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This paper is a reflection upon the research findings of Rebecca Allen and Anne West in relation to religious schools in London. While welcoming this contribution to the systematic study of faith schools (a neglected area of empirical inquiry), the paper argues that the use of 'religious schools' as a unitary category is problematic for the analysis. It also suggests that certain historical and cultural contextual knowledge is required when analysing the characteristics of different categories of religious schools. This response is intended to be helpful for future researchers into the different types of faith school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A response by to a letter to the editor about the article "Religious schools in London: school admissions, religious composition and selectivity" is presented.

The December 2008 special issue of the Oxford Review of Education provided a review of education policy during Tony Blair's tenure as Prime Minister. This paper forms a response to the ten contributions to that special issue and discusses some of the issues raised in them. While a few positive aspects of education under New Labour were identified in the special edition, it focused more on the failures of New Labour than its achievements. A common theme to emerge from the papers included the government's pursuit of neo-liberal market policies at the expense of its professed commitment to social justice. While accepting that the government's failure to tackle the differences in educational outcomes between advantaged and disadvantaged pupils constitutes a major failing, the present author argues that significant achievements, such as early years provision, were neglected in the special issue. He also discusses the electoral considerations facing New Labour and the personal role of Tony Blair in determining policy. The paper goes on to consider whether New Labour's education policy has changed since the departure of Blair and identifies some hints of a potentially more progressive approach developing under Brown. It concludes by suggesting that contributing towards a debate about alternatives to Blairite policies should now become a priority for the 'educational establishment'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper substantiates a way of encapsulating the claims to educational knowledge of empirical research and communicating them simply to would-be users by drawing on a concept of fuzzy logic. A fuzzy prediction replaces the certainty of scientific generalisation ('x in y circumstances results in z') by the uncertainty, or fuzziness, of statements that contain qualifiers ('x in y circumstances may result in z'). The paper also tentatively suggests that the likelihood of 'z' occurring can be indicated by a best-estimate-of-trustworthiness which, in the absence of empirical evidence, is based on the researchers' professional judgement (arising from the literature and experience). Alone, a fuzzy prediction is no more than the researcher's equivalent of the politician's sound-bite, and as such may have little credence, but when supported by a research account which makes clear the context of the statement and the evidence justifying it, the fuzzy prediction provides a powerful and user-friendly summary which can serve as a guide to professional action. Fuzzy prediction invites replication and this, by leading either to support of the statement or its amendment, contributes to the edifice of educational theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article serves as an introduction to the papers that follow. It shows how well-being has become a significant focus of much educational policy in the UK, and explores how this has come about. Differing definitions of well-being are reviewed, as is the empirical base on which many of the interventions to improve well-being have been founded. Some of the major criticisms of this shift in policy are outlined, and the article includes a consideration of the validity of these criticisms. Finally it is noted that, while some elements of well-being are based on empirical research, much of the impetus for the focus on well-being has stemmed from the political agenda in the UK over the past decade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From his very earliest days in office, Tony Blair believed that if he was to achieve his broader educational reforms then the teaching profession itself needed modernising—it had to become a '21st century profession'. This paper charts the background to this aspiration and the complex range of interrelated policies used to achieve that reform. They included: a changed role for initial teacher education; a more differentiated workforce; strategies to 'focus' professionalism (appraisal, standards and CPD); and a redefinition of professional knowledge. Through these policies, the Government hoped to harness teacher professionalism to their broader reform agenda. The paper concludes with a discussion of Tony Blair's legacy in this field both in England and internationally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses various reports published within the issue including one by Daniels, Leadbetter and Warmington reflecting the instability of professional knowledge bases by focusing on the processes of knowledge seeking and another by Eraut, and Hodgen and Askew on mediation, that is, how relevant understandings come to inform professional action.

