An article examined parental involvement in children's education. The strongest associations with a reported change in maternal involvement levels were: the young person's attitude to school; the mother's relationship with the school; attendance at parents' evenings; and the mother's ethnicity, qualifications, and change in economic status. Changes in paternal involvement were strongly associated with the father's ethnicity and the young person's behaviour.
Source: Eleni Skaliotis, 'Changes in parental involvement in secondary education: an exploration study using the longitudinal study of young people in England', British Educational Research Journal, Volume 36 Number 6
Links: Abstract
Date: 2010-Dec
The inspectorate for education and children's services examined the strategies used in successful schools to develop effective leadership skills and build capacity to sustain excellence. The best leadership focused on improving teaching and learning, with headteachers seeing this as their 'core business'. Common characteristics of the best leadership include honest self-evaluation and leadership shared across the school.
Source: Developing Leadership: National Support Schools – Strategies used to develop leadership potential and effectiveness in schools, HMI 090232, Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills
Links: Report | OFSTED press release | Public Finance report
Date: 2010-Dec
The school admissions watchdog published its annual report for the 2009-10 academic year. Adjudicators considered that admissions arrangements were getting better, with most challenges no longer about obvious errors and omissions, but usually relating to the interpretation of the school admissions code in the local context. But faith schools were guilty of using admissions systems that disadvantaged low-income groups and also certain ethnic groups. There should be one consistent, independent route through which all interested parties could object to the admission arrangements of all state schools.
Source: OSA Annual Report 2010, Office of the Schools Adjudicator
Links: Report | DE press release | Accord Coalition press release | BHA press release | NSS press release | Guardian report | Telegraph report
Date: 2010-Nov
A report examined the relationship between primary and secondary school governing and school performance in England, and the way this relationship was influenced by the socio-economic setting. School governing was complicated, demanding, hidden from view, and undertaken for no tangible reward. School governors made a significant contribution to their schools and to the education system as a whole.
Source: Chris James et al., The 'Hidden Givers': A study of school governing bodies in England, CfBT Education Trust
Links: Report
Date: 2010-Nov
A report examined the outcome of a project that encouraged secondary schools to develop a more 'human scale' ethos and practice – including the use of small-scale learning communities, cross-disciplinary curriculum projects, more 'holistic' pastoral structures, and greater student participation in learning.
Source: John Harland and Barbara Mason, Towards Schools Where People Matter: A study of the Human Scale Schools project, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
Links: Report
Date: 2010-Oct
A report sought to define the key features of a successful 'self-improving' school system. A higher calibre of school leadership and an increase in the number of partnerships between schools presented an opportunity for a new vision of school improvement.
Source: David Hargreaves, Creating a Self-Improving School System, National College for Leadership of Schools and Children's Services
Links: Report | NCSL press release
Date: 2010-Sep
A study examined whether changes to the school admissions code in 2003 and 2007 had had any discernible effect on the social composition of English secondary schools. The Codes did appear to have been at least in part responsible for changes in the social composition of pupils at schools that used criteria and arrangements subsequently deemed inadmissible.
Source: Rebecca Allen and Anne West, The Effect of Changes in Published Secondary School Admissions on Pupil Composition, Research Report RR038, Department for Education
Links: Report
Date: 2010-Sep
A report examined the key factors that contributed to the successful leadership of parental engagement in schools and children's centres.
Source: Leadership for Parental Engagement, National College for Leadership of Schools and Children's Services
Links: Report
Date: 2010-Sep
A report said that children from lower-income families, who were already lagging behind their better-off peers in terms of educational achievement, were also penalized by socially selective school admissions arrangements. Schools should be required to take equal shares of pupils in different ability groups.
Source: Unlocking the Gates: Giving disadvantaged children a fairer deal in school admissions, Barnardo's
Links: Report | Barnardo's press release | BHA press release | BBC report | Children & Young People Now report
Date: 2010-Aug
An article examined how government policies were adopted in secondary schools. Policies were interpreted and 'translated' by diverse policy actors in the school environment, rather than simply implemented.
Source: Annette Braun, Meg Maguire and Stephen Ball, 'Policy enactments in the UK secondary school: examining policy, practice and school positioning', Journal of Education Policy, Volume 25 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2010-Aug
Researchers examined the various approaches of local authorities to the schools admissions process.
Source: Peter Rudd, Clare Gardiner and Helen Marson-Smith, Local Authority Approaches to the School Admissions Process, National Foundation for Educational Research
Date: 2010-Jul
A report said that many women teachers were denied access to important leadership positions in schools because of gender bias and discrimination.
Source: Olwen McNamara, John Howson, Helen Gunter and Andrew Fryers, No Job for a Woman? The impact of gender in school leadership, National Association of Schoolmasters/Union of Women Teachers
Links: Summary | NASUWT press release | Times Education Supplement report
Date: 2010-Jul
A report examined schools' approach to financial management; their use of information and support; differences in approach between financially efficient schools and those that were less efficient; and what would motivate schools that needed help to seek out and access the support available.
Source: Cragg Ross Dawson, Financial Efficiency in Schools, Research Report RR007, Department for Education
Links: Report
Date: 2010-Jun
An official working group examined the strengths and weaknesses of the existing school governance arrangements. It concluded that governing bodies had done a 'good job' in supporting improvements in school standards since 1997.
Source: Ministerial Working Group on School Governance, The 21st Century School: Implications and challenges for governing bodies, Department for Children, Schools and Families
Links: Report
Date: 2010-Apr
A report examined ways in which schools and parents could work more closely together. It said that parental engagement in learning was crucial to well-being, behaviour, attendance, and attainment.
Source: Julian Stanley and Jeremy Todd, Beyond the School Gate: How schools and families can work better together, Teacher Support Network/Parentline Plus
Links: Report | TSN press release | ATL press release | NUT press release
Date: 2010-Mar
A report examined the concept of 'sustainable schools' – schools that integrated their activities with the goals of healthy living, environmental awareness, community engagement, and citizenship.
Source: Jonathon Porritt, David Hopkins, Anna Birney and Jane Reed, Every Child's Future: Leading the Way, National College for Leadership of Schools and Children's Services
Links: Report
Date: 2010-Mar
The government began consultation on the 'parent and pupil guarantees' – a statement of what parents and pupils had a right to expect from schools, and of what schools could expect from parents and pupils in terms of their responsibilities to support schools.
Source: Public Consultation on the Introduction of the Parent and Pupil Guarantees, Department for Children, Schools and Families
Links: Consultation document | DCSF press release | Guarantees statement | Children & Young People Now report
Date: 2010-Jan
