In 2009, young people aged 15 in the United Kingdom performed around the average among the 34 developed (OECD) countries in reading (rank 20) and mathematics (rank 22), and above the average in science (rank 11). The rankings were all lower than in the corresponding 2000 survey.
Source: PISA 2009 Results, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development | Jenny Bradshaw, Rob Ager, Bethan Burge and Rebecca Wheater, PISA 2009: Achievement of 15-Year-Olds in England, National Foundation for Educational Research | Jenny Bradshaw, Rob Ager, Bethan Burge and Rebecca Wheater, PISA 2009: Achievement of 15-Year-Olds in Wales, National Foundation for Educational Research | Jenny Bradshaw, Rob Ager, Bethan Burge and Rebecca Wheater, PISA 2009: Achievement of 15-Year-Olds in Northern Ireland, National Foundation for Educational Research | Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2009: Highlights from Scotland's Results, Scottish Government
Links: Report | Summary | OECD press release | OECD commentary for UK | NFER (England) | NFER brief (England) | NFER (Wales)NFER (Northern Ireland) | Scotland results | DE press release | DE statistical release | NIE press release | Scottish Government press release | WAG press release | European Commission press release | Conservative Party press release | AAA press release | ASCL press release | ATL press release | NASUWT press release | NUT press release | TSN press release | Telegraph report | BBC report | Guardian report | Children & Young People Now report
Date: 2010-Dec
An article said that pupils from higher socio-economic status backgrounds, and also pupils with no special educational needs, were more likely (over and above the effect of attainment) to be assigned by their school to higher sets and less likely to be assigned to lower sets.
Source: Daniel Muijs and Mairead Dunne, 'Setting by ability – or is it? A quantitative study of determinants of set placement in English secondary schools', Educational Research, Volume 52 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2010-Dec
A think-tank report said that the GCSE examination should be adapted to become a national examination in England for all young people at age 14, bringing the country into line with international practice. Clearer educational options from age 14 onwards were needed in order to ensure that children from non-privileged backgrounds pursued the choices that genuinely reflected their interests and abilities. (GCSE = General Certificate of Secondary Education)
Source: Alan Smithers and Pamela Robinson, Choice and Selection in School Admissions: The experience of other countries, Sutton Trust
Links: Report | Sutton Trust press release | ATL press release | Telegraph report | BBC report | Public Finance report | Children & Young People Now report | Guardian report
Date: 2010-Nov
A paper examined the effect of a child's peers on their educational outcomes. There was a significant positive effect of a more able peer group; and there was more benefit for children who were close to the ability of the peer group than those whose ability was not close.
Source: Steven Proud, Peer Effects in English Primary Schools: An IV estimation of the effect of a more able peer group on age 11 examination results, Working Paper 248, Centre for Market and Public Organisation/University of Bristol
Links: Working paper
Date: 2010-Nov
The inspectorate for education and children's services said that the best primary schools in England taught virtually every child to read, regardless of the social and economic circumstances of their neighbourhoods, the ethnicity of their pupils, the language spoken at home, and most special educational needs or disabilities.
Source: Reading by Six: How the best schools do it, HMI 100197, Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills
Links: Report | OFSTED press release | ATL press release | NAHT press release | BBC report | Children & Young People Now report
Date: 2010-Nov
A special issue of a journal examined childhood cognitive ability and later academic attainment, using evidence from birth cohort studies.
Source: Longitudinal and Life Course Studies, Volume 1 Number 3
Links: Table of contents
Date: 2010-Nov
An article criticized justifications put forward by the coalition government for returning to a more traditional school curriculum as 'narrow' and 'rooted in the past'
Source: John White, 'The coalition and the curriculum', FORUM: for promoting 3-19 comprehensive education, Volume 52 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2010-Nov
A report presented findings from a survey of English secondary school teachers on their use of, and attitudes towards, pupil performance and progress data. Schools with low raw attainment scores but positive value-added scores reported the most frequent use of performance data.