In his ‘Perspectives on the Philosophy of Education’ John Wilson laments the confusion that surrounds the current state of the philosophy of education. Unlike other branches of philosophy, he claims, it is not clear what the philosophy of education is about, and a snapshot of current work in the field reveals its lack of coherence. To remedy this he advocates starting ‘from scratch’: the philosophy of education is to be understood as a discipline concerned with the logic of value judgements and focused on questions of learning. While the present paper acknowledges the extent of Wilson’s contribution to the field, it draws attention to the confusion in the position that he holds, and shows that his assessment of the current state of the philosophy of education is both inaccurate and politically blinkered. In the process, the paper challenges his account of the philosophy of education as a branch of philosophy and offers a more coherent characterisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Essay‐based examinations form a cornerstone of the public assessment system in the UK, but comparatively little research has been conducted into the processes involved in designing, answering and appraising essay‐based questions/responses. This study explores the idea of examination validity through a qualitative review of these processes, based on materials sourced from the June 2002 OCR Politics AS/A2 module 2596 (Politics of the UK). Through a detailed analysis of question papers and candidate scripts (informed by mark schemes, curricula and examiner reports), a model of current processes is advanced. Issues related to question design are highlighted, and a methodology for future quality assurance in essay‐based examinations is derived from philosophical considerations such as ‘fairness’ and ‘validity’. This paper resulted from research conducted as part of the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate’s ongoing work to develop a system of procedural guidelines and example questions to facilitate robust question design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this paper is to explore the design and implementation of early years educational policy in England in the period 1997-2004. First to be described are the innovations in policy (i.e. the promise), followed by the 'evidence base' for new policy (i.e. the research), the delivery of new services (i.e. the achievement), and finally the tensions and gaps which remain (i.e. the shortfall). The paper will focus on evidence concerning expansion of services and on the benefit of early years education on children's development. It is argued that early years education in England has been transformed through the following: integration of education and care at local and national level, the introduction of the Foundation Stage Curriculum 3-6 years and its birth-3 years supplement, and the firm focus on families as well as children in the delivery of services. There are, however, gaps and tensions to be resolved before the overall vision can be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the range of research methods used by the UK education research community. Using insights from 25 interviews with key stakeholders it describes their views on the current strengths and weaknesses in methods, and of what methodological developments are needed for future improvement in this field. Using survey returns from 521 active researchers, the paper goes on to describe the techniques that are available for use, and those where further 'training' or experience is required. Using the 8,691 individual RAE returns to education, the paper then summarises the methods reported to be in actual use. Finally, it uses a brief analysis of journal contents as triangulating evidence.Our informants were generally in agreement that there is currently a widespread weakness in the quality of UK education research. Much of this weakness is attributed by them to a shortage of skills in 'quantitative' methods. Our other data sources suggest that the latter is less likely than the informants believe. A clear majority of education researchers report having used some quantitative methods, and the substantial number of publications involving quantitative methods supports this view. It is, perhaps, rather the type and quality of both quantitative and qualitative research along with unreasonable expectations by its users that leads to the poor public image of education research. Improvement is not going to come simply by enlarging the group of people using quantitative methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT A previous linked paper (Tomlinson, 1999) considered recent work in psychology on implicit learning and connectionism as renewed support for the antirationalist tradition associated with Ryle and others. By way of a re-consideration of the knowing how-knowing that distinction, it proposed a non-reductive view embracing various kinds of interplay between procedural and descriptive kinds of knowledge in the acquisition and implementation of skilful capability. The present paper examines the implications of these ideas for our understanding of what student teachers bring to their courses of initial preparation, further underlining Lortie's 'apprenticeship of observation' idea. It goes on to suggest that the medium of interactive video offers much-needed help to counter this by simultaneously harnessing the power of implicit learning and providing a concrete, flexible resource for reflective analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contribution of the discipline of geography to the field of education is complex since they have both been dependent upon the contributions of other social science disciplines, particularly those in the mainstream of social sciences (economics, sociology and political science). Indeed, the number of researchers who would consider themselves as working within the sub-discipline of the geography of education is small, but apparently growing. While the paper suggests that to date there has been relatively little debate at the intersection of these two fields of enquiry it goes on to propose that the potential contribution this would have for both fields remains significant. The pivotal contribution of geography to all the social sciences, that of space (and place), has been central to UK education research since the early origins of a national education system and the roles education and curricular developments have played in nation building. The role of space has also featured heavily in analyses of territorial justice and governance at the level of local authorities and further down