Post-16 Curriculum and Qualifications Reform in England and Scotland: lessons from home international comparisons

In this article we compare Curriculum 2000 and Higher Still, recent reforms of post-16 education in England and Scotland respectively. We draw on current and earlier research on the unification of academic and vocational learning in England, Scotland and other European countries in order to suggest areas for mutual learning to inform future curriculum and qualifications reform north and south of the Border. We highlight five of these - the conduct of the policy process, issues of progression, assessment, approaches to vocational education and key/core skills. In our conclusion we speculate on the possibility of either convergence or divergence of the English and Scottish upper secondary education systems as both evolve

Race and sex: teachers' views on who gets ahead in schools?

The research reported here was part of a large study of the impact of age, disability, race and sex on the teaching profession in England. The basic question asked in this research was how do these factors interact with career aspirations and achievements of classteachers, promoted teachers and headteachers? There were three different data sources: a large postal survey drawn from diverse geographic regions across England with over 2000 respondents; face‐to‐face individual interviews with over 100 teachers in 18 case study schools from across all of the main regions of England; discussions with special interest groups of teachers. Not surprisingly, the answer to the above question was complex. Nonetheless, the paper's conclusion highlights some of the noteworthy themes across this broad sample of teachers from primary, secondary and special schools

Female senior secondary physics students’ engagement in science: a qualitative study of constructive influences

Background: Prompted by fewer females compared to males enrolling in physics and advanced mathematics at both secondary and university levels, our research investigated the views and experiences of female students currently studying upper secondary school physics. We interviewed 18 female students about influences they considered important to their own science education, interest in science, and future science-related aspirations. Our purpose was to identify the experiences that these students most strongly associated with the generation and maintenance of their engagement in science, particularly represented in this research by their enrolment in upper secondary physics. Results: The research team used a systematic, iterative process to identify the main themes in the transcribed interview data. We identified the influence each girl reported as the strongest (ranked first). We also combined all influences that the participants had nominated, regardless of their ranking, to further examine all factors participants suggested as influential in their sustained engagement in school science (represented by their decision to study upper secondary physics). Systematic analysis of the interview data confirms that the influences on these females’ choices to study physics at upper secondary originate from a combination of their teachers, their school’s science culture, members of their family, the participants themselves and their peers. Conclusions: The interviews highlighted the idiographic complexities in understanding the wide range of important influences on these students studying physics at upper secondary school and their engagement in science. The unique contribution of this work is giving voice to the participants and reflecting on what these high achieving females have to say about the influential factors in their decisions to pursue science. Supportive teachers and the school science culture play essential roles, and other cultural and/or social factors such as family members and peers are identified as important. References to the culture and expectations of the school, family holidays, and conversations with siblings are support factors that seem to interact and overlap. At the same time, the importance of policy-amenable factors such as competent and caring science teachers, and science-supportive school cultures should be emphasised and encouraged

‘People look at you differently’ : students’ experience of mental health support within Higher Education

Against the backdrop of a massive expansion in higher education, the number of students in higher education (HE) experiencing mental health problems is increasing, which poses a significant challenge to HE institutions in terms of how they best respond to students with mental health needs. This paper considers the implications of such developments by assessing the experience of students with mental health problems within one HE institution. The factors influencing students' ability to seek help is explored alongside their experience of accessing and using student support services. The study found that there was a general reluctance amongst students to disclose their mental health problems or to seek help, largely due to the stigma that exists. However, students who did seek help from University support and counselling services valued this and students benefited when there was a formal link between NHS and university support services. The implications of the study findings for HE institutions are then considered

High attaining female school leavers Scottish School Leavers' Survey

1 sheet of microficheSIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:3661.958F(443 013) / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Scottish school leavers entering higher education Scotish School Leavers Survey special report

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:99/35515 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Students first The experience of disabled students in higher education

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:8211.754605(85) / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo