Raising standards, improving lives: the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills Strategic Plan 2011–2015

The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection

Student help seeking from pastoral care in UK high schools: a qualitative study

Background Little is known about high school students' perceptions of school-based pastoral support. This study aimed to explore this in the context of a high school–based emotional support project. Methods Qualitative interviews explored perspectives on help seeking of students (N = 23) and staff (N = 27) in three UK high schools where a pastoral project was introduced. Data were analysed thematically. Results Student peer groups perceived help seeking as a sign of weakness. However, students valued learning skills in managing emotions and friendships. Staff expressed concerns about students' ability to help seek proactively, and highlighted organisational influences on pastoral support. Conclusions Increasing student control over the process, and involving trusted staff, could encourage help seeking in high school. It is possible to access the views of students who do not help seek, to improve understanding of help-seeking behaviour

Pupil's perceptions of Design & Technology education in England and Wales: Emergent Findings

The curriculum for Design and Technology in secondary schools in England and Wales has been under review. With policy makers questioning not only the position the subject occupies within the curriculum, but also the value Design and Technology holds. As a result, Design and technology's future, as a subject, is uncertain. Set against a background of policy and curriculum change, this paper presents the findings of a research study designed to elicit the perceptions of, and gain an insight into the way Key Stage 3 pupils (11 - 14 years) view Design and Technology. Utilising the concept of the original PATT Tool (Raat & de Vries, 1986), and building upon the work of previous studies undertaken nationally or globally (de Vries, 1988; de Klerk Wolters, 1989; Bame & Dugger, 1993; Volk & Yip 1999; Van Rensburg, Ankiewicz & Myburgh, 1999; Ankiewicz & Van Rensburg 2001; Becker & Maunsaiyat 2002; Chikasanda, Williams, Otrel-Cass & Jones, 2011; Gaotlhobogwe, 2010; Ardies, De Maeyer & Gijbels, 2012, 2013), the fundamental aim of the research at inception was to investigate the perceptions of pupils with respect to their understanding of what is technology education. Although simplistic in origin, the findings presented illustrate that this is far from the case. Framed epistemologically within a social practice lens (Suchman, Blomberg, Orr & Trigg, 1999), the research tool used was a questionnaire comprising of a series of open and closed questions. Administered by teachers who recorded both electronically and in hard copy, the sample was drawn randomly via those choosing to respond. Responses were gathered from 173 schools throughout England and Wales with data being collected over an eight month period commencing in July 2012. Analysis of the data elicited a number of key findings which are presented here. Although exclusively based on the perspective of school pupils in England and Wales, it is anticipated that the findings will provide both stimulus and a starting point for researchers working under similar curriculum constraints or revisions. Given the nature of the curriculum changes which have occurred, the research team intend to develop the tool further and expand it to include pupils in the post compulsory age bracket (16 - 18 years) and the primary education age bracket