The politics of education and the misrecognition of Wales

This paper examines the positioning of the Welsh education system within contemporary policy debate and analysis. It begins by outlining some of the ways in which education policy and provision in Wales differs from that of its neighbour, England, and then goes on to critique how these differences have been represented in both the media and by members of the educational research community. Indeed, the paper argues that these representations constitute a form of misrecognition. It is tempting to counter this misrecognition with assertions of the superiority of the ‘Welsh way’—and certainly pronouncements of a ‘crisis’ in Welsh education appear to be as much politically-driven as evidence-based. However, such an approach would underplay the very real challenges that face Wales—challenges which are both like and unlike those facing England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The paper concludes that we need a serious engagement with national divergences across the four nations of the UK—as well as elsewhere. The case of Wales highlights the need to undertake not only comparative analysis but also relational analysis if we are to enhance our understanding of the changing politics of education

‘Heroes’ and ‘villains’ in the lives of children and young people

This paper explores the responses of nearly 1200 children and young people in Wales who were asked to identify which three famous people they most admired and which three they most disliked. Analysis of these young people’s responses reveals a number of sociological and educational issues. Their selections confirm other research which has highlighted the importance of celebrities in the lives of young people. Their ‘heroes’ and ‘villains’ are drawn mostly from the worlds of popular music and sport. Their choices are also highly gendered and ‘raced’. Of particular interest is the finding that someone’s ‘villain’ is more than likely to be someone else’s ‘hero’. Our young people’s selection of heroes and villains reflects the broader landscape of celebrity culture, where female fame is as much about appearance as talent and Black and minority ethnic celebrities are to be found largely in the fields of sport or popular music. The paper concludes by discussing the chasm between our young people’s ‘heroes’ and ‘villains’ and those which are ‘officially sanctioned’ within the school curriculum and considers what schools and teachers might do about it

Sleepless in school? The social dimensions of young people's bedtime rest and routines

There are increasing concerns that social pressures, such as family changes and social media, are ‘invading’ the sanctuary of the bedroom with the result that students arrive at school tired and stressed. This paper seeks to examine whether these concerns are justified and contribute to the growing literature on the social dimensions of sleep through examining the rest and routines of two cohorts of young people aged 12–13 and 14–15 years old. Our research indicates that, in general, most young people have ‘reasonable’ amounts of sleep and routines. But, a significant proportion does go to school tired, with apparent negative consequences for their well-being. The paper examines some of the within-cohort variations, in particular, the significance of volume of sleep, routines and engagement with social media and how these may reflect the material and cultural circumstances of the young people. The paper concludes by arguing for more research on the complex social causes and consequences of sleep deprivation among today’s youth

The mainstreaming of charities into schools

This paper focuses on the ‘mainstreaming’ of charities into schools. There have been growing concerns about the permeation of business and business values in education, but relatively little attention has been paid to the ways in which schools are increasingly engaged in the ‘business’ of fund-raising for charities. Drawing on survey data from the WISERDEducation Multi-Cohort Study (WMCS), the paper outlines young people’s relationship with charities. The data show that young people have a high degree of engagement with charities, in which schools play a significant part. There are likely to be many positive aspects to this engagement, inasmuch as it fosters and reflects young people’s sense of collective responsibility. However, there are also issues about the extent to which this high level of involvement marginalises other approaches to promote the social good and increases the permeation of business values and business into school. The paper concludes that the current mainstreaming of charities into schools is not necessarily a self-evident ‘good’ and that this under-researched phenomenon deserves greater critical attention within and outwith schools

Le New Labour et la troisième voie : une évolution de la politique de l’éducation pour une évolution de la classe moyenne

Cet article vise à explorer et étudier les relations complexes entre les politiques éducatives mises en œuvre en Angleterre depuis plusieurs décennies et les classes moyennes. Les analyses développées dans ce texte se fondent sur un travail de recherche longitudinale. Elles montrent comment les régimes politiques successifs en Angleterre ont cherché à concilier les exigences des classes moyennes, dont le poids est allé croissant en même temps qu’elles devenaient plus hétérogènes, processus qui a conduit à un système d’éducation confus et chaotique.This article aims to explore and study the complex relations between educational policies that have been set up in England for several decades and the middle-class. The analyses developed in this text are based on longitudinal research work. They show how England’s successive political regimes have tried to combine the demands from the middle-class; the weigh of which was increasing as they were becoming more heterogeneous. This process has lead to a chaotic and confusing school system.Este artículo pretende explorar y estudiar las relaciones complejas entre las políticas educativas puestas en ejecución en Inglaterra desde hace varias décadas y las clases medias. Los análisis desarrollados en este texto se fundan sobre un trabajo de investigación longitudinal. Muestran cómo los sistemas políticos sucesivos en Inglaterra procuraron conciliar las exigencias de las clases medias, cuyo peso fue creciendo al mismo tiempo que se volvían mas heterogéneas, proceso que condujo a un sistema educativo confuso y caótico.Dieser Artikel zielt darauf ab, die komplexen Beziehungen zwischen den in England seit mehreren Jahrzehnten durchgeführten Erziehungspolitiken und den mittleren Klassen zu untersuchen und bearbeiten. Die in diesem Text vorgestellten Analysen basieren auf einer übergreifenden Forschungsarbeit. Sie zeigen, wie die aufeinanderfolgenden politischen Regimes in England es versucht haben, die Ansprüche der mittleren Klasse zu vereinbaren, die an Bedeutung gewonnen haben und gleichzeitig heterogener wurden. Dieser Prozess hat zu einem verworrenen und chaotischen Erziehungssystem geführt

Private education and disadvantage: the experiences of assisted place holders

It is now nearly thirty years since Margaret Thatcher and her Conservative administration introduced the Assisted Places Scheme (their first education policy) and over ten years since New Labour abolished it. The Scheme, which was designed to provide a ladder of opportunity for academically able students from poor backgrounds to attend private schools, is of more than historical interest. It can be used to illuminate enduring sociological concerns about the relationship between home and school. This paper draws on retrospective interview data to reveal how the Scheme was experienced by its more disadvantaged beneficiaries. Revisiting classic sociological analyses from the 1960s and 1970s, it unravels the complex interactions between home background, friendship networks and school cultures and shows how these contributed to contrasting experiences of commitment, detachment, estrangement and alienation. These differing modes of engagement with schooling appear to have had lasting effects on our respondents and influenced their subsequent careers and orientations

Not in the classroom, but still on the register: Hidden forms of school exclusion

There has been growing concern about the rising numbers of students being excluded from school in England – a trend that is often set against the declining levels of exclusion elsewhere. In Wales and Scotland, for example, numbers of students permanently excluded from school have fallen dramatically. However, we argue that simple system-level comparisons might be misleading. Drawing on data derived from interviews with headteachers in Wales, this paper probes beneath the surface of official statistics and explores the diverse, and often hidden, forms of exclusion that are taking place. Without wishing to deny the damaging consequences of official exclusion from school, it argues that the other forms of exclusion may also carry negative consequences. It concludes that until the effects of these other forms of exclusion are known – at individual, institutional and system level – we should not assume that a school or a system is necessarily any more or less ‘inclusive’ on the basis of official data on school exclusions