Educational achievement and ethnicity in compulsory schooling

This paper analyzes the evolution of the attainment gap between white British born and ethnic minority pupils throughout compulsory schooling, from the age of 5 to 16. At the start of school, pupils from most ethnic groups substantially lag behind White British pupils, but these gaps decline for all groups throughout primary and secondary school. Language is the single most important factor why most ethnic minority pupils improve relative to White British pupils. Although poverty explains part of the differences in levels, it cannot explain why ethnic minority pupils gain relative to or even overtake White British pupils. All ethnic minority groups initially attend worse performing schools than White British pupils. However, more than 20 percent of the subsequent relative improvement can be attributed to ethnic minority pupils moving up to better schools relative to White British pupils. Finally, our results suggest the possibility that the relative improvement of ethnic minority pupils may be related to teacher incentives to concentrate attention on particular pupils, caused by the publication of school league tables at the end of secondary school

Supporting more able and talented pupils in primary schools

"This survey evaluates the effectiveness of strategies used by primary schools and local authorities to support and challenge more able and talented pupils. Overall, most more able and talented pupils are not challenged enough and too few pupils achieve above the expected levels at the end of key stages 1 and 2. Provision for more able and talented pupils varies too much across Wales. In the few primary schools with the best provision, thorough analysis of data and assessment outcomes helps to identify more able and talented pupils. In these few schools, more able and talented pupils are supported through a range of additional provision and their progress tracked and monitored carefully. Parents understand the school’s approach to providing additional support for more able and talented pupils. More able and talented pupils gain most in schools that promote individualised or personalised approaches to learning and they benefit particularly from having control over how and what they learn. However, in the majority of primary schools, more able and talented pupils are not identified and do not receive appropriate support. Teachers in these schools do not have the expertise to identify, support or track the progress of more able and talented pupils. Transition arrangements between primary and secondary schools often do not provide enough continuity and progression in the education of more able and talented pupils. Few local authorities use data to monitor the progress of more able and talented pupils or promote the sharing of best practice between schools. School improvement officers rarely discuss more able and talented pupils during their visits to schools." - page 1

How do you know that he's bright but lazy? Teachers' assessments of Bangladeshi English as an Additional Language pupils in two Year Three classrooms

This article considers how teachers come to assess pupils' needs and abilities and how pupils come to acquire particular identities in the classroom - particularly Bangladeshi pupils who are both English as Additional Language (EAL) pupils and minority ethnic pupils. This work is a contribution to an emerging 'sociology of educational assessment' (Filer and Pollard, 2000) which considers assessment as a social practice, one which has consequences for identity, educational opportunity and the reproduction of social difference. How teachers understandings and expectations of pupils, how their needs as teachers to organise, manage and accomplish their lessons and how their pupils' actions in presenting themselves as particular kinds of pupils, contribute to the achievement and underachievement of minority ethnic and EAL pupils is outlined through the presentation of data from three case studies. The article attempts to outline how the case study pupils came to be positioned within their classrooms, how particular understandings and identities were ascribed to them and how this resulted in particular resources being made available to them. It also considers how the support provided by teachers focused on behaviour rather than on language development because of teachers’ needs to manage their lessons

Asthma Prevalence, Knowledge, and Perceptions among Secondary School Pupils in Rural and Urban Costal Districts in Tanzania.

Asthma is a common chronic disease of childhood that is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of asthma among secondary school pupils in urban and rural areas of coast districts of Tanzania. The study also aimed to describe pupils' perception towards asthma, and to assess their knowledge on symptoms, triggers, and treatment of asthma. A total of 610 pupils from Ilala district and 619 pupils from Bagamoyo district formed the urban and rural groups, respectively. Using a modified International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire, a history of "diagnosed" asthma or the presence of a wheeze in the previous 12 months was obtained from all the studied pupils, along with documentation of their perceptions regarding asthma. Pupils without asthma or wheeze in the prior 12 months were subsequently selected and underwent a free running exercise testing. A >= 20% decrease in the post-exercise Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR) values was the criterion for diagnosing exercise-induced asthma. The mean age of participants was 16.8 (+/-1.8) years. The prevalence of wheeze in the past 12 months was 12.1% in Bagamoyo district and 23.1% in Ilala district (p < 0.001). Self-reported asthma was found in 17.6% and 6.4% of pupils in Ilala and Bagamoyo districts, respectively (p < 0.001). The prevalence of exercise-induced asthma was 2.4% in Bagamoyo, and 26.3% in Ilala (P < 0.002). In both districts, most information on asthma came from parents, and there was variation in symptoms and triggers of asthma reported by the pupils. Non-asthmatic pupils feared sleeping, playing, and eating with their asthmatic peers. The prevalence rates of self-reported asthma, wheezing in the past 12 months, and exercise-induced asthma were significantly higher among urban than rural pupils. Although bronchial asthma is a common disease, pupils' perceptions about asthma were associated with fear of contact with their asthmatic peers in both rural and urban schools

