Using technology in service delivery to families, children and young people

This paper provides an overview of how the innovative use of technology can add value to service delivery in organisations working with families, children and young people.Key messages:Most Australians have access to the Internet and use mobile devices to connect from anywhere, at any time. Research suggests that even isolated and marginalised groups are using technology in their everyday lives.For some groups (e.g., young people), technology may be their preferred method of communication.There appears to be a difference between how people are using the Internet (regularly, from anywhere, connecting with social networks, investigating services) and how some organisations are engaging with it (infrequently, in one direction).Technology works best when used to augment or improve existing services for clients, or to offer innovative approaches to existing services.Technology can be used in diverse ways for organisational improvement (e.g., remote access, staff training, professional development) or client services (e.g., online counselling, SMS appointment reminders, access to resources).Using technology does not necessarily involve large monetary investments or reinventing the wheel in terms of policy and procedures. Often it is a matter of adapting and refining existing services and policies to better suit the online world.Incorporating technology into services takes time, and will need continued assessment and refinement to be successful

The impact of the dyslexia label on academic outlook and aspirations: An analysis using propensity score matching

BackgroundThere is current academic debate over the reliability of the dyslexia label. However, this argument does not consider the impact of the dyslexia label on an individual’s academic outlook and aspirations.AimsUsing data from the Millennium Cohort Study, this paper aims to objectively explore the impact of the dyslexia label on academic outlook and aspirations.MethodsPropensity score matching was used to compare children with dyslexia with a non-dyslexic group matched on ability, socioeconomic class, parent education, income, country, gender, and age in year group.ResultsThe results show that those labelled with dyslexia hold lower beliefs about their ability in English and Maths than their matched peers without this label. The children labelled with dyslexia were also significantly less likely to say that they would go to university. Furthermore, teachers and parents held lower aspirations for children labelled with dyslexia. As the children were matched, the results show that dyslexic children, their teachers and parents hold lower expectations of the child’s academic ability while holding higher expectations of those with matched characteristics who do not have the dyslexia label.ConclusionsThe paper concludes that caution is needed when labelling with dyslexia and that further research is needed in order establish whether labelling with dyslexia is beneficial in the current system

Learner experiences of low attainment groups in the context of a rights approach to education

Participation is seen as an important right for learners, though there is lack of evidence to understand learners’ views on classroom practice. This includes decisions about grouping learners, for example, in terms of their prior attainment or perceived ‘ability’. This research took place in Wales where children’s rights are strongly promoted as an educational approach, but where there is also evidence of widespread attainment grouping in schools. Focus groups and interviews were carried out with secondary school learners in lower attaining groups (n = 70) and teachers and teaching assistants (n = 10) to understand experiences of learning support. Findings suggest strong learner satisfaction with groups, but also lack of movement between groups that reinforced ability hierarchies in schools and supported the development of negative identities for some learners. There was a lack of consensus among educators about the purpose of attainment grouping, with some seeing it as a way of addressing systemic issues within the school

The assignment and distribution of the dyslexia label: Using the UK Millennium Cohort Study to investigate the socio-demographic predictors of the dyslexia label in England and Wales

The prevalence of dyslexia identification has increased significantly over the last two decades. Yet there is debate over whether there are distinct biological and cognitive differences between those with literacy difficulties and the subgroup of people identified as dyslexic. This is the first paper that provides evidence for this ongoing debate by investigating the socio-demographic factors, outside biology and cognition, that predict whether a child is identified as dyslexic in the UK. Using secondary data from the UK’s Millennium Cohort Study, this paper examines the socio-demographic factors that predict whether a child’s teacher identifies them as dyslexic at age 11. Gender, season of birth, socio-economic class and parental income are found to be significant predictors of the dyslexia label. Therefore, factors seemingly unrelated to the clinical aspects of dyslexia influence whether a child is identified as dyslexic in England and Wales. This suggests that label may not be evenly distributed across a population; furthermore, it may also indicate that resources for support may not be fairly allocated. The findings further support the argument that a 'dyslexic sub-group' within poor readers is created due to the impact of environmental factors. The results from this national-scale study thus questions the reliability, validity and moral integrity of the allocation of the dyslexia label across current education systems in the UK