Source: Anthony Kelly, Christopher Downey and Willeke Rietdijk, Data Dictatorship and Data Democracy: Understanding professional attitudes to the use of pupil performance data in English secondary schools, CfBT Education Trust
Date: 2010-Nov
A report said that there were 'significant structural problems' with the national curriculum in England that needed to be corrected.
Source: Tim Oates, Could Do Better: Using international comparisons to refine the national curriculum in England, Cambridge Assessment
Links: Report | DE press release | BBC report
Date: 2010-Nov
The inspectorate for education and children's services said that some aspects of the new diploma qualification – especially the main subject content known as 'principal learning' – were working well: but the qualification as a whole was proving complex and challenging for both learners and providers. Learners were particularly enthusiastic about the opportunities that diplomas offered them to develop their vocational skills using industry-standard equipment: but the teaching of related skills in English, mathematics, and information and communications technology was too variable.
Source: Diplomas: The Second Year – An evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the diplomas for 14- to 19-year-olds, HMI 090240, Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills
Links: Report | OFSTED press release | ATL press release | NAHT press release | NASUWT press release | BBC report | Children & Young People Now report
Date: 2010-Oct
The government (and the education inspectorate) responded to a report by a committee of MPs on education outside the classroom. The government said that it should be for schools – not central government – to decide how to teach, and what mediums to use to deliver that teaching.
Source: Transforming Education Outside the Classroom: Responses from the Government and Ofsted to the Sixth Report of the Children, Schools and Families Committee, Session 2009-10, Third Special Report (Session 2010-11), HC 525, House of Commons Education Select Committee/TSO
Links: Response | MPs report | ATL press release
Date: 2010-Oct
A report said that high-performing school libraries and schools library services played a powerful role in raising pupils' literacy levels and improving their access to knowledge.
Source: School Library Commission, School Libraries: A plan for improvement, Museums, Libraries and Archives Council/National Literacy Trust
Links: Report | CILIP press release
Date: 2010-Sep
A report examined the factors that influenced a range of children's academic and non-academic outcomes, including their enjoyment of school, whether they took unauthorized absence from school, and whether they felt that they were bullied. Non-academic factors were inextricably linked to pupils' academic achievement: but which school a pupil attended was likely to have little or no effect on their wider well-being.
Source: Anna Vignoles and Elena Meschi, The Determinants of Non-Cognitive and Cognitive Schooling Outcomes, CEE Special Report 004, Department for Education
Links: Report
Date: 2010-Sep
A report examined the extent to which academic and non-academic childhood outcomes were complementary to each other, or were in some way traded off against each other. The complex nature of the drivers of child development, the interdependence of child outcomes, and the way that outcomes persisted through an individual's life and across generations needed to be recognized in order to develop truly effective policy.
Source: Bilal Nasim, The Interdependence and Determinants of Childhood Outcomes: The Relevance for Policy, CEE Special Report 003, Department for Education
Links: Report
Date: 2010-Sep
A new book examined what parents, pupils, and teachers were thinking and doing in the fields of moral and character education. Families, and particularly mothers, had the strongest influence in the development of character. School teachers were caught between the 'traditional' position that the alleged lack of character was a sign of catastrophic moral decline, and the opposing view that character education was the 'propaganda weapon of choice' of the moral majority.
Source: James Arthur, Of Good Character: Exploration of virtues and values in 3-25 year-olds, Imprint Academic
Links: Summary | Young Foundation press release
Date: 2010-Sep
The new coalition government announced plans for an English 'baccalaureate' qualification, to be awarded to pupils who achieved five A*-C grades in English, mathematics, one science, one foreign language, and one humanities subject. The new qualification would be designed to create special recognition for those students who secured good passes in a 'balanced range of rigorous qualifications'.
Source: Speech by Michael Gove MP (Secretary of State for Education), 6 September 2010
Links: Text of speech | ASCL press release | Telegraph report | Guardian report
Date: 2010-Sep
The percentage of pupils in England achieving level 4 or above in the 2010 key stage 2 national curriculum tests (at age 11) was 81 per cent in English (up 1 percentage point); 84 per cent in reading (down 2 points); 71 per cent in writing (up 3 points); and 80 per cent in mathematics (up 1 point).