in scale to spatial analyses of the classroom. But in order to fully appreciate its contribution the paper utilises the related concept of scale to systematically explore the relationship between space and education, in terms of its analytical, theoretical and methodological uses. The paper also considers the recent 'spatial turn' in education (and the social sciences more generally) and the equivalent focus on education matters within the field of human geography. In developing this approach it becomes apparent where interdisciplinary research across and between the disciplines of geography and education remains limited and what further contributions from geography would be beneficial to the field of education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we offer an appraisal of the economics of education research area, charting its history as a field and discussing the ways in which economists have contributed both to education research and to education policy-making. In particular, we highlight the theoretical and methodological contributions that economists have made to the field of education during the last 50 years. Despite the success of the economics of education as a field of inquiry, we argue that some of the contributions made by economists could be limited if the economics of education is seen as quite distinct from the other disciplines working in the field of education. In these areas of common interest, economists need to work side by side with the other major disciplines in the field of education if their contribution to the field is to be maximised, particularly in terms of applying improved methodology. We conclude that the study of education acquisition and its economic and social impact in the economics of education research area is very likely to remain a fertile research ground. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most significant developments within English education over the last decade has been the expansion of specialist schools as a means by which to promote diversity and drive improvement. While much research has examined the impact of specialist schools on outcomes such as attainment, little attention has been paid to the schools' demographic compositions or their potential for exacerbating segregation. Gorard and Taylor (2001) reported that specialist schools admitted proportionally fewer children from deprived backgrounds over time. Building on their work, this paper uses data from the Pupil Level Annual School Census and the Index of Multiple Deprivation to examine changing intakes of specialist and non-specialist schools between 2001/2 and 2004/5. Trends in segregation were not significantly associated with the presence or otherwise of specialist status in a school. However, they were significantly associated with foundation status and the presence of strong and/ or improving examination results. Such schools drew more 'privileged' intakes over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is a truism that giving people multiple reasons to engage in some activity will increase the chances of that activity¿that two reasons are better than one. It is another truism, in the developed, Western world, that more freedom brings more well-being, and that more choice brings more freedom. In education, these truisms have led to the use of financial incentives (along with the intrinsic incentives already presumed to be present) to motivate students and teachers alike, and to expanded curricular choice for students, and expanded school choice for students and their parents. The thesis of this paper is that both truisms, though plausible, are false. First, the paper reviews evidence that incentives extrinsic to the tasks at hand¿whether administered to teachers or to students¿can undermine intrinsic motivation to teach and to learn, resulting in worse performance than would have resulted without extrinsic incentives. Because of this 'motivational competition', I argue that standard extrinsic incentives should be used in educational settings only with great care. Second, the paper reviews evidence that there can be too much choice, resulting in paralysis, inferior performance and dissatisfaction. Though choice, autonomy and personal control are important contributors to well-being, there can be too much of a good thing. Both extrinsic incentives and excessive choice can threaten well-being associated with the educational process, the first by taking meaning and engagement out of educational activities, and the second by undermining satisfaction with those activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper critically examines the application of research into cognitive neuroscience to educational contexts. It first considers recent warnings from within the neuroscientific community itself about the limitations of current neuroscientific knowledge and the urgent need to dispel popular 'neuromyths' which have become accepted in many classrooms. It also criticises the use of over-simplified neuroscience to add scientific credibility to curricular reform, as has been the case in the rationale behind the recent implementation of the Northern Ireland Revised Curriculum. The paper then draws on the philosophy of Wittgenstein to highlight a further conceptual confusion which often surrounds the application of neuroscience to education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policy debates on employability, lifelong learning and competence-based approaches suggest a convergence of VET approaches across European countries. Against the background of the creation of a European Qualifications Framework, this paper compares the VET systems of England, Germany and The Netherlands. The analysis reveals the distinct understandings and meanings of outwardly similar terms. These meanings are deeply rooted in the countries' institutional structures and labour processes and still inform national debates and policies today. The paper identifies a major distinction between a 'knowledge-based' VET model in Germany and The Netherlands and a 'skills-based' model in England. There is a need to develop trans-national categories that take into account the social construction of terms such as 'skills' and 'qualifications'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students in Further Education colleges in England read and write in many different kinds of ways in different areas of their everyday lives. As part of their participation in Further Education, these students face a multitude of literacy demands: through the bureaucracies of the college, the pedagogic content of their courses, the textual nature of assessment, and the development of new practices of reading and writing relating to their intended workplaces. Drawing upon evidence from research with students and staff at four FE colleges in England and Scotland, this paper presents the argument that students actively participate within this textual world. They elect to engage with some texts and to ignore others, depending upon the value they judge the text to have, the relevance they think it holds to their lives or courses, and the extent to which they are able to access the text and its meanings. This challenges a popular deficit discourse which assumes FE students' lack of literacy: rather than seeing the student as the 'problem' behind the lack of engagement with some texts, the text can be seen as the 'problem' if it has failed to engage the student. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This brief response paper seeks to clarify and expand the work of Allen and Vignoles presented in this issue. What Allen and Vignoles have done is useful because it directly replicates my earlier analyses of trends in social segregation between schools since 1989. These findings have had considerable international impact. So, to have them independently confirmed is therefore also important. The same substantive trends appear whatever sensible index of segregation is used - the clustering of pupils living in poverty in the same schools declined in the early 1990s, stabilised in the mid-1990s, and has been increasing since then. However, Allen and Vignoles appear to ignore some of the earlier findings of mine that they have replicated, and make some intriguing errors when discussing how to measure segregation, especially in relation to the properties of the Gorard segregation index (GS). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Education in Israel is often described as caught between two ends: state-formation and nation-building. In the last decade civic education in Israel has been undergoing some changes. The civic compulsory curriculum for state high schools was unified across all educational sectors in Israel with the aim of creating a more inclusive, universal civic curriculum that would be used as a platform for creating a common civic culture. The tension between state-formation and nation-building, between universalism and particularism, thus, has become even more prominent where civic education is concerned. To a significant extent, civic education in Israel is one place where contesting messages about the meaning of membership in the Israeli collective are negotiated and debated. This paper explores the tensions between inclusion and exclusion and between universalism and particularism as they emerge from the official civic education curriculum in Israel. It does so by examining the representations and positions of the Palestinian citizens in the official discourse of civic education. The analysis suggests that civic education in Israel at best represents an ambivalent stance that is caught in the tension between inclusion and exclusion. But more often than not, it still reproduces the marginal position of the Palestinian minority in Israeli society. In light of this, this paper concludes by discussing the possible implications these dual messages might have for Palestinian students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has indicated significant variation between schools in the proportion of their students who go on to higher education. However, relatively little attention has been paid to the specific school characteristics influencing application and entry to tertiary education. This paper sets out to analyse the individual and school factors which influence the transition to higher education in the Irish context. The paper draws on a large-scale study of 4,400 students within 108 secondary schools in the Republic of Ireland. Almost three-quarters of the students in the sample applied for a higher education course. However, schools varied in the application rates of their students. These differences are found to be related to the background characteristics of students (in terms of gender, social class and prior ability) along with the institutional habitus of the school. It is found that school factors associated with increased college application rates do not necessarily appear to yield higher rates of college entry but rather that successful entry to tertiary education is related to general academic effectiveness in the school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Claims are often made in British education about the extent to which policy reforms have been ‘borrowed’ from overseas. Based on interviews with senior civil servants and HMI, this paper addresses the extent to which such claims apply to central government educational policy‐making at school level in England between 1985 and 1995. This was a period which saw the collapse of traditional ‘partnership’ modes of educational reform (central and local government, schools, teachers, educationists), which was replaced by major centrally directed legislation from Kenneth Baker’s 1988 Education Reform Act onwards. It was also a period in which the OECD promoted the use of educational ‘performance indicators’ to facilitate cross‐national comparisons of educational quality. The paper finds that, while overseas developments were frequently cited during this period of radical legislative change, these were largely convenient examples from countries with particular ideological closeness to the English climate, promoted by ‘New Right’ think tanks, to lend legitimacy to what were primarily ‘home grown’ policy solutions. Overall, their effect was marginal. Reforms in England took place both prior to and in parallel with similar reforms elsewhere; hence examples from overseas were more often used to confirm developments in England rather than to initiate them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws on Matthew’s story to illustrate the conflicting discourses of being a boy and being a student. Matthew is 12 years old and in Grade Six, his final year at Banrock Primary (a K‐6 Australian State School). School is far from a happy place for Matthew—his tearful accounts of his combative relationships with his peers and his teacher highlight his emotional distress. The paper’s analytic focus draws attention to some of the ways Matthew’s harmful storylines of hegemonic masculinity are made possible through, in particular, his teacher’s gendered philosophies and her strategies of individualism and control. In this regard, Matthew’s story provides insight into the potentially counterproductive realities of teacher practice in relation to