their school careers. Positive parenting was shown to be an important contributor to school achievement that mattered for children, regardless of poverty experience or family disadvantage. It was also shown to be an important mediator in redressing the effects of poverty and disadvantage.
Source: Kathleen Kiernan and Fiona Mensah, 'Poverty, family resources and children's early educational attainment: the mediating role of parenting', British Educational Research Journal, Volume 37 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Apr
A paper said that lower- and higher-attaining pupils were separating from each other geographically as they made the transition from primary to secondary schools (in London).
Source: Richard Harris, The Separation of Lower and Higher Attaining Pupils in the Transition from Primary to Secondary Schools: A longitudinal study of London, Working Paper 11/257, Centre for Market and Public Organisation (University of Bristol)
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Apr
An article examined the impact of educational expansion under the Labour governments (1997-2010) on levels of social class and gender differentials in educational attainment and participation. Social class inequalities had declined since 1997: but more modestly in terms of relative rankings than of proportionate gaps.
Source: Alice Sullivan, Anthony Heath, and Catherine Rothon, 'Equalisation or inflation? Social class and gender differentials in England and Wales', Oxford Review of Education, Volume 37 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Apr
An article examined the empirical evidence on trends in social class inequalities in educational attainment and the role of education in promoting social mobility in Scotland.
Source: Cristina Iannelli, 'Educational expansion and social mobility: the Scottish case', Social Policy and Society, Volume 10 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Apr
The government began consultation on a new £180 million bursary scheme in England to help the most vulnerable young people aged 16-19 to continue in full-time education. The scheme was made up of two parts – a guaranteed payment to a small group of the most vulnerable young people, and a discretionary fund for schools and colleges to distribute. Around 12,000 people would be given guaranteed bursaries of £1,200 per year – made up of children in care, care leavers, and those claiming income support (such as teenage parents). Schools and colleges could distribute the rest of the money to support any student who faced genuine financial barriers to participation such as costs of transport, food, or equipment.
Source: Financial Support for 16 to 19 Year Olds in Education or Training, Department for Education
Links: Consultation document | Hansard | DE press release | AOC press release | ASCL press release | ATL press release | Catch22 press release | Centrepoint press release | IFS press release | NAHT press release | NASUWT press release | NPI press release | NUS press release | NUT press release | UCU press release | UNISON press release | YPLA press release | BBC report | Community Care report | Guardian report | Public Finance report
Notes: The new bursary scheme was designed to replace educational maintenance allowances, on which annual spending was around £560 million.
Date: 2011-Mar
A study found evidence suggesting that there was a weak negative association between obesity and educational attainment in children and young people. But obesity was also associated with other variables, such as socio-economic status; and when these were taken into consideration, the association between obesity and attainment became still weaker, and often lost statistical significance.
Source: Jenny Caird et al., Childhood Obesity and Educational Attainment: A systematic review, Report 1901, EPPI-Centre (Institute of Education/University of London)
Date: 2011-Mar
A paper said that there were large differences in cognitive and socio-emotional development between children from rich and poor backgrounds at the age of 3, and that this gap widened by the age of 5. Children from poor backgrounds also faced much less advantageous care environments in early childhood than children from better-off families.
Source: Lorraine Dearden, Luke Sibieta, and Kathy Sylva, The Socio-Economic Gradient in Early Child Outcomes: Evidence from the Millennium Cohort Study, Working Paper 03/11, Institute for Fiscal Studies
Date: 2011-Mar
An article examined a study of the contextual advantages and disadvantages experienced by primary schools in the south-east of England, concentrating especially on schools in the least deprived 5 per cent of schools nationally. The most socially advantaged primary schools were likely to have much in common, including a high level of parent involvement, a strong focus on student learning and progress, considerable ability to raise funds, very good reputations, and only a handful of students with serious learning or behavioural problems.
Source: Martin Thrupp and Ruth Lupton, 'Variations on a middle class theme: English primary schools in socially advantaged contexts', Journal of Education Policy, Volume 26 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Mar
An article examined the claim that the shift from a selective to a comprehensive school system had a deleterious effect on social mobility. Comprehensive schools were found to be as good for mobility as the selective schools that they had replaced. Any assistance to 'low-origin' children provided by grammar (selective) schools was cancelled out by the hindrance suffered by those who attended secondary moderns.
Source: Vikki Boliver and Adam Swift, 'Do comprehensive schools reduce social mobility?', British Journal of Sociology, Volume 62 Issue 2
Links: Abstract | Oxford University press release | Guardian report
Date: 2011-Mar
An article examined how the gap in language abilities of children with different social backgrounds developed from age 3 to 5. Pre-school attendance did not lead to a catching-up process of children with lower-educated parents: but without it, the gap between children of higher- and lower-educated parents widened even further.
Source: Birgit Becker, 'Social disparities in children's vocabulary in early childhood. Does pre-school education help to close the gap?', British Journal of Sociology, Volume 62 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Mar
A think-tank report said that low-income students were being steered away from the most rigorous academic subjects, and were being 'mis-sold' low-quality school qualifications – putting them out of contention for top jobs.
Source: Elizabeth Truss MP, Academic Rigour and Social Mobility: How low income students are being kept out of top jobs, CentreForum
Links: Report | CentreForum press release
Date: 2011-Mar
An article examined performance by students at A-level and their first and final university years. Students from private schools performed better at A-level than those from state schools, but not at their university examinations, other things being equal.
