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Drawing on data from a broader study which investigated the place of sport and physical activity in the lives of 15-16 year olds in England and Wales, this paper examines a relatively neglected dimension of research in physical education, namely, young people's participation in sport and physical activity through National Curriculum Physical Education (NCPE). The paper reports upon data generated by questionnaires completed by 1010 15-16 year olds who attended six secondary schools in the North-West of England and one secondary school in the North-East of Wales during 2003 and 2004. The study revealed strong inter-school variations in the mixes of sports that pupils experienced within NCPE. More specifically, the findings revealed that NCPE was largely dominated by competitive team-based sports that tend to be gender-stereotyped, alongside more individualized and less-competitive physical activities, It was also clear, however that the reported levels and forms of participation in different sports and physical activities in NCPE during Years 10 and 11 varied significantly and differentially according to gender, social class, the school which young people attended, specialist sports college status and whether youngsters studied GCSE PE. The paper concludes by suggesting that inter-school variations are probably explainable in terms of a combination of traditions, facilities and the enthusiasms and perceptions of PE teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction During role-emerging placements students require different support as occupational therapy specific supervision is provided periodically and they cannot model their practice on experienced occupational therapists. This paper describes the development and evaluation of a workbook designed to reinforce the integration of theory with practice and provide an additional resource to support students when a supervisor was not present. Method A social constructionist perspective and action research methodology were used. Participants were 14 final year occupational therapy students and three off-site occupational therapy supervisors. All participants were involved in role-emerging placements in school settings in England. In-depth, semi-structured interviews across four action research cycles informed the development and evaluation of the workbook. Findings While the workbook originally focused on supplementing students’ knowledge of occupational therapy theory, during the action research cycles the focus shifted to consider how educational theory informed workbook design and content. Key features and critical aspects which supported students’ learning were identified. Conclusion The workbook was received positively by students and supervisors. Aspects which were particularly valued included the provision of examples and scenarios which contextualised theory within the placement setting. The workbook was proposed to have scope for use in placements beyond school-based practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article responds to the paper "Multicultural Citizenship Within Multination States," by Will Kymlicka. It recognizes the paper for offering a convincing normative position on citizenship education. It assesses the proposed inclusion of citizenship in the curricula of England and France. The securitization of immigration is also discussed.

Objectives: To develop, implement and evaluate a family-based childhood weight management programme. Methods: Programme development utilized Bartholomew's Intervention Mapping framework. This six step structured approach provides planners with a framework that links determinants of health behaviours with performance objectives and strategies to be incorporated into programme design. Using this process a needs analysis and literature review were undertaken, a steering group formed, six focus groups (with a total of n = 47 pupils) were completed and six interviews took place with parents. The determinants were combined with relevant theories to develop the programme. Y W8? is a 12 week course for families with children aged 8-13 years designed to assist with weight management. Participants' height, weight and physical activity levels along with self-esteem scores for children are recorded pre- and post-intervention and at three, six and 12 month follow-up. This paper documents post-course results at 12 weeks. Results: Preliminary results showed children (mean pre-BMI = 28.48 (± 4.44), mean post-BMI = 27.48 (±4.45; P = <0.001) and parents (mean pre-BMI = 30.77 (± 6.21), mean post-BMI = 30.41 (±6.17; P = 0.017) decreased their BMI over the 12 weeks. These results compare favourably with similar programmes in the UK. Conclusions: Intervention mapping was a useful approach for developing a theory based intervention. Results suggest Y W8? improves the body mass index (BMI) of children and parents at 12 weeks. Further work, including a randomized controlled trial (RCT), will confirm this, investigate the longer-term effectiveness and determine how the effects are mediated by psychological processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based upon focus groups with 12 secondary school physical education (PE) teachers working in north-west England, this paper examines: (i) how young disabled people and pupils with special educational needs (SEN) were assessed in National Curriculum Physical Education (NCPE) 2000; and (ii) how teachers managed the constraints on them to assess these pupils in the same manner as other young people. The findings indicate that the NCPE assessment criteria were often perceived as inappropriate, inadequate and attainable by only a few pupils. Although teachers were constrained to use these criteria because of their statutory nature, the assessment of pupils was very much a matter of personal judgement and guess work that resulted in pupils being awarded grades that were not necessarily accurate or sufficiently indicative of their abilities. It is concluded that the competing pressures on teachers to include young disabled people and those with SEN in mainstream lessons resulted in a series of unplanned outcomes that were not intended nor desired by government, and which came to limit the extent to which pupils’ abilities could be assessed, in any meaningful way, within the NCPE 2000 statutory assessment arrangements. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: During the past two decades, psychology has become a favorite school subject in many countries. This situation has led to studies on students' attitudes and perceptions of psychology as a secondary school subject. Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare motives for choosing psychology as a school subject among secondary school students (15–19 years of age) from England and Slovakia. Method: In this study, we administered an online questionnaire to gather data about motivation toward studying psychology among secondary students in England (n = 150) and Slovakia (n = 210). Results: For both groups, the most frequent motives and beliefs influencing the choice of psychology were self-understanding and understanding behaviors of others. However, significant cross-cultural differences in other motives emerged (e.g., the perception of difficulty of psychology as a school subject). Conclusion: Students, regardless the cultural context, choose psychology mostly to understand how the human mind works and to understand human behavior to help people. Teaching Implications: Pre-tertiary psychology teachers therefore need to accept a challenge to fulfill students' expectations and to raise awareness of pre-tertiary students' perceptions and beliefs about psychology among decision makers on national and international levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information pertaining to medical education courses. Between July 11-13, the Killingbeck Cardiovascular II, a 3-day course for Radiologists, Cardiologists and Vascular Surgeons featuring lectures, preferred papers and live televised demonstration of new interventional cardiovascular techniques will be held in Leeds, England. Between September 20-21, 1990, the program Cerebral Monitoring in Carotid Surgery, will be held in Rome, Italy. Between January 11-13, 1991, the Update in Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery East-West Meet, will be held in Madras, India.

Background/Context: On January 29, 2008 the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) approved a city-wide Africentric elementary school under their Alternative School policy, sparking a contentious debate. Calls for Black-focused schools also arose in 2008 in London in response to the disengagement of African Caribbean youth. The historical record indicates, however, that community campaigns for Black educational programs stretch back over 40 years in both cities. Focus of the Study: This paper analyzes the development of Black-focused education in Toronto and London from 1968 to 2008 through the responses of Black parents and community activists to the historic underachievement of African Caribbean students (particularly males) in the public schools of both cities. Black-focused education is situated within the larger social, political, and national contexts and the critical incidents that fueled the development of race equality policy. The article explores how the "politics of place" influenced the trajectory of Black-focused education in each city. Research Methodology: Two parallel historical case studies were conducted using primary source material from community-based archives, secondary sources on the history of African Caribbean immigration and the development of Black community organizations, and oral history interviews with 10 Black education activists in Toronto and 7 activists in London. Conclusions: This comparative study conceptualizes this transnational phenomena as "resistance to racism" and examines how Black-focused curriculum and ideology was adapted to local conditions in Canada and Britain. Parents and community activists aimed to develop the citizenship rights of African Caribbean students, establish a diasporic sensibility, and promote the right of children of African descent to a quality education wherever they may reside. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This third and final progress report traces developments in geography education in England from 2007 to 2012. I identify four recent education policy reforms introduced by the Coalition Government that impact on school and HE geography – international comparisons, core knowledge and the English baccalaureate (E-bac), teacher education and the A-level/HE interface – before focusing on each one in turn. The main themes to emerge from the analysis are: first, questions about using international comparison to inform national education policy change; and, second, the social divisiveness of increasing differentiation and selection in curriculum knowledge and subjects. The third theme is the predicted curtailment of theoretically informed, critical engagement with educational and, specifically, geographical issues by teachers following the introduction of ‘on-the-job training’. Recent education policy reform has created an ever-growing level of control and regulation over school knowledge, the geography curriculum, students and teachers which will surely impact upon university geography education in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper provides an overview of a pull-out enrichment project in Cheltenham targeted at academically able 9- to 10- year old (Year Five) children. The structure and curriculum of the project are detailed and the ways in which children have benefited from participation are discussed in the light of an evaluation of the programme, as are the drawbacks. The benefits of key aspects of the project are highlighted for schools that might be interested in setting up similar programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the teaching objectives and syllabus of a one-week Summer School in 1995 sponsored by the Royal Academy of Engineering in England. Topics included in the week; Design teaching philosophy shared by the course presenters; Discussion on activities undertaken during the Summer School.

Information about several papers discussed at the Oxford Brookes 2008 Internationalisation of the Curriculum conference in England is presented. Topics include the use of formal curriculum to build intercultural interaction into classroom activities. It also discussed the strength of the peer group to dictate interaction patterns; the desire to stay within ones' comfort zone; and the perceptions of the implications of working with other cultural groups.

The majority of children with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) are educated in mainstream classrooms where they can have difficulties with the language needed for learning. Although visual support in the classroom can help to scaffold children’s learning and socialization, many teachers feel ill equipped to use this. They do not feel confident enough to identify, differentiate and support children with SLCN. This article presents a training and mentoring programme delivered to teachers and teaching assistants (TAs) in seven mainstream primary schools. It involved a group training session outlining the nature and identification of children with SLCN, impact of SLCN on accessing the curriculum, and visual strategies and techniques for supporting learning. This was followed up by six, weekly mentoring sessions in the classroom with a speech and language therapist (SLT) or SLT assistant (SLTA). Pre- and post-training questionnaires and classroom observations were used to examine the impact of this programme. The observations were repeated after one school term to establish if the use of visual support had been maintained. Although there were differences between the teachers and TAs pre-training, they both increased their use of visual support strategies in the classroom post-training and maintained this one term after the training had ceased. The method and practical implications of this study are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research data gathered from a sequence of English lessons in a London secondary school are used to interrogate the ways in which reading is conceptualized in policy and realized in practice. Analysis of a PowerPoint presentation, created by two 13-year-old students, suggests the students’ ability to operate as sophisticated, multimodal sign-makers, using the resources of digital technologies in ways that are not acknowledged within the domain of schooled literacy. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article traces the historical roots, describes the philosophy and curriculum, and analyzes the approach to leadership in Investing in Diversity, a 1-year Black-led leadership development course in the London schools. An exploratory qualitative case study approach was used to collect historical and empirical data about the program over a 2-year period (2008—2010). Findings from selected survey data indicated that the leadership course enhanced self-confidence, provided role models, and was perceived as “empowering” by both participants and instructors. Interviews with four Black and Global Majority senior school leaders who are instructors in the program (including the program developer) characterize their leadership approach as collaborative and community-centered, with high expectations for students and a responsibility to give back to their respective communities. Although little research has been conducted on the leadership perspectives of Black school leaders in Britain, data from Investing in Diversity resonated with themes in the extant research on African American leadership perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of transitions, from class to class, year to year and school to school, is integral to the education system in England. The transfer of pupils from primary to secondary education is an important stage of transition. Models for managing this transfer highlight different aspects of the experience, including social/pastoral integration, curriculum continuity and the progression of individual pupils. This study investigated the transfer of pupils from primary to secondary school in relation to physical education. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with fourteen secondary school PE heads of department. The results showed that although all the heads of department reported the transfer of pupils from primary to secondary school to be very important in relation to physical education, this was not translated into practice. There was limited involvement in activities supporting the transfer, and what involvement there was placed greater emphasis on activities to support social/pastoral integration than to support continuity and progression for individual pupils during transfer. Some possible reasons for these results are considered, along with suggestions for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1988, a new act of Parliament introduced a national curriculum and national assessment to Great Britain. This article traces the background of practice and ideology that led to this innovation and then describes the development of the policy for national assessment An initial and professionally acceptable formulation has been slowly transformed to the point where teachers have refused to carry out prescribed national testing. The reasons for this breakdown are analyzed. The political and technical lessons that can be drawn from this analysis will be of relevance to many other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]