Inclusive Education in Wales: Interpreting Discourses of Values and Practice Using Critical Policy Analysis

Purpose: This paper provides a detailed analysis of inclusive education policies in the context of major system reform in Wales, UK. Wales is currently undergoing the most significant changes to its education system since political devolution from the UK Government in 1999. Key to these changes is the new Curriculum for Wales and the Additional Learning Needs (ALN) regulations; alongside these and wider system-level reforms there is ambition to create an inclusive education system in Wales. This paper explores how inclusion is articulated and communicated within the key policy and guidance documents, using two continuums — ‘practice’ and ‘values’ — to map and interpret these documents.Methods: This paper uses critical policy analysis to make sense of these various inclusive education policy reforms in Wales.Findings: The analysis reveals that despite a foregrounded commitment to inclusion there is disparity both within and between the policy and guidance documents.Originality/Value: The paper highlights the lack of coherence of key messages articulated through education policy documentation in Wales, providing insight into the emerging national education system reforms, as well as developing an approach for evaluating inclusive education systems in other jurisdictions

An International Survey of Animals in Schools: Exploring What Sorts of Schools Involve What Sorts of Animals, and Educators’ Rationales for These Practices

Over recent decades, the use of animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) in educational settings has attracted growing international interest both among educators and the research community. However, there has been little comparative analysis of the demographics of participants and the rationale behind such practices. The aim of this paper is to address this. An anonymous online questionnaire was distributed via social media and other networks. Quanti-tative and qualitative data were collected from 610 participants across 23 countries, mostly from the United Kingdom and North America. In total, 315 (51.6%) participants reported involving animals in their settings. The results show that although animals featured from preschool to adult education contexts, the primary school years (5–11) accounted for 60% of responses. More than 30 different species were reported, with dogs being the most popular. The overriding reason educators give for involving animals is the perception that they make an important contribution to children’s well-being. Practices around the involvement of dogs provide a focus for discussion. The research breaks new ground in highlighting commonalities and contrasts in school demographics associated with the involvement of animals across a range of international contexts. It also points to a consensus around the perceived well-being benefits for children of such interventions. For practitioners, the paper has value in prompting reflection on the need for a clear rationale before embarking on such an intervention, and highlights practical considerations needed before bringing an animal into an educational setting. The paper also suggests potential areas for future research, relating to possible benefits for and agency of the animals who are involved

The dyslexia system: Using the Millennium Cohort Study and a survey of teachers to investigate the perceptions, predictors and repercussions of the dyslexia label.

In the current academic climate, the concept of dyslexia is being increasingly questioned. This thesis aims to contribute to this debate by focusing on the dyslexia label, how it is acquired and the real impact it can have on both the individual and those around them. It examines the various factors that may be involved in influencing a dyslexic individual by looking, not only at the individual, but also at the environment in which they are situated. Thus, the term ‘dyslexic system’ is defined to describe how the individual and their environment interact. The research involved the use of two datasets. Firstly, the Millennium Cohort Study was used to examine what socio-demographic and individual level factors influenced whether the cohort member had a diagnosis of dyslexia at ages 7, 11 and 14 in England and in Wales. Using this information, the impact of the dyslexia label on academic self-concept was then investigated. Secondly, primary survey data from teachers in England and Wales was used to investigate how teachers understood dyslexia. Logistic regression analysis of the Millennium Cohort Study showed that both individual and social demographic factors impacted whether a cohort member had been labelled with dyslexia. Sex, social class, parents’ education, income, having an older sibling and age in year group were all significant predictors of dyslexia at varying ages. Furthermore, when dyslexic and non-dyslexic cohort members were matched on these characteristics using propensity score matching, those labelled with dyslexia had a lower academic self-concept than those without this label. Teachers and parents also held lower aspirations for children labelled with dyslexia, despite the groups being matched on ability. Results from the teacher survey showed that the majority of teachers surveyed did not show an understanding of the biological and cognitive aspects of dyslexia which have been found to be important for effective intervention. Furthermore, teachers reported poor teacher training on dyslexia. Factors seemingly unrelated to dyslexia influence whether a child is labelled as dyslexic in England and Wales. This suggests that that the label is not evenly distributed across the population and indicates that resources for support may not be being fairly allocated. Furthermore, the dyslexia label also negatively impacts the child’s academic outlook and evokes a stereotypical understanding in teachers. These findings highlight the importance of looking at dyslexia as a system. The results foreground the need for change in the current system