addressing issues of masculinity within the school environment. Against this backdrop, the paper stresses the importance of teachers drawing on a sound research‐based framework of gender knowledges that can illuminate how masculinities are constructed, regulated and, indeed, transformed through the power relations of everyday social practice, including teacher practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the idea of thinking skills approaches as tools for pedagogical inquiry and in so doing seeks to develop the link between the promotion of inquiry‐based learning, which is a central tenet of thinking skills, and inquiry‐based teaching as an approach to professional development and school improvement. The first part of the paper examines the impact of teaching thinking skills on teachers by drawing upon a systematic review of research evidence. The second part of the paper sets the characteristics identified in the context of research into teachers’ development and considers the contribution of a pedagogy based on thinking skills approaches to continuing professional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper, first, outlines the official policy regarding education and training 14-19, second, picks out five areas within which that policy might be assessed, and, finally, raises questions about the educational thinking which underlies the policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The formative Assessment for Learning proposals outlined by Black and Wiliam (e.g. Black et al. , 2002 ) have been well publicised. Since 2002, in its Assessment is for Learning programme, the Scottish Executive Education Department (SEED) has been exploring ways of bringing research, policy and practice in assessment into closer alignment using research on both assessment and transformational change. This paper focuses on one project within Assessment Is for Learning, in which pilot primary and secondary schools across Scotland were encouraged to develop formative assessment approaches in classrooms. They were supported in this by researchers, curriculum developers and local and national policy-makers. The paper examines the rationale and methods behind the enactment of formative assessment in these schools. It draws upon evidence provided by the interim and final reports of participating schools to draw conclusions about areas of success within the project and potential barriers to the project's future in its evolution from pilot to national programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing upon a programme of comparative studies in three European countries, England, France and Denmark, this paper discusses some of the particular issues and problems that can arise in comparative research. It outlines some ways in which the research has attempted to resolve these and to shed light on the complex interplay of factors—personal, social and structural—that influence young people's engagement with learning. It argues that comparative approaches which combine careful measurement with ‘up-close’, deep understanding of real-world contexts, can be a very powerful mix. The paper proceeds to discuss some innovative features of comparative research design such as the use of student quotations from the three countries as a stimulus to group interviews with students and the employment of an ‘insider-outsider’ perspective, both in the development of research instruments and in fieldwork, by collaborators from more than one country working together and writing up their observations of countries other than their own. It is argued that such an approach can give valuable insights to other comparative researchers who wish to acknowledge the importance of both structure and agency in order to illuminate the complexities of the interaction between culture, social structure and institutions and individual action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a multilevel modelling approach to the analysis of social segregation in schools. Using data on free school meal eligibility it shows that the underlying variation between schools for the period 1994-1999 has increased. It also shows that the change is greater for selective than non-selective local education authorities (LEAs). It is suggested that the approach of this paper can be applied generally to the modelling of social segregation at institution level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The government has recently raised the issue of differential rates of participation in higher education. The overall aim of this paper is to present an example of the kind of detailed research necessary to identify factors associated with low rates of participation in higher education by some groups of young people. A number of studies have suggested that in addition to educational attainment, issues such as social class, gender and parental education also influence a young person's likelihood of entering higher education. In this paper we undertake exploratory analysis of a series of nationally representative data and through statistical modelling we then identify the factors that influence a young person's chances of entry into higher education and participating on a degree level course. Through sample enumeration, an innovative statistical methodology, we were then able to quantify the substantive effects of these factors. We found that net of educational attainment a number of factors (e.g. gender and social background variables) influence the likelihood of a young person entering higher education and participating on a degree level course. In addition our analysis highlights the interwoven effects of parental education and schooling and we discuss the complex nature of the effects of ethnicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper summarises the debate on modularisation in initial vocational training provisions in Germany in the context of the German 'dual system'. This system has been increasingly criticised in recent years and the paper describes the on-going discussion regarding potential strategies for the modernisation of this system. The paper then introduces three different concepts of modularisation in training provisions that have emerged from the recent debate in Germany. They are each evaluated in terms of their potential application to the German training framework. Finally, a potential strategy for the modularisation of initial training in Germany is proposed. It draws on research regarding modules and units in training in other European countries and shows how it might be possible to embed the concept of modularisation within the pre-existing training frameworks in the German