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The lives of children within Armed Forces (Service) families often pass unnoticed by wider society. Working with schools that have a high percentage of Forces families, it was realised that understanding of particular issues they face was largely limited to teachers in schools where they were concentrated, mostly close to Services accommodation. Various changes taking place within society, and the likely increased geographical spread of Service pupils throughout the UK, suggested that the particular needs of Service children should be embedded within initial teacher training (ITT), in order to offer parity with children with other particular educational and social needs. Kingston University timetabled sessions on Service families within initial teacher training and built a range of extension activities. This paper reports on the processes involved, their delivery and associated outcomes. It draws on a range of feedback and analysis, from questionnaires sent to participants, interviews with staff involved, and a wider circle of influencers including military units, welfare support agencies, associated charities, research organisations and university colleagues. Suggestions are made for how this work could be built upon, developed and extended in future, to the benefit of all involved.

In UK higher education, minority ethnic students are less likely to graduate with a good degree than their White British counterparts, even when prior attainment is considered. Until recently, concerns about this ethnicity degree awarding gap have not received the research attention it deserves. In this paper, we contribute to this gap in knowledge with a focus on how students make sense of the difference in degree outcomes by ethnicity. Informed by 69 in-depth interviews with minority and majority ethnic students at a UK university, we explore their views towards the ethnicity degree awarding gap, why it exists and what would be their solution to reduce this difference. Although some students perceived the awarding gap as a reflection of individual aptitude, others have attributed social barriers for degree outcome differences. We present five recommendations as suggested by students for policy and practice. Firstly, the provision of greater economic support for minority ethnic students, which will improve access and a more diverse student population. Secondly, to establish an institutional commitment to challenge and eradicate all forms of racism on campus, including microaggressions. Thirdly, to increase representation of minority ethnic staff and students in higher education to improve students' sense of belongings and aspirations, with the emphasis on greater staff diversity. Fourthly, to diversify the curriculum with a wider range of values and perspectives incorporated into teaching. Finally, universities need to be proactive and reflective to ensure structural barriers are reduced or eliminated through additional support or alternative provisions.

This paper is based on a small-scale mixed-method research project, which was located in south-east England and was funded by the British Academy. The project, investigated the factors that affected young people's decisions not to progress to higher education (HE) after following a Level 3 vocational pathway in upper secondary education. Set against the context of divergent and somewhat contradictory government policy initiatives, it draws on the concept of imagined futures as a way of considering students' "decision-making" in their transition from further education to other locations. This paper explores how a group of young people completing their vocational courses in summer 2008 viewed--or imagined--their futures. Contrary to policy discourses, vocational pathways did not necessarily offer straightforward progression to HE. Respondents' "imagined futures" did not lack agency, but HE was not an immediate part of them. (Contains 1 note.)

In this paper, we report on survey and focus group data relating to the activities and perceptions of learning with Web 2.0 technologies of students aged between 11 and 16 years in 27 UK secondary schools. The study confirms that these learners had high levels of access to Web 2.0 technologies and that Web 2.0 activities were prolific. However, patterns of use were complex. The types of activity evidenced by the study suggest that learners can be categorised into four main groups: (1) "researchers": mainly in terms of reading with little evidence of critical enquiry or analytical awareness; (2) "collaborators": mainly with respect to file sharing, gaming and communicating; (3) "producers" and (4) "publishers": mainly in terms of sharing experience through social networking sites. Whilst most expressed an interest in using online technologies to support familiar school activities, such as presentations or for communication, learners seemed cautious about other values associated with Web 2.0 tools, such as the shared construction of knowledge in a public format. Few learners were familiar with the complete spectrum of Web 2.0 activities and only a small number were engaging in more sophisticated activities, such as producing and publishing self-created content for wider consumption. There was little evidence of groundbreaking activities and only a few embryonic signs of criticality, self-management or metacognitive reflection. The paper concludes that these higher order thinking skills need to be encouraged and supported in any attempt to use Web 2.0 for learning in formal education. (Contains 1 figure, 2 tables and 1 note.)

Citizenship education (CE) is a recent innovation within the National Curriculum in England, key aspects of which have a clear relevance to the "Every Child Matters" (ECM) agenda. Both CE and ECM strongly articulate a commitment to democratic principles and express a concern over children's perspectives being taken into account in order to help services to be built around their needs. This paper presents the findings from the primary school strand of an action research project that used a consultative approach to the implementation of CE. Through hearing their pupils' perspectives on local and global issues of concern the aim of the project was for teachers to be better informed as they sought to create engaging and enjoyable citizenship education opportunities. The central proposition of this paper is that children have valuable and often caring perspectives on their communities and the wider society in which they live. Due to the nature of the children's interest in both local and global issues and also their enthusiasm for making a difference within their communities CE within primary schools represents an excellent opportunity for fulfilling some of the key well-being objectives of the ECM agenda. In particular, the study found the potential for strong links between CE within primary schools and specific aims within the two ECM outcomes "making a positive contribution" and "enjoying and achieving". CE was also found to provide fresh opportunities for the overarching goal of ECM, that different agencies form partnerships and work together for the benefit of the children whose well-being and development they are ultimately seeking to serve. (Contains 3 tables.)

The following paper builds on a survey of primary students' wellbeing in an attempt to assess the impact of various creative initiatives on this aspect of their lives. Three case studies were conducted in schools with some of the highest aggregate wellbeing scores, all three schools having also been engaged in various extended Creative Partnership programmes. Teachers, Creative Practitioners and students were interviewed and observed during both normal lessons and Creative Partnership activities. It is posited that the implementation of creative activities under the framework adopted by Creative Partnership enhances both hedonic and eudaimonic aspects of wellbeing and accords with theories of motivation which stress the value of promoting student competencies and autonomy and creating classroom climates which promote connectedness.

There is growing evidence that children in the UK are suffering from a lack of engagement with nature and the outdoor environment. This paper investigates the attitudes of children towards the natural environment and focuses on Forest School programmes as a mechanism to promote a "pro-environmental" attitude. The study identified that there was a statistically significant difference in environmental attitude between groups of children that had participated in a Forest Schools programme and those that had not participated, with children who have taken part in Forest Schools demonstrating a more pro-environmental attitude. Whilst it is recognised that Forest Schools may not be the only factor influencing these attitudes, this is still an important finding that adds to the overall benefits of participation in Forest Schools programmes.

Constructions of femininity and attendant notions of feminism are being produced in different ways in different places around the world. This is a complicated global process that cannot be reduced to analyses that take place in nation states. This paper seeks to respond to and enhance Angela McRobbie's compelling argument about understandings of contemporary girlhood, primarily in the UK context, by drawing into the fold Aihwa Ong's powerful thinking around theories of transnationality. Rather than repeating arguments about constructions of femininity that are invariably articulated within national confines, the discussion demonstrates the transnational nature of these subjective constructions by referring to recent ethnographic research undertaken in two elite schools in England and India, and focusing particularly on in-depth interviews and focus groups conducted with some of the young women who attend these schools.

Approximately 7 out of 10 pupils in England choose to exercise their right to drop history as a school subject as soon as they are able to do so (at the age of 13 or 14). However, this 30% overall take-up rate conceals massive variations between schools, with over 80% of pupils continuing to study the subject in some schools, and under 5% in others. The study which was funded by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority sought to gain greater insight into the factors influencing post-compulsory take-up of history, with a complex range of factors emerging as influencing these figures. The findings should be of interest to those involved in history education in high schools and for those involved with other subjects that are similarly affected by the freeing up of the post-14 curriculum. (Contains 2 tables.)

Enabling children and young people to act as researchers is increasingly viewed as useful in supporting their increased "participation" within settings where they live, work or receive services. This paper reports upon a project conducted by two educational psychologists (EPs) with two primary school class groups, in which the children and their teachers were provided with direct teaching and guidance to develop and undertake their own school-based research projects. The work of each class group produced significant developments of educational provision across the whole school, showing that the EPs' work had directly enabled the children to "make a positive contribution". In addition, teachers and psychologists observed several social, cognitive and personal benefits to the children brought about by their engagement in the processes of questioning, data gathering, analysis, knowledge generation, and dissemination. The authors emphasise the potentially valuable contribution of EPs in promoting children and young people's understanding and application of research skills, and in working directly alongside teachers within the classroom. Furthermore, the project represents a successful example of EPs and teachers engaging in joint direct work with children. (Contains 1 table.)

In this paper, based on a project funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council considering how people position themselves in relation to popular representations of mathematics and mathematicians, we explore constructions of mathematicians in popular culture and the ways learners make meanings from these. Drawing on an analysis of popular cultural texts, we argue that popular discourses overwhelmingly construct mathematicians as white, heterosexual, middle-class men, yet also construct them as "other" through systems of binary oppositions between those doing and those not doing mathematics. Turning to the analysis of a corpus of 27 focus groups with school and university students in England and Wales, we explore how such images are deployed by learners. We argue that while learners' views of mathematicians parallel in key ways popular discourses, they are not passively absorbing these as they are simultaneously aware of the cliched nature of popular cultural images. (Contains 13 notes.)

This article examines the important data on pupils' perceptions of setting and mixed-ability classes in 45 comprehensive schools in England collected by Hallam and Ireson. It is argued that the finding that most pupils prefer setting to mixed-ability classes requires closer scrutiny and more careful interpretation. The conclusion that such preferences are because setting matches pupils' needs to their abilities is not compelling. Pupils' perceptions may be a product of transmitted ideology and wider cultural and organisational factors inside and outside school. Moreover, it is not clear what the implications of Hallam and Ireson's data on mixed-ability "classes" are for mixed-ability "teaching". While, Hallam and Ireson propose more differentiated teaching and learning in mixed-ability classes, this article contends that their data could be interpreted to imply just the opposite. Finally, the implications of their data for the debate about the nature of comprehensive education in Britain are considered. (Contains 3 notes.)

