377 research outputs found
The âsuccessâ of looked after children in Higher Education in England: near peer coaching, âsmall stepsâ and future thinking
This paper addresses the shortage of studies on the âsuccessâ of care-experienced young people in Higher Education (HE) internationally. It draws on the findings of a study of a near-peer, pre-entry coaching intervention developed in England to address stakeholdersâ concerns around a lack of âsuccessâ post entry to university, linked to gaps in knowledge and the challenge of providing on going support. In delivering reciprocal benefits to the coaches, some of whom were care experienced themselves, the HE Champions model promoted the possibility of longer term âsuccessâ. The personalised nature of the young peopleâs programme experiences and difficulties in recruitment highlighted the need for âsuccessâ to be conceptualised as âsmall stepsâ despite pressure to deliver more measurable outcomes. The research also highlighted the importance of reflexive, human-scale systems that put care and relationships at the centre
The educational progress of young people in out-of-home care
Young people who grow up in care have worse educational outcomes internationally than those not in care but to what extent does this reflect the care itself or the young peopleâs experiences before they came into care? A systematic review by OâHiggins, Sebba & Luke, (2015) suggested that it is more likely that care itself is a protective factor in educational outcomes but that children in care are likely to have a range of other factors that put them at risk for poorer outcomes. A major study was then undertaken into what factors seem to contribute to these poorer outcomes by linking two national datasets in England, one that records educational factors for all children and the other which has data about the care careers of young people in care. The analysis focused on the progress at secondary school of young people (aged 11â16 years) who had been in care for over a year at the time of taking their public examinations at age 16 in 2013. Detailed statistical analysis was complemented by interviews with 26 young people and with their foster carers, teachers, social workers and âVirtual School headteachersâ who are responsible for supporting their education. The study identified important predictors of outcomes such as instability in care and/or school placement. This paper reports on some of the findings which are influencing policy and practice in England, for example on avoiding young people in care moving school
Symptom- and Laboratory-Based Ebola Risk Scores to Differentiate Likely Ebola Infections.
Rapidly identifying likely Ebola patients is difficult because of a broad case definition, overlap of symptoms with common illnesses, and lack of rapid diagnostics. However, rapid identification is critical for care and containment of contagion. We analyzed retrospective data from 252 Ebola-positive and 172 Ebola-negative patients at a Sierra Leone Ebola treatment center to develop easy-to-use risk scores, based on symptoms and laboratory tests (if available), to stratify triaged patients by their likelihood of having Ebola infection. Headache, diarrhea, difficulty breathing, nausea/vomiting, loss of appetite, and conjunctivitis comprised the symptom-based score. The laboratory-based score also included creatinine, creatine kinase, alanine aminotransferase, and total bilirubin. This risk score correctly identified 92% of Ebola-positive patients as high risk for infection; both scores correctly classified >70% of Ebola-negative patients as low or medium risk. Clinicians can use these risk scores to gauge the likelihood of triaged patients having Ebola while awaiting laboratory confirmation
Improving the effectiveness of virtual schools
This is the final version. Available from the University of Exeter via the DOI in this record.âŻThis report seeks to address the question of why
children in care get markedly different educational
outcomes depending on which local authority has
responsibility for them. This is an important issue
of fairness and the effectiveness of social policy.
We explore this question through the lens of
the âvirtual schoolâ â the team within each local
authority tasked with supporting learning and
held accountable for progress and attainment.
Virtual schools have existed across England
since 2014 and play a key role in advocating
for young people, liaising with schools and
delivering learning opportunities.
The report draws on expert interviews with
key stakeholders, focus groups of virtual school
heads and analysis of secondary data about local
authorities and their virtual schools. It focuses
on the concept of effectiveness as it relates to
virtual schools and how this might be improved.KPMG Foundatio
The landscape of gifted and talented education in England and Wales: How are teachers implementing policy?