Source: Ron Johnston and Anthony Hoare, 'Widening participation through admissions policy – a British case study of school and university performance', Studies in Higher Education, Volume 36 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Feb
An article examined the nature of the 'core offer' that children's centres were expected to provide, and the way in which they had pursued the goal of integrating staff and services. It highlighted the problems of balancing a focus on the child and on the parent; of reconciling childcare provision as part of the employability agenda and as a means to educational achievement for the child; of permitting local variation while achieving consistency; of the role of monitoring in relation to developing good practice; and of achieving integration in a mixed economy of care. Despite the greater specification of the core offer for children's centres compared with that for Sure Start, there were substantial differences between children's centres in terms of services, while the mixed economy of provision posed considerable challenges to the goal of integration.
Source: Jane Lewis, Rebecca Cuthbert, and Sophie Sarre, 'What are children's centres? The development of CC services, 2004-2008', Social Policy and Administration, Volume 45 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Feb
A report examined the latest evidence on the relationship between schooling and social inequality. It looked at the outcomes of strategies developed to break the links between education and disadvantage, and at what could be learned from these experiences that might help to move policy and practice forward. Schooling could lessen the impact of deprivation on children's progress: but its influence was limited by factors beyond the control of the school system.
Source: Kirstin Kerr and Mel West (eds.), Social Inequality: Can Schools Narrow the Gap?, British Educational Research Association
Links: Report | Bibliography | BBC report
Date: 2011-Feb
An article examined how school pupils from disadvantaged socio-economic groups perceived the prospect of studying at university.
Source: Yvonne Moogan, 'An analysis of school pupils' (with low social economic status) perceptions of university, regarding programmes of study', Educational Studies, Volume 37 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Feb
A report examined the representation and achievement of black and minority-ethnic (BME) students at universities. BME students were under-represented at the most prestigious universities, and were less likely to be awarded a high-ranking degree than their white counterparts.
Source: Debbie Weekes-Bernard (ed.), Widening Participation and Race Equality, Runnymede Trust
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Jan
A series of journal articles examined the socio-economic gradient in children's cognitive and educational achievement.
Source: Journal of Longitudinal and Life Course Studies, Volume 2 Number 1
Links: Table of contents
Date: 2011-Jan
An article highlighted the 'considerable change' involved in the transition from the Sure Start programme (targeted at deprived areas) to the universal provision of children's centres. It explored the reasons for the policy shift in terms of changes in the government's goals (on the one hand), and in relation to evidence of programme failure (on the other). It considered why the shift to children's centres was claimed by the government as continuity rather than change, and what this revealed about the nature of policy change.
Source: Jane Lewis, 'From Sure Start to children's centres: an analysis of policy change in English early years programmes', Journal of Social Policy, Volume 40 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Jan
A report examined the evolution of the Sure Start programme. It said that there was strong evidence to support early intervention, given the nature and extent of the disadvantage and discrimination that many families faced. It highlighted the ways in which initiatives such as children's centres could provide support for vulnerable families, and provide the basis for 'community hubs' within a 'Big Society'.
Source: The Right Start: Sure Start, early intervention and the needs of vulnerable and disadvantaged children and families, Pre-school Learning Alliance
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Jan
The government responded to a report by a committee of MPs on Sure Start children's centres. It said that it recognized the importance of children's centres, and believed that they had 'huge potential' as they brought together services in new and innovative ways. The network of children's centres was critical to its wider programme for children and families across government.
Source: Sure Start Children's Centres: Government Response to the Fifth Report from the Children, Schools and Families Committee, Session 2009 10, Fourth Special Report (Session 2010-11), HC 768, House of Commons Education Select Committee, TSO
Links: Response | NCT press release | Children & Young People Now report
Notes: The MPs' report (March 2010) had called on the government to resist short-term financial pressure to reduce the number of Sure Start centres or the range of services that they offered.
Date: 2011-Jan
A survey of Sure Start children's centre managers across England found that, over the next 12 months: 250 (7 per cent) would close or were expected to close, affecting an estimated 60,000 families; 2,000 (56 per cent) would provide a reduced service; 3,100 (86 per cent) would have a decreased budget; and staff at 1,000 centres (28 per cent) had been issued with 'at risk of redundancy' notices.
Source: Press release 28 January 2011, 4Children
Links: 4Children press release | Labour Party press release | BBC report | Telegraph report | Children & Young People Now report | Community Care report
Date: 2011-Jan
An article reported an ethnographic study into the experiences of parents and professionals involved with the implementation of a Sure Start multi-agency health and education early years programme. The policy shift to children's centres appeared to have entailed an erosion of social capital – contrary to the original purpose of empowering local communities.
Source: Carl Bagley, 'From Sure Start to children's centres: capturing the erosion of social capital', Journal of Education Policy, Volume 26 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Jan
A think-tank paper raised concerns that the National Scholarship Programme (designed to help the poorest students go to university) was at risk of becoming a 'postcode lottery'. It said that the limited funds allocated to the scheme should be used to provide the very poorest students with additional non-repayable maintenance grants during their studies.
Source: The National Scholarship Programme: A National Scheme or a Postcode Lottery?, Million+
Links: Paper | Million+ press release | Guardian report
Date: 2011-Jan
A paper examined educational inequalities in European Union member states, using PISA data from the 2000 and 2006 waves. Inequalities had been decreasing only in Germany and Spain, while they had increased in all remaining countries.
Source: Veruska Oppedisano and Gilberto Turati, What Are the Causes of Educational Inequalities and of Their Evolution Over Time in Europe? Evidence from PISA, Working Paper XREAP2010-16, Xarxa de Referencia en Economia Aplicada (Barcelona)
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Jan
