Research Intelligence
Service

Issue 48, August 2008

Each month, this bulletin reviews recently published leadership research, policy and practical papers that we hope you will find relevant. The brief summaries aim to provide a taster and links to the full reports for your interest.

Raising aspirations in deprived communities
DCSF, May 2008

This DCSF project examined the teaching and learning practices of 50 schools in the most deprived wards in England that were judged to be high attaining or showing significant sustained improvement over several years in terms of pupil outcomes.

The report represents the first activity in the ‘Extra Mile’ project which aims to raise attainment for the most socially and economically disadvantaged pupils in England. The next stage in the project will be to transfer the practices identified in the 50 schools to other schools in deprived areas with similar intakes of disadvantaged pupils.

Improving equity in areas of disadvantage
University of Manchester, 2008

This is the third report from the University of Manchester on the state of equity in the education system in England. It looks at structures and systems being developed to improve equity in areas of disadvantage.

The study found that local co-ordination efforts to improve the community did not always involve schools or LA staff. In other cases schools were assigned particular roles and responsibilities by other organisations without being properly consulted.

The research suggests that collaborative networks between schools set up to address particular educational issues could also be used by schools to find out about underlying problems in the area, and to work with wider stakeholders to address these.

ECM Premium Project: school leadership, Every Child Matters and school standards
NCSL, August 2008

This NCSL study demonstrates a link between the Every Child Matters agenda and improvements in school standards (commonly known as ‘the ECM Premium‘) and describes the nature and quality of leadership that underpins it.

The ECM Premium Project has also produced a series of case studies and a toolkit.

Equal opportunity for working class white boys
Ofsted, 2008

In the autumn term of 2007, Ofsted undertook a survey in 20 schools across England where white British boys from low-income backgrounds performed better in public tests and examinations than their counterparts in other schools.

Features apparent in schools that were successful in raising the attainment of white boys from low income backgrounds included:

• consistent support to develop boys’ organisation skills and instil the importance of perseverance
• rigorous monitoring systems which track individual pupils’ performance against expectations
• a highly structured step-by-step framework for teaching
• a curriculum which is tightly structured around individual needs and linked to support programmes that seek to raise aspirations.

£10m a year to train Special Educational Needs leaders
DCSF, July 2008

Schools will be funded to train their Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) – the key teaching leader responsible for the learning and support of all children with special educational needs - under plans announced by Schools Minister Andrew Adonis.

The government will provide an extra £10 million a year to enable all new SENCOs to undertake high quality, nationally accredited training. The extra funding will underpin a new requirement, from September 2009, for all new SENCOs to be both qualified teachers and to receive additional training.

Students rate schools more highly than adults
DCSF, July 2008

Research commissioned by DCSF highlights the range of views about schools held by young people, parents and the general public. A high proportion of young people (83%) felt schools and colleges prepared them very or quite well for working life. This compared with 57% of parents and 53% of the general public.

There was also a difference between the views of all three audiences on the quality of publicly-funded education.

Across all three groups, secondary schools were not rated as highly as primary schools and nurseries. But the majority of all groups - 66% of the general public, 74% of parents and 88% of young people - rated secondary schools as good.

Adult behaviour often poor role modelling
General Teaching Council study, July 2008

Sir Alan Steer has been carrying out a review of behaviour in schools since 2005. His research suggests that adults need to take responsibility and not provide bad role models with behaviour that is greedy and aggressive.

The survey shows that bad behaviour is the biggest reason for teachers quitting and highlights the responsibility of adults in creating the cultures of good and bad behaviour.

The survey found that about 4 in 10 teachers leave the profession after 2 years.

Sir Alan has previously reported that good progress is being made in tackling bad behaviour, highlighting a range of important influences on behaviour including the quality of teaching, clear and consistent rules, mutual respect and the support of parents.

Using data, improving schools
Ofsted, 2008

This Ofsted report considers the different types of school performance data available to people working with schools, from teachers and headteachers to inspectors, local authorities and national policy makers. It shows how this data, if used intelligently, can inform judgements about the strengths and weaknesses of schools and help to secure the necesary improvements.

The report stresses that data must be used with care. The challenge for all those working with schools is to investigate the clues that data offers about effectiveness and so reveal the underlying story behind the figures.

Ofsted says tests narrow learning
BBC News, 2008

Ofsted's chief inspector Christine Gilbert has written to a Commons select committee, saying that some schools narrow the curriculum by 'teaching to the test'.

Ofsted's report on the assessment system supports the idea of national tests, but says an "over-emphasis" on results could distort how children were taught and compromise their access to a balanced education.

In her letter, Ms Gilbert says the most successful schools "focus on national testing and assessment without reducing creativity in the classroom".

Brokering innovation
Innovation Unit, 2008

Based on innovation in the education sector over the last 50 years, this booklet from the Innovation Unit explores the role of innovation brokers in public services. It looks at what they are, what they do, and why they might be needed to support innovation in public services. In particular, it looks at how they broker knowledge and relationships between innovators with ideas, managers and commissioners looking for solutions, investors and policy makers.