Full report - School break and lunch times and young people's social lives: a follow-up national study

Most primary and secondary schools have a recreational break and these lunch and break times are a significant part of the school day. Two previous surveys conducted by Professor Peter Blatchford and Dr Ed Baines found that school break-times had reduced since 1990. Since then, there are signs of further changes to the nature and length of break times, as well as to school systems and children’s lives outside school. However, there is little up-to-date and systematic information about the nature and organisation of break times and children’s social lives. This new project comprises a follow-up survey of break and lunch times in primary and secondary schools. It will focus on their timing and duration, supervision arrangements, changes to school grounds, rules for pupil movement during break times, views on pupil behaviour at break times, break time management, and the perceived value and function of these times. Combined with the previous surveys, it will provide an analysis of trends in break and lunch times over 26 years. In Phase 1 of the new project, the researchers will conduct a national survey of schools, focusing on their arrangements for break and lunch times and their provision of social-educational opportunities during these times and outside of school hours. In Phase 2 they will carry out case studies of schools to explore different break and lunch time arrangements. They will also conduct a survey of children and young people to examine their social life in and outside of school. The project’s findings will contribute to policy and debate about the role and function of break times in school and in children’s social lives

Executive summary - School break and lunch times and young people's social lives: a follow-up national study

Most primary and secondary schools have a recreational break and these lunch and break times are a significant part of the school day. Two previous surveys conducted by Professor Peter Blatchford and Dr Ed Baines found that school break-times had reduced since 1990. Since then, there are signs of further changes to the nature and length of break times, as well as to school systems and children’s lives outside school. However, there is little up-to-date and systematic information about the nature and organisation of break times and children’s social lives. This new project comprises a follow-up survey of break and lunch times in primary and secondary schools. It will focus on their timing and duration, supervision arrangements, changes to school grounds, rules for pupil movement during break times, views on pupil behaviour at break times, break time management, and the perceived value and function of these times. Combined with the previous surveys, it will provide an analysis of trends in break and lunch times over 26 years. In Phase 1 of the new project, the researchers will conduct a national survey of schools, focusing on their arrangements for break and lunch times and their provision of social-educational opportunities during these times and outside of school hours. In Phase 2 they will carry out case studies of schools to explore different break and lunch time arrangements. They will also conduct a survey of children and young people to examine their social life in and outside of school. The project’s findings will contribute to policy and debate about the role and function of break times in school and in children’s social lives

Research briefing - School break and lunch times and young people's social lives: a follow-up national study

Most primary and secondary schools have a recreational break and these lunch and break times are a significant part of the school day. Two previous surveys conducted by Professor Peter Blatchford and Dr Ed Baines found that school break-times had reduced since 1990. Since then, there are signs of further changes to the nature and length of break times, as well as to school systems and children’s lives outside school. However, there is little up-to-date and systematic information about the nature and organisation of break times and children’s social lives. This new project comprises a follow-up survey of break and lunch times in primary and secondary schools. It will focus on their timing and duration, supervision arrangements, changes to school grounds, rules for pupil movement during break times, views on pupil behaviour at break times, break time management, and the perceived value and function of these times. Combined with the previous surveys, it will provide an analysis of trends in break and lunch times over 26 years. In Phase 1 of the new project, the researchers will conduct a national survey of schools, focusing on their arrangements for break and lunch times and their provision of social-educational opportunities during these times and outside of school hours. In Phase 2 they will carry out case studies of schools to explore different break and lunch time arrangements. They will also conduct a survey of children and young people to examine their social life in and outside of school. The project’s findings will contribute to policy and debate about the role and function of break times in school and in children’s social lives

Children, play and computers in pre-school education

The paper reports a study designed to inform the development of an information and communication technology strategy for the pre-school years of education. The main methods of collecting evidence were observations at seven pre-school settings and interviews with at least two practitioners and a number of children at each site. Practitioners generally referred to children “playing with the computer”. We describe some of the problems to be found in the emphasis on free play in nurseries and play groups when this means children are using computers as complete novices. There were few examples of peer support; adults rarely intervened or offered guidance and the most common form of intervention was reactive supervision. Interaction with a computer was therefore a limited experience for most children, but we provide examples of guided interaction that suggest a way forward for professional development

Understanding teaching assistant self-efficacy in role and in training: its susceptibility to influence

