Effective PSHE education: values, purposes and future directions

This article explores the perceived effectiveness of personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education in primary and secondary schools. It outlines the relationship between perceived effectiveness and a range of explanatory factors, linking these to the values and ethos of schools, differing views of the purposes of PSHE education, and long-standing policy agendas. We conclude by attempting to locate PSHE education in the new and rapidly evolving policy context and discuss some potential ways forward, as established means of support and challenge disappear. The data utilised in the paper come from a mapping and effectiveness study of PSHE education in both primary and secondary schools throughout England, which was conducted by Sheffield Hallam University on behalf of the Department for Education

Technical apprenticeships : research into the need for and capacity to deliver STEM related Apprenticeship Provision in England

The aim of the study was to undertake an assessment of current Apprenticeship provision supporting key growth sectors in England which have substantial science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) content (for sake of brevity these have been referred to as Technical Apprenticeships in the current study). The study reports on the Apprenticeship system’s capacity to meet the demands of employers in these sectors both now and in the future. This assessment incorporates an analysis of the key drivers for change and the various constraints on provision. The research is based on a review of previous studies and various surveys, alongside interviews with key stakeholders, training providers, and employers. The interviews with employers in selected local labour markets, and with training providers and organisations in their supply chain, together with inputs from local labour market stakeholders, provide local area case studies of the supply of, and demand for, Technical Apprenticeships. As well as exploring employers’ rationales for recruiting Technical Apprentices, the study also addresses how employer participation in Technical Apprenticeships may be facilitated. The overall conclusion from the data analysis suggests that employers in sectors which have a substantial demand for STEM skills are slightly more likely to report difficulties filling vacancies for those jobs which would typically require an individual to have completed a Technical Apprenticeship or its equivalent. On the other hand, those employers which participated in the study – many of which were recurrent recruiters of Technical Apprentices – reported that they were able to satisfy their demand for suitably qualified people to take up Technical Apprenticeships. This was despite an increase in the number of employers providing such Apprenticeships. Some concerns were expressed by employers about the academic preparedness of young people looking to undertake the rigours of Technical Apprenticeships, but nearly all employers interviewed had been able to recruit the Apprentices they wanted. It may be suggested, tentatively, that the current stock of people qualified to a Technical Apprenticeship level is slightly too low, but that employers have been able to increase the flow of entrants into this form of training. At present, supply and demand are finely balanced with concerns expressed by employers that any marked increase in demand, which may arise as a consequence of the economy recovering and major infrastructure projects being commissioned, may result in skills shortages emerging. STEM related Apprenticeship Provision in England Employers were keen to balance the risk between ensuring that they had sufficient skills supply to meet future demand and avoiding training in excess of that demand given the relatively high costs they encountered in training Technical Apprentices

Summer Active Reading Programme : evaluation report and executive summary

This reports an efficacy trial of a reading for pleasure book-gifting and summer events programme at the transition from primary to secondary school. The trial involved 205 pupils transitioning from 48 primary schools to 10 secondary schools. A process evaluation comprising observations, questionnaires and focus groups examined engagement, stakeholders perspectives and fidelity of implementation

Retain: CPD for Early Career Teachers of KS1 Pilot report and executive summary

Evaluation of professional development programme for early career teachers (ECTs) who are teaching key stage 1 (KS1) pupils in schools in disadvantaged areas cvonducted for the Education endowment Foundation (EEF), which aimed to enhance ECTs' knowledge and use of evidence-informed practices and to retain ECTs in the profession. The mixed methods theory-based evaluation gathered data from interviews, focus groups and surveys of participants and stakeholders to examine evidence of promise and the plausibility of the theory of change. ECTs' knowledge and understanding of approaches to teaching disadvantaged students, self-efficacy, confidence and research-use increased and they made changes in their classroom practice. The absence of a comparison group means that it is not possible to estimate the level of improvement that may have occurred without the programme. Most ECTs perceived that RETAIN was beneficial to their professional and career development and none left the profession during the pilot. Overall, RETAIN was positively received. ECTs found it easier to apply the learning from RETAIN in schools which were open to changing existing school practices and willing to support ECTs in implementing new approaches. Qualitative evidence indicates that the most important components of RETAIN were the taught sessions underpinned by research evidence, coaching by an external coach and peer collaboration, which combine to achieve positive outcomes

TextNow Transition Programme : evaluation report and executive summary

This reports an efficacy trial of a reading for pleasure coaching programme at the transition from primary to secondary school. The trial involved 501 pupils transitioning from 34 primary schools to 62 secondary schools. A process evaluation comprising observations, questionnaires and focus groups examined engagement, stakeholders perspectives and fidelity of implementation

HeppSY Partnership Evaluation Reports

The Higher Education Progression Partnership South Yorkshire (HeppSY) is part of the Uni Connect Programme (UCP), funded by the Office for Students. The main focus of Uni Connect is to provide targeted higher education outreach to young people in Years 9 to 13 living in particular geographic areas. From November 2017 to 2023, HeppSY conducted an annual Learner Survey to evaluate the students’ understanding of higher education, their expectations, and important factors related to their academic performance and choices. HeppSY evaluators consistently employed gap analysis method to analyse the learner survey data and to identify: • changes in outcomes between different academic year; • gaps of specific learning outcomes between different demographic groups; • and the cold spots (areas where there is no outreach delivery). Annual partnership reports provide insights from the analysis of survey data to inform what worked and what more needs to be done. They are valuable tools for strategic planning for HeppSY interventions