Occasional Paper 13 - What role do maintained nursery schools play in Early Years sector improvements?

The thing that really concerns me is that once MNSs have gone, that level of expertise and social service will also. It seems that there’s a sort of double quality to the MNS, which is constantly evolving, high level pedagogy and providing areas of expertise, like special needs, and so on. But also support for the family. There's very specific expertise that's going to go to waste… (Leader of a Maintained Nursery School

The Morbid Health Implications of Living in the Interior Built Environment

There is an alarming quantity of chemicals being incorporated into common building materials. These materials significantly increase the toxicity of indoor environments, with their toxicity inherent across most stages of the materials life cycle, negatively impacting humans and the broader environment, from production through to construction, occupation, demolition and waste disposal. This research aims to make explicit the prevalence and effect of these toxins, intending to influence a reduction of poor design and construction practices

Abdominal palpation to determine fetal position at the onset of labour: an accuracy study

Since the late 19th Century, abdominal palpation of the gravid uterus has been routine, worldwide obstetric practice to determine fetal position. A systematic review showed a dearth of research on the accuracy of this ubiquitous test. A test accuracy study was carried out prospectively to assess accuracy of abdominal palpation (index test) to identify the Left-Occipito-Anterior (LOA) fetal position at the onset of labour, in nulliparous women over 37 weeks’ gestation, with ultrasound as the reference standard. Trained observers blind to the index test results performed the ultrasound independently. Midwives palpation data on the position of 629 women were obtained and 61 (9%) fetuses were verified as LOA by ultrasound. The sensitivity, specificity and likelihood ratio of abdominal palpation to detect LOA position were 34% (23-46), 71% (67-74) and 1.2 (0.83-1.74) respectively. Higher accuracy was achieved by midwives with experience > 5 years (OR 4.02; 1.2-12.9) and those who worked in the community (OR 0.15; 0.03-0.9). Accuracy of abdominal palpation to determine LOA fetal position at the onset of labour is poor. If future research demonstrates that the optimal fetal position of LOA exists, midwives will need to confirm fetal position at the onset of labour by ultrasound to prognosticate

“What is left…?”: the implications of losing maintained nursery schools for vulnerable children and families in England

This TACTYC funded research highlights the role that Maintained Nursery Schools (MNS) play in supporting families within areas of extreme social deprivation in the UK. Data collected through survey and interview demonstrated the positive impact that these schools have upon disadvantaged children and their families, providing a breadth and depth of ongoing care, against a backdrop of ongoing fiscal cuts and uncertainty. Often this provision was in lieu of the reported minimisation of other social services support for struggling families. We argue in this paper that the loss of these state institutions could be highly detrimental to the families that they currently support

Evidencing the effects of maintained nursery schools' roles in Early Years sector improvements

This TACTYC funded research set out to examine the contribution of the Maintained Nursery School to Early Years Education and Care noting, especially, its contribution to generating improvements within and across the sector. It is set within the context of other recent reports about the past, present and future of the Maintained Nursery School (Bertram and Pascal, 2019; Early Education 2014, 2015, 2018; Paull and Popov, 2019). These reports demonstrate the capacity of the Maintained Nursery School to have transformative effects on educational opportunities and outcomes for the children and families that they serve. They also alert the reader to the significant challenges maintained nurseries face due to acute structural pressures that are beyond their control. This report accords with the findings of earlier reports and makes specific recommendations based upon the empirical, largely qualitative, data generated for this particular study

The medium behind the message : an examination of the delivery method of victim impact statements in Canada

1 online resource (ix, 152 pages) : colour graphsIncludes abstract and appendices.Includes bibliographical references (pages 105-123).Victim impact statements (VIS) allow victims to express how a crime has affected them physically, psychologically, and financially. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many sentencing trials were moved online. This study examined victims' experiences with VIS and the justice system, evaluating if the presentation medium affects sentencing. Study 1 interviewed victims via Zoom, revealing they find the process more comfortable and accessible online but prefer inperson or written submissions. Study 2 assessed participants' reactions to real VIS presented in video, audio, or transcript formats. Results showed the medium did not affect victim-related factors or sentence length. However, participants recommended alternatives to incarceration (e.g., probation) more often after reading a VIS, particularly in stalking cases. The type of crime also influenced perceptions; a VIS detailing sexual assault led to higher harm ratings and longer sentences compared to stalking. These findings have implications for victims, judges, and the justice system

An investigation of subsequent birth after obstetric anal sphincter injury

Obstetric anal sphincter injuries (OASIS) are serious complications of vaginal birth with a reported average worldwide incidence of 4%-6%. They are a recognised major risk factor for anal incontinence resulting in concern amongst women who sustain such injuries when considering the most suitable mode of birth in a subsequent pregnancy. This thesis contains three studies; a systematic review and meta-analysis of the published literature exploring the impact of a subsequent birth and it’s mode on bowel function and/or QoL for women with previous OASIS, a follow-up study on the long-term effects of OASIS on bowel function and QoL and finally a prospective cohort study of women with previous OASIS to assess the impact of subsequent birth and its mode on change in bowel function. The work in this thesis demonstrated an increase in incidence of bowel symptoms in women with previous OASIS over time and that short-term bowel symptoms were significantly associated with bowel symptoms and QoL. This thesis also showed that the mode of subsequent birth was not significantly associated with bowel symptoms or QoL and for women with previous OASIS who have normal bowel function and no anal sphincter disruption a subsequent vaginal birth is a suitable option

A Content Analysis of Images of Novice Teacher Induction: First-Semester Themes

The powerful nature of novice teachers’ experiences in their first years of teaching has been well documented. However, the variance in novices’ initial immersion in the school environment is largely dependent on perceived personal and professional support as well as the environmental inducements that lend to novice teachers’ success in the classroom. For the purposes of this study, 72 participating novices, who were participants in an alternative certification program, drew representations of their current teaching environments. Of the 72 initial participants’ pictures, 58 were used in this content analysis. The interrater analysis involving multiple documentation of codes between and among researches, revealed five themes from the novices’ pictures: (a) concerns about students, (b) overwhelmed and struggling, (c) relationships with others, (d) concerns about education quality and excessive accountability, and (e) issues with administration. Implications are provided