There has been a noted growth in the number of teaching assistants (TAs) in mainstream schools (DfE, 2013a). Research is inconclusive about their efficacy at changing outcomes for children (Alborz et al 2009; Blatchford et al, 2009) and has proposed more training for TAs (Russell et al, 2005). Generic training models have suggested that enhancing self-efficacy in turn improves performance. This exploratory study investigated factors that may influence TAs’ sense of self-efficacy and its susceptibility to influence in training. Following two modes of mode of school-based training by Educational Psychologists (EPs) data were collected from 14 mainstream secondary school TAs using focus groups. A thematic analysis noted themes regarding self-efficacy, aligned with Bandura’s (1977) sources of information, outcome expectations and whole school support and norms. Review of the data is likely to be able to guide potential trainers to coach consult strategies which are self-efficacy supportive and which address contextual factors including the perceived status of TAs in schools

Challenges of Early Years leadership preparation: a comparison between early and experienced Early Years practitioners in England

Leadership has been under-researched in the Early Years (EY) sector of primary schools in England, especially in leading change for professional development. The aim of this paper is to theorise what the leadership culture for EY practitioners looks like, and how Initial Teacher Training providers and schools are preparing practitioners for leadership. Using case studies of EY practitioners in different stages of their career in primary schools, we offer an insight into their preparedness for leadership in EY, the implication being that leadership training requires an understanding and embedding of the EY culture and context. Interviews with both sample groups allowed for deeper insight into the lived world. Interviews were also conducted with the head teachers to gain an overview of the leadership preparation they provided. The main findings suggest that newer EY practitioners are better prepared for leadership from their university training in comparison to more experienced EY practitioners

Can preschool protect young children’s cognitive and social development? Variation by center quality and duration of attendance

This paper illustrates how high-quality preschool has the potential to serve as an intervention within normal populations. Although it is well known that targeted Early Interventions can protect the development of young children from developmental risks, there remains less evidence concerning universal preschool education. To address this disparity, a longitudinal secondary analysis was conducted that examined the psychological development of 2,862 English preschoolers between the ages of 3 to 5 years. A series of aggregated multilevel structural equation models indicated that at age 5 years, instances of significantly protected development were more strongly evidenced when examining (a) cognitive rather than social development, (b) child rather than family-level risks, and (c) the quality of the processes taking place within preschools rather than just the structures. Finally, for preschools that featured only high-quality structures, any partial protection of development was limited to instances of longer durations of child attendance.This research was supported by grants from the then UK Department for Education and Skills (DfES; now called the Department for Education, DfE) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). We are especially grateful to the Effective Pre-School, Primary, and Secondary Education (EPPSE) 3–14 team, the children and families who participated in this study, and the DfE for granting us permission to use their data

A Randomized Phase II Trial of Pioglitazone for Lung Cancer Chemoprevention in High Risk Current and Former Smokers

Lung cancer chemoprevention, especially in high-risk former smokers, has great potential to reduce lung cancer incidence and mortality. Thiazolidinediones prevent lung cancer in preclinical studies, and diabetics receiving thiazolidinediones have lower lung cancer rates which led to our double-blind, randomized, phase II placebo-controlled trial of oral pioglitazone in high risk current or former smokers with sputum cytologic atypia or known endobronchial dysplasia. Bronchoscopy was performed at study entry and after completing of six months of treatment. Biopsies were histologically scored, and primary endpoint analysis tested worst biopsy scores (Max) between groups; Dysplasia index (DI) and average score (Avg) changes were secondary endpoints. Biopsies also received an inflammation score. The trial accrued 92 subjects (47 pioglitazone, 45 placebo), and 76 completed both bronchoscopies (39 pioglitazone, 37 placebo). Baseline dysplasia was significantly worse for current smokers, and 64% of subjects had mild or greater dysplasia at study entry. Subjects receiving pioglitazone did not exhibit improvement in bronchial dysplasia. Former smokers treated with pioglitazone exhibited a slight improvement in Max, while current smokers exhibited slight worsening. While statistically significant changes in Avg and DI were not observed in the treatment group, former smokers exhibited a slight decrease in both Avg and DI. Negligible Avg and DI changes occurred in current smokers. A trend towards decreased Ki-67 labeling index occurred in former smokers with baseline dysplasia receiving pioglitazone. While pioglitazone did not improve endobronchial histology in this high-risk cohort, specific lesions showed histologic improvement and further study is needed to better characterize responsive dysplasia