context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the performances and the progress made by pupils of minority ethnic origin between Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 in British secondary schools. The data used in this paper were collected as part of a PhD study by Haque (1999). The paper discusses findings from multilevel modelling analyses carried out on 12 of the 20 schools in the research study. In particular, it reveals that whilst differences exist in the performances and the progress of pupils of minority ethnic background in their Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 examinations, these differences become substantially reduced when background factors (other than ethnic origin) are taken into account. The paper concludes that in order to identify accurately and reduce the nature of disadvantages for pupils from particular minority ethnic groups, policy-makers, schools and teachers need to differentiate these groups beyond their national origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term 'learning' is now used to signal a range of political, social and economic aspirations. At the same time, the political, economic and cultural conditions under which learning occurs are changing. In these circumstances, it is appropriate to return to some fundamental questions about what learning is. This paper draws from a four-year longitudinal study of young people and their experiences of learning, jointly directed by Phil Hodkinson and myself. The study was based upon semi-structured interviews commencing with 50 young people in their final year of compulsory schooling. Over the four-year period, it witnessed transformations in their lives, including transformations in their dispositions to learning. In the paper, I draw from a range of theoretical sources for the illumination of these transformations and attempt to ground the work in a critical theoretical framework. I argue that theory must acknowledge the situated, positional, relational and participatory nature of learning if it is to capture adequately the complexities of learning and transformational processes. I conclude, also, that the explanatory power of theory is enhanced when it incorporates a temporal dimension and when it addresses how learning is embedded within the complex and continually changing patterns of other life experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the post-compulsory education and training (PCET) systems of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, using cohort survey data for the early 1990s. It compares these systems with respect to four issues of current policy concern: participation, inclusiveness, academic drift and parity of esteem. It asks how a system's performance on these four criteria varied according to the degree of 'unification' of PCET, that is, the extent to which academic and vocational tracks were linked or combined within a unified system. In the early 1990s Scotland was the most unified system (with the weakest divisions between tracks) and Northern Ireland the least unified (with the strongest divisions between tracks). The paper finds no clear link between unification and participation in PCET. The two systems with the highest levels of participation were Northern Ireland and Scotland, respectively the least unified and the most unified systems. However the Scottish system was slightly less inclusive than the other three systems, as indicated by a slightly stronger association between participation and prior attainment and/or social class. Academic drift - measured by participation in academic rather than vocational tracks - was more pronounced in Scotland than elsewhere. There was no clear association between unification and parity of esteem, as indicated by the relative educational backgrounds of entrants to vocational and academic tracks: entry to academic rather than vocational courses was more skewed towards high attainers in both Scotland and Northern Ireland than in England and Wales. Participation in the academic track was also relatively skewed towards males in England compared with elsewhere. The paper concludes that there is unlikely to be a simple causal connection between unification and participation, inclusion, academic drift or parity. However it suggests that a strong work-based sector is more important for participation and inclusiveness, while a strong full-time vocational sector is more important for parity and for avoiding academic drift. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research-based paper attempts to describe a continuum of delivery choices available to school and college managers by which Key Skills can be introduced as part of Curriculum 2000. It describes the pressure to integrate, the illusion of contextualisation and the consequent pre-eminence of staff competence as a determining influence on the effectiveness of the delivery structure. It describes some problems associated with integration and the relative efficiency and effectiveness of discrete and integrated delivery. The paper goes on to define a continuous array of mixed modes of delivery, the levels of support required to underpin them, the external influences that impinge on the process of their selection and the effectiveness of monitoring and tracking systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper outlines the research evidence underpinning the National Literacy Strategy that was implemented in England in 1998. The paper summarises what the Strategy comprises and identifies several 'predisposing' influences. These were the international data on primary school pupils' reading performance, school effectiveness research and the findings from literacy programmes with underachieving pupils in the USA and Australia. School inspections provided additional evidence. The early success of the National Literacy Project provided a 'precipitating' influence, as it reflected much of what was implied in the other sources of research evidence. The main aspects of the National Literacy Strategy are discussed and the relevant research findings are indicated. The broadly complementary nature of these sources is noted and the paper concludes by suggesting that the Strategy offers the promise of significantly raising standards and of improving the life-chances of thousands of children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Editorial. Comments on the role of educational research in classrooms and schools in Great Britain. Usefulness of educational research; Different models of research; Links between research and the growth of professional judgement in trainee and experienced teachers.