The article surfaces, examines and draws conclusions on the varying perceptions, expectations and operationalised "realities" of tutor and student behaviour in relation to reading lists. The argument identifies a paucity of literature on reading lists, but, nevertheless, locates a number of potential literature sources with which to inform the discussion. Field research using email and paper-based questionnaires with tutors and students from an English university were analysed in relation to the available literature. The article concludes that, in spite of the long-standing use of reading lists in higher education settings, tutor and student perceptions, expectations and behaviours in relation to reading lists diverge in a number of respects. The article proposes a need for a more open acknowledgment and discussion of reading lists, and develops insights into strategies and approaches for enhancing and reconfiguring their use. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.)

The National Languages Strategy, published in the UK in 2002 offers all primary school children an entitlement to learn a Modern Foreign Language (MFL) by 2010. The supply of adequately trained teachers is one of the key determinants of the success of this initiative. This paper presents findings from a study involving 18 teacher education institutions offering a primary MFL specialism, focusing particularly on the preservice teachers' confidence in their own subject knowledge. A compulsory component of the specialism is a month of practicum abroad and this article explores the potential benefits and difficulties associated with this experience, as reported by the preservice teachers through questionnaires and focus groups.

This paper reports on a small-scale research study evaluating the work of an emotional literacy project in the North West of England. The purpose of the evaluation was threefold: to assess the degree of success of the emotional literacy project in achieving its aims; to capture and disseminate learning of what works, with whom and in which context, when promoting emotional literacy; and to provide policy makers and practitioners within the LEA, and beyond, with research evidence upon which best practice can be delivered to children, young people and their families. A multi-dimensional qualitative study was designed to explore the views of children, young people, parents/carers, head teachers, teachers, project workers and allied professionals regarding the emotional literacy project from their own perspective. The findings contribute to the growing body of research evidence on, and models of best practice in, promoting the emotional well being of children and young people.

The Interactive Teaching and ICT project explores the process of interactive teaching and learning with and without information and communications technology. A key technique in the authors' methodology has been the use of video-stimulated reflective dialogue to assist teachers to reflect on key episodes in their teaching. In this paper the authors discuss how this technique was extended to encourage pupils to reflect on their learning. Children in parallel classes with and without interactive whiteboards were interviewed in a range of subject areas between the ages of 5 and 14. Analysis of reflective dialogues indicates that even very young children were able to articulate opinions about the ways in which ICT supported their learning. Pupils were able to talk more explicitly about the impact of ICT on their learning processes in classes that had a focus on thinking skills and learning to learn. The role of ICT in supporting learning was viewed in a variety of ways by pupils. Many of these were common across ages and contexts, but others were critically dependent on the classroom culture and the nature of the dominant style of classroom discourse. A wider range of affordances of ICT was exploited in classes in which the dominant discourse was dialogical. (Contains 1 table.)

Objective: This paper explores young peoples' health concerns and their knowledge and views of school nurse drop-in clinics (drop-ins) held in their schools. Design: Cross section survey of adolescents using questionnaires delivered in schools to 10 per cent of the population, and school drop-in monitoring data from the Primary Care Trust (PCT). Setting: 11 secondary schools in a suburban south-east London borough. Method: Data from 590 11-17 year olds were used to determine their health concerns, sources of advice for health concerns, views and perceptions of their school based drop-in clinics, and attendance at these clinics. Results: Young people have a number of health concerns, notably in the area of inter-personal issues, emotional heath and well-being; however, few had sought help with these. Awareness of school based drop-ins was high but knowledge of times and locations was patchy. The drop-ins were viewed positively, especially by users. Issues such as timing of drop-ins, their location and confidentiality were raised by students. Most consultations were dealt with by support or advice from the school nurse. Monitoring data suggested the service may be under-used but those who did attend often returned. Sixty-two per cent of students felt drop-ins were an important service in schools, this rose to 92 per cent among those who had accessed the service. Conclusion: School based drop-ins offer a valuable service but need planing and promotion to achieve good attendance figures. A school drop-in may be the first time a young person has accessed any health care setting by themselves and valuable transferable skills may be learnt. (Contains 5 tables.)

In this paper we examine the use of student drawings as a means of investigating students' perceptions of a particular school-based experience, namely Sport Education--for which we are using the description proposed by Siedentop (1994; 1998). On completion of a 16-week season of Sport Education in a primary school in the Midlands of England, 46 Year 5 students (aged nine and ten years) completed individual drawings arising from their experience of the programme. We discuss the methodological issues involved with using drawings as a form of data collection and explain how data from the drawings (the pictures themselves and the discussion about these) complemented findings from the more general ongoing interviews of the broader study. We conclude with issues pertaining to the use of drawings in this one particular school-based experience and general conclusions about student drawings as an evaluation tool. Those working with young people are encouraged to support the use of drawings as a child-centred procedure and evaluation tool. (Contains 3 tables and 5 figures.)