This is an Author's Accepted Manuscript of an article published in Research Papers in Education, 27(2), 167-186, 2012, copyright Taylor & Francis, available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/02671522.2010.509514.This paper explores the evidence relating to how primary schools are responding to the âgifted and talentedâ initiative in England and Wales. A questionnaire survey which invited both closed and open-ended responses was carried out with a national sample of primary schools. The survey indicated an increasing proportion of coordinators, compared with a survey carried out in 1996, were identifying their gifted and talented children as well as having associated school policies. However, the survey also highlighted a number of issues which need addressing if the initiative is to achieve its objective of providing the best possible educational opportunities for children. For example, it was found that a significant number of practitioners were not aware of the existence of the National Quality Standards for gifted and talented education, provided by the UK government in 2007, and the subject-specific criteria provided by the UKâs Curriculum Authority for identification and provision have been largely ignored. The process of identifying children to be placed on the âgifted and talentedâ register seems haphazard and based on pragmatic reasons. Analysis of teachersâ responses also revealed a range of views and theoretical positioning held by them, which have implications for classroom practice. As the âgifted and talentedâ initiative in the UK is entering a second decade, and yet more significant changes in policy are introduced, pertinent questions need to be raised and given consideration
Assumptions behind grammatical approaches to code-switching: when the blueprint is a red herring
Many of the so-called âgrammarsâ of code-switching are based on various underlying assumptions, e.g. that informal speech can be adequately or appropriately described in terms of ââgrammarââ; that deep, rather than surface, structures are involved in code-switching; that one âlanguageâ is the âbaseâ or âmatrixâ; and that constraints derived from existing data are universal and predictive. We question these assumptions on several grounds. First, âgrammarâ is arguably distinct from the processes driving speech production. Second, the role of grammar is mediated by the variable, poly-idiolectal repertoires of bilingual speakers. Third, in many instances of CS the notion of a âbaseâ system is either irrelevant, or fails to explain the facts. Fourth, sociolinguistic factors frequently override âgrammaticalâ factors, as evidence from the same language pairs in different settings has shown. No principles proposed to date account for all the facts, and it seems unlikely that âgrammarâ, as conventionally conceived, can provide definitive answers. We conclude that rather than seeking universal, predictive grammatical rules, research on CS should focus on the variability of bilingual grammars
The roles of specialist provision for children with specific speech and language difficulties in England and Wales: a model for inclusion?
Children with specific speech and language difficulties pose a challenge to the education and health systems. In addition to their language difficulties they are also at risk of literacy and social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. The main support for children with more severe difficulties has been enhanced provision in mainstream schools (language units or integrated resources) and special schools. The move to an inclusive education system challenges this tradition. The present paper reports the results of interviews with heads of language units/integrated resources and headteachers of special schools (n=57) as part of a larger study within England and Wales. Their views are considered with reference to criteria for entry to specialist provision, the development of collaborative practice between teachers, teaching assistants and speech and language therapists, and the implications for inclusive education
The nature and culture of social work with children and families in long-term casework:Findings from a qualitative longitudinal study
Social work in the United Kingdom is preoccupied with what social workers cannot do due to having limited time to spend with service users. Yet remarkably little research has examined what social workers actually do, especially in long-term relationships. This paper draws from an ethnographic study of two social work departments in England that spent 15 months observing practice and organizational life. Our findings show that social work some of the time has a significant amount of involvement with some service users and the dominant view that relationship-based practice is rarely achieved is in need of some revision. However, families at one research site received a much more substantial, reliable overall service due to the additional input of family support workers and having a stable workforce who had their own desks and were co-located with managers in small team offices. This generated a much more supportive, reflective culture for social workers and service users than at the second site, a large open plan "hot-desking" office. Drawing on relational, systemic, and complexity theories, the paper shows how the nature of what social workers do and culture of practice are shaped by the interaction between available services, office designs, and practitioners', managers', and service users' experiences of relating together
âWe are the same as everyone else just with a different and unique backstoryâ: Identity, belonging and âotheringâ within education for young people who are âlooked afterâ
This paper develops understandings of how being publicly identified and consequently labelled as âlooked afterâ can have damaging consequences for young people, particularly in how they are perceived by their peers in the context of schooling. Based on qualitative research in northern England utilising participatory approaches with young people and interviews with support staff, we explore barriers that inhibit young peopleâs sense of belonging. We highlight how the very processes and practices set up to support the young people can often have unintended consequences by routinely positioning them as Other, before considering the implications for education and schooling in particular
Assessment for learning : a model for the development of a childâs self competence in the early years of education
In recent years policy documents, curricula and other educational initiatives have promoted a pedagogy founded on the concept of independent learning. This is broadly defined as âhaving the belief in yourself to think through learning activities, problems or challenges, make decisions about your learning and act upon those decisions (Blandford and Knowles, 2009:336). The central role of Assessment for Learning (AfL) in this process is often overlooked in practice. By considering the findings from a small scale research study this article addresses the central role of the teacher /practitioner in developing effective AfL in the early years classroom (3-5 years)
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