This paper traces the changing relationship between research and inspection under both HMI and OFSTED, from the early 1980s to 1996. Drawing on a mix of internal and external sources it describes the changes within HMI to make traditional inspection methods more transparent and consistent and to make more use of quantitative data and performance indicators in the 1980s. However, changes within HMI were overtaken by events as education moved rapidly up the political agenda from the mid-1980s. With the demise of HMI in 1992, research within OFSTED took on a more prominent role and a modest but innovative research programme was established. However, the shift by OFSTED in the mid-1990s to take on a more explicit campaigning role to raise educational standards, rather than simply be a regulatory organisation, put the research under pressure to fit in with this new style. The paper draws on examples of the way these pressures worked out in both externally commissioned and internal research exercises. The result was that some studies were sidelined, while others were given excessive prominence that could not be justified by the scale and nature of the research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Educational use of the Internet forms one of the cornerstones of Labour government policy, primarily via the construction of the 'National Grid for Learning' which aims to connect every school in the UK to the Internet by 2002. In this paper we report on the extent to which schools are already buying into information and communications technology (ICT) and in particular the Internet, effectively examining the foundations upon which the Learning Grid is being constructed. Via an empirical study of 150 current school websites we will argue that schools adopt a variety of approaches to the Internet and Worldwide Web depending upon the technological and institutional capital of the school, and that far from being utilised solely for educational purposes, the Internet provides an additional tool through which schools seek to reaffirm or reconstruct their existing institutional identities with varying levels of success. The paper concludes by adopting a semiotic framework for analysing the differential use of the Internet by educational institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Although the 'Third World' is not a formal subject and plays a minimal role in the National Curriculum Orders for England, this paper argues that in its constructions of 'self, 'world' and 'other' it is a potent element of the English school curriculum. Using ethnographic data from two schools and theoretical insights from post-colonialism, development studies and social theory, the paper conceptualises its communication in terms of debates around difference. Three perspectives are identified through which the 'Third World' is communicated in the curriculum--development, charity and multiculturalism. These are analysed in relation to their constructions of difference. The paper suggests that contradictions between and within them reflect a process of change in which a more critical knowledge of the 'Third World' in the curriculum is emerging. The paper concludes with some observations on the factors constraining this process and some recommendations for policy and further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper begins by questioning the narrow definition of learning used in much present writing concerning lifelong learning, which tends to focus on the purported economic and societal benefits of prolonging and widening participation in formal education and training programmes. In contrast, much valuable and non-trivial learning already goes on, and has always gone on, outside formal programmes of instruction. This is true both at work and at leisure. Using evidence from a study of patterns of participation in adult learning in South Wales from 1900, the paper argues that if such informal learning continues to be ignored by proponents of a learning society, as it has been by the authors of the recent green papers, for example, then the result may be an unnecessary exclusiveness in definitions of a learning society, and an unjustifiable reliance on certification as a measure of learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Argues that the 1997 White Paper, Excellence in Education policy reflects the continuing dominance of the School Effectiveness Research (SER) Paradigm in Great Britain. Origins of the SER Paradigm; Overview on the concept and consequences of a `value-added' methodology; Context of school performance.

Describes the challenges faced by a local education authority from 1987 to 1997, ten years after the introduction of the Education Reform Act in Great Britain. Analyses on the Conservative Government's White Paper Self Government for Schools and the White Paper Excellence in Schools; Potential role of the local education authority in the future.