Source: National Curriculum Tests and Teacher Assessments at Key Stage 2 & 3 in England, 2010 (Provisional), Statistical First Release 23/2010, Department for Education
Links: SFR | ATL press release | NAHT press release | NASUWT press release | NUT press release | BBC report | Telegraph report | Guardian report | Children & Young People Now report
Date: 2010-Aug
A report said that children did better in exams when their teachers focused on learning, rather than on test results.
Source: Chris Watkins, Learning, Performance and Improvement, Research Matters 34, Institute of Education/University of London
Links: IOE press release | Guardian report
Date: 2010-Aug
Provisional results were published for the June 2010 GCSE and related examinations. Overall, performance improved by 1.0 percentage point at grades A*-A (from 21.6 to 22.6 per cent) and 2.0 percentage points at grades A*-C (from 67.1 to 69.1 per cent). (GCSE = General Certificate of Secondary Education)
Source: Results 2010: GCSE, Applied GCSE, Entry Level, Diploma, Joint Council for Qualifications
Links: Report | JCQ press release | ATL press release | NAHT press release | NASUWT press release | NUS press release | NUT press release | Ofqual press release | TUC press release | UCU press release | Voice press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2010-Aug
Provisional data were published on the 2010 A/AS examination results (mainly in England, Northern Ireland, and Wales). The cumulative percentage of A-level grades awarded at A-E increased by 0.1 percentage points compared with the previous year, from 97.5 to 97.6 per cent. There was an increase of 0.3 percentage points (from 26.7 to 27.0 per cent) in awards at grade A. The new A* grade accounted for 8.1 per cent of all A-level results issued. (A = Advanced; AS = Advanced Subsidiary.)
Source: Results 2010, Joint Council for Qualifications
Links: Report | JCQ press release | ATL press release | NAHT press release | NASUWT press release | NUT press release | Ofqual press release | TUC press release | UCAS press release | UCU press release | UUK press release | Telegraph report | Guardian report
Date: 2010-Aug
A think-tank report said that structured teaching methods were the most effective way of teaching children to read, and that widespread functional illiteracy was the fault of 'liberal' teaching methods.
Source: Miriam Gross, So Why Can t They Read?, Centre for Policy Studies
Links: Report | CPS press release | Guardian report
Date: 2010-Jul
The inspectorate for education and children's services said that provision for personal, social, health, and economic education (PSHE) was good or outstanding in more than three-quarters of the 165 maintained schools visited across England.
Source: Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education in Schools, HMI 090222, Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills
Links: Report | OFSTED press release | BHA press release | DEF press release | BBC report | Telegraph report | Children & Young People Now report
Date: 2010-Jul
The new Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government reportedly said that it was dropping plans by the previous government for three 'academic' diplomas to be introduced in England in 2011 (in science, languages, and humanities). State schools would, however, be allowed for the first time to teach international GCSEs. A planned overhaul of the primary school curriculum would be scrapped, along with the proposed extension of pilots of free school meals for primary schools.
Source: Press release 7 June 2010, Department for Education
Links: DE press release | NUT press release | ATL press release | CPAG press release | Sustainweb press release | BBC report | Children & Young People Now report | Telegraph report | Guardian report
Date: 2010-Jun
A report by a committee of MPs highlighted the lack of growth in recent years in the number of school trips and visits. It said that learning outside the classroom should not became the preserve of pupils from privileged backgrounds.
Source: Transforming Education Outside the Classroom, Sixth Report (Session 2009-10), HC 418, House of Commons Children, Schools and Families Select Committee/TSO
Links: Report | Voice press release | Telegraph report | BBC report | Guardian report | Children & Young People Now report
Date: 2010-Apr
A new book said that secondary education had been impoverished by a narrow curriculum and by a rigid bureaucratic assessment system. Despite government attempts to widen participation, the social gap in education remained wide. It called for a different approach that would kindle the interests of young people and give teachers more freedom. It examined initiatives that had been successful in raising aspirations and participation.
Source: Patrick Derham and Michael Worton (eds.), Liberating Learning: Widening Participation, University of Buckingham Press
Links: Link removed by UBP
Date: 2010-Apr
An article said that proposals for curriculum reform and pedagogy in the Cambridge Primary Review lacked innovatory character; and if adopted, would reduce opportunities for teacher and school experimentation.
Source: Jim Campbell, 'Conservative curriculum and partial pedagogy: a critique of proposals in the Cambridge Primary Review', FORUM: for promoting 3-19 comprehensive education, Volume 52 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2010-Mar
The exams regulator evaluated the assessments used in the new diploma qualifications in England. Internal assessments were found to be appropriate, with good-quality marking criteria: but some question papers did not provide a sufficient test for more able candidates.
Source: The New Principal Learning Qualifications: Interim findings from the monitoring of the new level 2 qualifications in 2009, Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator
Links: Report | BBC report | Children & Young People Now report | Times Education Supplement report
Date: 2010-Mar
A review commissioned by the opposition Conservative party said that the existing qualifications and assessment system diverted the attention of teachers and students from a proper immersion in deep subject knowledge by tempting them to sit exams purely to boost league table rankings.
Source: The Sir Richard Sykes Review, Conservative Party
Links: Report | Conservative Party press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Times Higher Education report
Date: 2010-Mar
A statistical first release provided a time series of the proportion of pupils in England making expected progress in English and in mathematics between key stage 2 (age 11) and key stage 4 (age 16) between 2005-06 and 2008-09.
Source: Percentage of Pupils Making Expected Progress in English and in Mathematics Between Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 4, Statistical First Release 05/2010, Department for Children, Schools and Families
Links: SFR
Date: 2010-Mar
A report examined the first year of operation of the new diplomas for young people in England aged 14-19. A linked report examined preparations for their introduction in 2009.
Source: Sarah Lynch et al., National Evaluation of Diplomas: The First Year of Delivery, Research Report RR220, Department for Children, Schools and Families | Tami McCrone et al., National Evaluation of Diplomas: Preparation for 2009 Delivery, Research Report RR219, Department for Children, Schools and Families
Links: Report (1) | Brief | Report (2) | Brief | Children & Young People Now report
Date: 2010-Mar
Information was published on attainment in 2009 for the Early Years Foundation Stage (at age 5) by different pupil characteristics – gender, ethnicity, eligibility for free school meals, special educational needs, and English as a first language. Girls outperformed boys in 11 of the 13 scales of the Foundation Stage profile. 55 per cent of pupils not eligible for free schools meals achieved a good level of development, compared with 34.5 per cent for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals.
Source: Early Years Foundation Stage Profile Attainment by Pupil Characteristics, in England 2008/09, Statistical First Release 03/2010, Department for Children, Schools and Families
Links: SFR | Liberal Democrats press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Children & Young People Now report
Date: 2010-Jan
The inspectorate for education and children's services said that the teaching of citizenship in schools in England was improving: but some schools had 'limited understanding' of what was required to provide an effective citizenship education.
Source: Citizenship Established? Citizenship in schools 2006/09, HMI 090159, Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills
Links: Report | OFSTED press release | Citizenship Foundation press release | BBC report
Date: 2010-Jan
The government announced that, from September 2011, any pupil aged 6-7 in England would be guaranteed 'catch-up support' if they were falling behind, including through small group or one-to-one tuition where appropriate. A linked research report said that one-to-one tuition had a positive impact on pupil progress, with just one course of tuition helping pupils to make real improvements in class and 90 per cent of tutors saying that it helped pupils to become more confident and interested in their work.
Source: Press release 4 January 2010, Department for Children, Schools and Families | PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Evaluation of the Making Good Progress Pilot, Research Report RR184, Department for Children, Schools and Families
Links: DCSF press release | Research Report | NUT press release | ATL press release | IOE press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Telegraph report
Date: 2010-Jan