Feeding Hungry Families:Food Banks in Schools in England

This article investigates the number and distribution of food banks in schools in England. Drawing on a novel source of nationally representative data, we show that there are over 4,000 school-based food banks across the country. This important finding shows that there are now more food banks inside schools than outside of them. Our analysis, using responses from representative Teacher Tapp data (n= 8,665) also shows that whilst food banks are found in primary and secondary schools across the whole of England, they are disproportionally found in schools with high numbers of socio-economically disadvantaged children. We identify regional differences in the proportion of schools that run a food bank. The large numbers of school-based food banks suggest they are rapidly becoming a commonplace response to how schools support families. Our findings highlight the need for debate about the extent of child food insecurity in England and the development of effective policymaking with regard to charitable food aid in schools

Measuring the Impact of COVID-19 on Early Education and Care in the UK: Perspectives of Teachers and Practitioners

COVID-19 has impacted all aspects of society, and especially education. However, families and children are often hardest hit "Lockdown has been a seismic shock for every family" (Saunders and Hogg, 2020), particularly for vulnerable families (Conti, 2020). Related research suggests that childcare providers will have been financially impacted during the lockdown period (Blanden et al., 2020). There is thus much to be concerned in terms of the access and quality of young children’s education and care; however, little evidence is available to ascertain the impact of COVID-19 on early years settings, practitioners and children. Much of the media focus has been on school-age learners or higher education (Watermeyer et al., 2020); measuring this impact on Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) is vital to better understand this essential societal provision for supporting the education of our youngest learners. This paper reports on a project which explored the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on UK ECEC provision.Policy and guidance documents abound across the four UK nations, providing ECEC settings with detailed information about current regulations. The voluntary sector has also been key to providing operational advice (NDNA, 2020). However, little empirical research exists to date that captures and analyses the experiences of ECEC settings in their efforts to translate this emerging policy into practice, as well as the impact this is having on practitioners’ workplace, themselves and the children in their care.This research aims to explore the perspectives of the UK’s ECEC workforce using a realistic epistemological position to gather quantitative and qualitative data from an anonymous online survey. The online survey has been completed by over 400 practitioners, childcare workers, setting managers, and teachers working with children aged 0-8 years old across the UK. The survey explored the impact of any changes that had been made within settings as a result of the pandemic, especially new ways of working. The survey also examined practitioner perceptions of these changes; focusing on the impact of coronavirus on early years pedagogy, practitioners and children. Initial analysis suggestions some of the following findings; the impact of COVID-19 has negatively impacted on the health and wellbeing of ECEC staff and children, with management facing challenges in adhering to the evolving regulations. Parents have expressed their concerns about the changes in available childcare hours, and to not being able to enter premises and meaningfully engage with staff and children. A number of respondents were concerned about the financial sustainability of the sector, potentially requiring government support to ensure that services remain available and accessible to all.The findings from this research provide vital insight into UK ECEC settings, acknowledging the crisis response to the pandemic and the short, medium and longer-term impact of COVID-19 on learners and practitioners, as well as the potential for reimagining learning if/when we revert to a post-COVID normal. We aim to inform emerging policy and practice across the four nations of the UK, to better support settings in dealing with current and future scenarios of this kind