Challenges the conclusions obtained in James Murphy's recent article on British higher education which appeared in the `Oxford Review of Education' journal. Suspect interpretation of statistics; Selective reading of the literature; Weak conceptual foundations; Imperfection of markets for both vocational training and higher education.

This paper reports on recent changes in examination policy and practice in eight contemporary national systems of secondary school leaving examinations (China, England and Wales, FRG, France, Japan, Sweden, USA and USSR). The paper refers to some aspects of a larger study of secondary school examinations in those eight countries and it identifies and discusses some significant tradeoffs implied by current policies and practices. 1A version of this paper was presented at the 1988 annual conference of the British Comparative and International Educational Society, Bristol. It will be published in the proceedings of that conference and permission to print it in ORE is gratefully acknowledged. A companion paper providing comparisons of national examination systems is Max A. Eckstein & Harold J. Noah (1988) Changing forms and functions of secondary school examinations: an international comparative perspective, paper presented at CEDAR conference, University of Warwick, England (mimeo.). Support from the Spencer Foundation for the conduct of the research on which both papers are based is gratefully acknowledged. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Starting from the premise that much of the Plowden Report was misrepresented and, at times, misinterpreted, this paper briefly charts some of the actual changes personally observed over the last twenty years or so. It suggests that Plowden's inspirational qualities should not be overlooked, whilst stressing that actuality consists of continued whole‐class teaching together with the conventional addressing of ‘basic’ subjects. The ‘consistent conservatism of our schools’ is referred to within the context of comment that, rather than having failed, unfortunately Plowden was not sufficiently followed or adhered to. The paper reminds how much there is of real value in the Plowden Report, how much good, wide‐ranging advice is contained therein, and how much of its criticism of the education service would be apposite today. Current DES preoccupations with curriculum ‘delivery’ are discussed in the light of practical constraints and of recent findings from research; and, whilst acknowledging the weaknesses inherent in certain suggested styles of classroom organisation (associated with Plowden), the paper concludes with a balance sheet on present primary schooling. The suggestion is that primary practice may be considerably healthier than is normally represented despite a general paucity of funding and scarcity of resources. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper examines whether there is a linear relationship between pupils’ examination results and the average ability level of a school, after taking account of the effects on results of individual pupil characteristics. The study employs a subset of data describing individual school leavers from 15 comprehensive schools in one administrative division in Scotland, collected in the 1977 Scottish School Leavers Survey. Estimates of school effectiveness for low, average, and high ability pupils were determined in another study. Using these estimates, the analysis shows the relationship of school effectiveness scores in English and arithmetic to school mean verbal reasoning quotients. The study suggests that the average ability level of a school is associated with higher exam performance, for individual pupils of different levels of ability, even after controlling for individual pupil ability and family background characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper explores the way in which the concept of utopia is employed within contemporary educational theory. Confronted with the relentless marketisation and managerialisation of education, there is a growing willingness to embrace utopianism as a means of bolstering hope, opening up new possibilities and catalysing change. At the same time, there is a concern to avoid utopianism's more fanciful and coercive associations. The paper focuses on two approaches to education that seek to harness the spirit of utopia while emphasising the need for realism and the need to avoid proffering 'closed' and 'totalistic' blueprints. These are the 'utopian realist' approach to policy issues and the 'concrete utopian' approach to pedagogy. The paper explores the different understandings of 'utopia' underpinning these approaches. It also argues that they suffer the same fundamental weakness. For in striving to avoid the 'bad' aspects of utopianism, much of the vitality and direction that a utopian approach can offer is lost. Utopianism is on the agenda in education because of widespread frustration and anger at current policy initiatives. If utopia is to operate as a means of opening up possibilities and catalysing change, then a prescriptive totalising vision, with all its associated dangers, may be necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the sociology of education from the perspective of its recent history and attempts to assess the current state of the field. The authors argue that cognate disciplines such as economics and social policy have taken over some of the key questions that were once the preserve of sociology of education. This raises the question of what is lost if the sociology of education is no longer making a significant contribution, in key areas, to the major educational, social and economic issues of the day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]