Secondary school pupils' satisfaction with their ability grouping placements

There has been little research exploring pupils’ satisfaction with their ability group placement. This paper explores the extent to which pupils are happy with their placement, and the reasons they give for wanting to move to another class or set. The sample comprised over 5,000 year 9 pupils (aged 13-14 years) in 45 mixed secondary comprehensive schools in England. The schools represented three levels of ability grouping in the lower school (years 7 to 9). Pupils responded to a questionnaire which explored their current set placement, their satisfaction with it, and their reasons for wanting to change. A substantial proportion of pupils expressed a wish to change set, most, but not all, in an upward direction, mainly because the level of work was inappropriate. The implications for ability grouping practices in schools are discussed

S3 Pupils' Career Aspirations and Views on Language Learning

In May 2005, the Scottish Centre for Language Teaching and Research (SCILT) undertook a government-funded nationwide survey of approximately 1500 pupils in the S3 cohort of Scottish secondary schools. Pupils in 47 randomly selected Scottish secondary schools completed a questionnaire that explored their career aspirations and how these related to their views on language learning. The responses of S3 pupils are significant because the government's educational policy A Curriculum for Excellence is proposing to give pupils in this year group the opportunity to have a greater say in their subject choices. The findings provide useful indicators for government officials, head teachers, careers advisers and language teachers in Scottish secondary schools

Poly-substance use and sexual risk behaviours: a cross-sectional comparison of adolescents in mainstream and alternative education settings

Background: Surveys of young people under-represent those in alternative education settings (AES), potentially disguising health inequalities. We present the first quantitative UK evidence of health inequalities between AES and mainstream education school (MES) pupils, assessing whether observed inequalities are attributable to socioeconomic, familial, educational and peer factors. Methods: Cross-sectional, self-reported data on individual- and poly-substance use (PSU: combined tobacco, alcohol and cannabis use) and sexual risk-taking from 219 pupils in AES (mean age 15.9 years) were compared with data from 4024 pupils in MES (mean age 15.5 years). Data were collected from 2008 to 2009 as part of the quasi-experimental evaluation of Healthy Respect 2 (HR2). Results: AES pupils reported higher levels of substance use, including tobacco use, weekly drunkenness, using cannabis at least once a week and engaging in PSU at least once a week. AES pupils also reported higher levels of sexual health risk behaviours than their MES counterparts, including: earlier sexual activity; less protection against sexually transmitted infections (STIs); and having 3+ lifetime sexual partners. In multivariate analyses, inequalities in sexual risk-taking were fully explained after adjusting for higher deprivation, lower parental monitoring, lower parent-child connectedness, school disengagement and heightened intentions towards early parenthood among AES vs MES pupils. However, an increased risk (OR = 1.73, 95% CI 1.15, 2.60) of weekly PSU was found for AES vs MES pupils after adjusting for these factors and the influence of peer behaviours. Conclusion: AES pupils are more likely to engage in health risk behaviours, including PSU and sexual risk-taking, compared with MES pupils. AES pupils are a vulnerable group who may not be easily targeted by conventional population-level public health programmes. Health promotion interventions need to be tailored and contextualised for AES pupils, in particular for sexual health and PSU. These could be included within interventions designed to promote broader outcomes such as mental wellbeing, educational engagement, raise future aspirations and promote resilience

Educational aspirations in inner city schools

The research aimed to assess the nature and level of pupils’ educational aspirations and to elucidate the factors that influence these aspirations. A sample of five inner city comprehensive secondary schools were selected by their Local Authority because of poor pupil attendance, below average examination results and low rates of continuing in full-time education after the age of 16. Schools were all ethnically mixed and co-educational. Over 800 pupils aged 12-14 completed a questionnaire assessing pupils’ experience of home, school and their peers. A sub-sample of 48 pupils selected by teachers to reflect ethnicity and ability levels in individual schools also participated in detailed focus group interviews. There were no significant differences in aspirations by gender or year group, but differences between ethnic groups were marked. Black African, Asian Other and Pakistani groups had significantly higher educational aspirations than the White British group, who had the lowest aspirations. The results suggest the high aspirations of Black African, Asian Other and Pakistani pupils are mediated through strong academic self-concept, positive peer support, a commitment to schooling and high educational aspirations in the home. They also suggest that low educational aspirations may have different mediating influences in different ethnic groups. The low aspirations of White British pupils seem to relate most strongly to poor academic self-concept and low educational aspirations in the home, while for Black Caribbean pupils disaffection, negative peers and low commitment to schooling appear more relevant. Interviews with pupils corroborated the above findings and further illuminated the factors students described as important in their educational aspirations. The results are discussed in relation to theories of aspiration which stress its nature as a cultural capacity

Pupils’ and teachers’ experiences of school-based physical education: A qualitative study

Objectives: To explore pupils’ and teachers’ experiences of P.E. Study Design: A qualitative investigation employing semi-structured interviews. Self Determination Theory was used as a guiding theory and Template Analysis was used to analyse the data. Setting: A secondary school in the North East of England. Participants: 14 pupils (aged 13 and 14, boys and girls) with a range of self-perceived competencies regarding P.E. and 4 P.E. teachers of the pupils (3 male, 1 female). Primary and secondary outcomes: (1) Attitudes and perceptions of P.E. pupils regarding their experiences of compulsory school P.E. lessons. (2) P.E. teachers experiences of teaching P.E. Results: Key results from pupils and teachers suggest pupils enjoy participation in P.E. when they feel competent, in control and supported by others. Feeling competent depended on i) the activity within P.E. and ii) the pupils perceived physical capabilities/aptitude. Feeling in control related to i) having a choice of activities, ii) being able to set exertion levels and iii) control over clothes worn whilst taking part. Relationships within pupil groups and between pupils and teachers were perceived as important. Teachers could positively influence their pupils’ enjoyment by understanding and supporting their personal goals, as opposed to dictating and controlling what they did and for how long, and by promoting a non-threatening atmosphere between pupils. Conclusions: Rising obesity levels and concerns over the fitness of children and young people has returned the focus of P.E. to its potential as a vehicle for promoting health. This study suggests schools and P.E. teachers in particular can positively influence the P.E. experience of both boys and girls by providing more choice of activities and letting pupils make their own decisions based on their personal needs

Teaching grammar and testing grammar in the English primary school: The impact on teachers and teaching of the grammar element of the statutory test in Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar (SPaG) in England

In the academic year 2012-2013, Year 6 primary school pupils in England sat the first of a new statutory test in Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar (‘SPaG’) as part of their end of primary school assessments in English. This UKLA funded research examines the impact on teachers and their teaching of the grammar element of the statutory SPaG test. The aim of the research has been to evaluate the nature and the extent of changes to the teaching of grammar and to wider literacy teaching since the introduction of SPaG. The research explores teachers’ responses to teaching grammar to a statutory test format, and how teachers have implemented rapid curriculum change in their classrooms. The research explores issues of teacher knowledge, understanding, skill and enjoyment in relation to grammar, at their own level and for teaching pupils. In this research, teachers also discuss their observations of how pupils have responded to explicit grammar teaching and the grammar test. As part of this research we accessed Department for Education data on pupils by gender, ethnicity, language and deprivation in relation to SPaG attainment in 2014, to examine SPaG attainment patterns nationally. The research also analysed SPaG attainment for groups of pupils in four Local Authorities (anonymised as Castlehaven, Longcliffe, Narrowgate and Norchester), specifically in relation to pupils’ ethnicity, languages, deprivation and special educational needs. Main findings: In English primary schools, since the introduction of the statutory SPaG test: • Time spent teaching decontextualized and contextualised grammar has increased significantly; • Grammar is now taught explicitly and formally as a classroom literacy routine; • The grammar test format influences teaching content and approaches; • Teachers observe that pupils enjoy learning grammar and taking the test; • Teachers disagree about the extent to which explicit grammar teaching and testing have a positive impact on pupils’ language and literacy skills; • Teachers feel more confident about teaching grammar. Additional desk-based research indicates: • Ethnic and linguistic minority pupils perform as well as, or better than, white and native English speaking pupils on the SPaG test; • Pupil socioeconomic deprivation is the strongest indicator of low performance on SPaG; • Socioeconomically disadvantaged pupils perform better on SPaG when they are learning in classrooms that are linguistically and ethnically diverse